By Brittany Bowyer
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SCOTTSDALE — After a two-week hiatus from play due to lack of numbers, the Saguaro Sabercats were back in action on Friday night for the school’s 60th homecoming celebration. Saguaro hosted Mountain Ridge, who was able to walk away with a 45-6 victory on the night. While the team suffered a loss on the scoreboard, just being back in action was a win in itself.

“It was good for the kids,” Saguaro Head Coach Butch Goncharoff said. “It’s been a long two weeks."

For some of the staff at Mountain Ridge (3-1), the game brought back mixed feelings, as they used to be on staff at Saguaro previously.

“It was good,” Ridge Head Coach Andrew Johnson said. “It was bittersweet. I feel like our program’s heading in a great direction, and our momentum was going good so we wanted to come out here and make a statement, You know, I got a lot of love here, and a lot of people I still love here and got to see. It’s weird seeing them from across the other sideline, but it’s good.”

Ridge got the ball to start the game off and wasted little time scoring. Senior quarterback Amar Sutkovic was able to connect with junior Luke Weber on the fourth snap of the drive for a touchdown. Ridge elected to go for two but couldn’t convert, making it 6-0 with 11:25 remaining in the first quarter.

Saguaro seemingly had an answer, after a strong return brought the Sabercats to the Mountain Lions 30-yard-line. From there, it was only two snaps before Mar’taj Meadows was able to find the end zone on a 26-yard run. The extra point attempt by Saguaro was no good, making it tied at six with 10:20 left to play in the first quarter.

Later in the first quarter, Ridge was able to take the lead with just :15 seconds remaining on the clock. Sutkovic handed the ball off to sophomore Ben Rich, who ran the ball in for a touchdown. Ridge elected to go for two and were able to convert, as Sutkovic connected with junior Layne Scarbrough.

On Saguaro’s following possession, the ball would pop loose and fly right into the hands of junior Ace Rizzo, who took the ball back for a touchdown. With 10:52 remaining before halftime, Ridge had quickly taken a 20-6 lead.

The following possession for Ridge resulted in another touchdown, this time coming on a 12-yard keeper by Sutkovic. The Mountain Lions elected to go for two once again and were able to convert, handing the ball of to Rich who took it in. With 4:04 remaining in the half, Ridge was up 28-6.

On Saguaro’s following possession they got to the red zone but failed to convert, settling for a field goal attempt. The kick was no good, keeping the score at 28-6 with 1:02 remaining.

Ridge had a little time left on the clock to work with and attempted to score again, but were unable to put any additional points on the board before the half.

Coming back out of the locker room, Saguaro had the ball, but it was a short-lived possession. A fumble would be recovered by senior Max Olson, who scooped the ball up and took it all the way back down the field for a touchdown. The Mountain Lions kick was god, extending the lead to 35-6 with 9:16 remaining in the third quarter.

“Give credit to them, they’re a really good football team,” Goncharoff said. “Well coached.... We felt pretty good at halftime. We corrected some things, came out the second half, threw it right down the field, a huge turnover, and then the wheels came off after that.”

On Ridge’s following possession, they were able to push the lead even further with a 10-yard touchdown run from Weber. The extra point attempt was good, making it 42-6 and starting the running clock for the remainder of the game.

Despite the struggles, Saguaro fought hard until the final horn, never losing the fight inside of them.

“The first game, we kind of just gave up if I’m being honest,” Goncharoff said. “They know that.... Guys went down, the wheels came off. We watched film and they were mad about it, but we didn’t quit today.”

Mountain Ridge will now prepare to take on Desert Vista, while Saguaro will look ahead at Pinnacle.

“We’ve gotta keep placing bricks, stacking bricks,” Goncharoff said. “That’s what we’ve gotta do.”

Brittany Bowyer is a Report for America corps member, covering sports for Independent Newsmedia in Arizona. Report for America places talented journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and regions.