By Zach Alvira
Head of Content
Ryan Freeman laughed at the thought of what his daughter, Brylee, may think about Campo Verde’s win over McClintock in the first round of the 5A playoffs Friday night.
“She’ll probably tell me, ‘Why did you make it so close?’” the Coyotes head coach said.
Brylee, who is battling cancer and watched the game from Phoenix Children’s Hospital in Phoenix, has good reason to believe that. Campo Verde was locked in a back-and-forth game with McClintock, the team they beat by three touchdowns just two weeks prior. But this go around, the stakes were higher. It was win or go home.
It took a goal lie stand by the Coyotes defense to decide who would be going home, however. But in the end, when McClintock quarterback Jaxon Knutson was stopped at the 1-yard line as time expired, it was the Coyotes that escaped with a win in a 42-39 thriller.
“It was a gritty performance,” Freeman said. “They didn’t give up and they stuck together. That’s something to be proud of.”
Campo Verde has a history of players stepping up in big moments. But perhaps none were as big as what Carter Haygood did Friday night.
He played cornerback for the first time ever, filling in for an injured starter. His team told him they had his back. In return, he told them he would put his body on the line. There were moments in the game where he had that opportunity. But the biggest of them all came with just under 10 seconds remaining with his back to his own goal line.
McClintock was driving, down just three points. Knutson, a senior who has lit up opposing defenses all season long, already well surpassed the 400-yard mark through the air against the Coyotes secondary. So, knowing how lethal he and his group of wideouts are near the end zone, Campo Verde locked down defensively, forcing him to scramble out of the pocket.
Knutson was met by Haygood and linebacker Kyler Lansford, stopping him short as time expired.
“I saw him coming at me and I knew what I was going to do for my team,” Haygood said. “I’m ready for next week.”
The goal line stop was the biggest play of the night in a game filled with non-stop action.
McClintock took an early two touchdown lead thanks to a 19-yard run my Kemon Jackson and a 45-yard pass from Knutson to Jackson. The Chargers’ lead carried to near the end of the first quarter, when Campo Verde finally found pay dirt on a 1-yard run by quarterback Karsten Lee.
Lee connected with Wyatt Rauch in the second for a 45-yard touchdown. Later, he found Scott Aholelei for a 24-yard pass that turned into a touchdown. The three unanswered touchdowns by Campo Verde shifted all momentum to the Coyotes’ side.
That is, until Knutson took the field again.
Knutson led the Chargers down the field, connecting with Jackson yet again for a 5-yard touchdown.
The second half brought plenty of back-and-forth action, as the two teams traded blows in between failed fourth-down conversion attempts. Knutson ran in a touchdown and connected with Amari Scroggins on passes of 30 and 91 yards, respectively, that went for touchdowns.
Lee, meanwhile, found Haygood for a touchdown pass and orchestrated two drives that resulted in rushing touchdowns from Jacob Coleman and Bobby Blackburn.
Blackburn, who has been the cowbell back for Campo Verde all season, was bottled up most of the night by a stacked box. But trailing late in the fourth, he cashed in from 18 yards out in what turned out to be the game winner.
“It’s a great feeling having him because he opens up so many passing lanes for me,” Lee said of Blackburn. “It’s amazing having someone like that.”
Lee finished 11-of-17 for 216 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 95 yards and another score, using his legs to extend drives late in the game.
Rauch was his top wideout, hauling in four passes for 103 yards and a touchdown. Blackburn rushed for 75 yards and a score.
It wasn’t the stereotypical performance defensively for Campo Verde. That unit is typically stout, limiting an opposing offense’s production. But Knutson had their number. They just happened to find enough offense to answer the call.
Knutson capped off his career completing 30 of his 43 pass attempts for a staggering 444 yards and four touchdowns. He also had 67 yards on the ground and another score.
Jackson had 100 yards receiving on eight receptions. Scroggins hauled in 11 passes for 200 yards and a pair of scores. Khalil Bender and Amar Baker both had more than 70 receiving yards.
“The stats, they don’t lie,” Knutson said. “I’m just throwing the ball. They’re the ones who are really doing it. I’m so proud of this team. We fought so hard and we fought a lot of adversity. I’m not mad we lost to Campo, it’s just sour. I’m just proud of how we fought all year.”
The win allows Campo Verde to advance in the 5A playoffs. The Coyotes will face ALA Gilbert North next Friday.
But more importantly, they’re playing on for Brylee. She was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma in 2023 and has been fighting the form of bone cancer ever since. She’s had long stays at Phoenix Children’s. She and her mom, Brittney, were there while her dad coached the Coyotes.
But his presence with the football team is Brylee’s request. She wouldn’t want it any other way.
“It means a lot,” Freeman said. “It’s validation as a dad. When your kid is going through something, and to be away, it rips at your heart. But these kids, to not give up to not fall apart and not break down, it helps. It doesn’t fill the hole but it definitely helps.”
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