Five takeaways from Chandler's comeback win over defending state champion Saguaro

Scottsdale Saguaro jumped out to a 14-0 lead Friday night, before Dylan Raiola, the nation's No. 1 2024 high school football prospect, hit Jaxon Branch with a deep TD pass. That started a 31-0 Chandler run.

The Wolves' defense dominated the third quarter and made Saguaro use too much clock to try to rally in a 31-21 6A football victory before an overflow crowd at Chandler's Austin Field that avenged last year's 20-15 Open Division state championship loss at Arizona State's Sun Devil Stadium.

Here are five takeaways from a game that started 1 hour and 20 minutes late due to a lightning delay that began before either team could take the field for warmups and was attended by Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and cornerback Byron Murphy, a Saguaro product.

Switch flipped

It could have been 21-0 Saguaro but Raiola had a pass that was dropped by a linebacker at the Chandler 35. After pass interference was called on Saguaro the next play, Raiola finally showed why he is lauded as the best player in the 2024 class in America.

He went through his reads before finding Jaxon Branch wide open on a deep pass for a 49-yard touchdown strike with 5:41 left in the first half.

"We had a chance to go up 21-0, but we didn't get it," Saguaro coach Jason Mohns said. "They hit a big play afterwards. I just didn't think we did a great job collectively as players and coaches to respond after the momentum swung."

That touchdown seemed to ease any pressure the top-ranked Wolves (4-0) were feeling before that. The defense responded by finally corralling cat-quick quarterback Devon Dampier the rest of the half and for all of the third quarter as Raiola picked up a blitz and dumped a pass off to Ca'lil Valentine for a 25-yard score in Chandler's first drive of the second half that gave the Wolves their first lead, 17-14, with 6:43 left in the third quarter.

Saguaro ran only seven plays for eight yards in the third quarter.

Chandler's offensive line took over in the third quarter, leading to another Wolves' touchdown, a 4-yard run by Charles Ennis. 

Valentine's day

Raiola, who was 7 of 9 for 121 yards with a TD and an interception in the first half, didn't have to pass the ball a ton. He could simply hand the ball off to Valentine and let the junior go to work. Chandler right off the bat established a ground game, moving from its 24 to the Saguaro 11 with Valentine running six times for 34 yards in the drive.

After a third straight three-and-out by Saguaro (2-2) to start the second half, Valentine took off for a 79-yard touchdown run that gave Chandler a 31-14 lead with 10:47 left in the game. It capped a great performance for Valentine, who was offered this week by new Arizona State coach Shaun Aguano, the former Wolves coach, who was on hand to watch the game.

Raiola, an Ohio State commit, was singing Valentine's praises afterwards.

"This guy next to me was a confidence boost for sure," Raiola said about Valentine. "He makes plays. So does our whole unit. But I told him they go how me and him go. The O-line stepped up big time, made some big holes. You saw his electric speed. He hit it. I can't say enough. He's a special player. College coaches better start ringing his phone up a little bit."

Slowing down Dampier

Dampier, who was incredible in the Open playoff run last year, including a sizzling performance in the Chandler win in the state final, was the most dangerous player on the field in the first half when Saguaro went into the locker room leading 14-10 with the ball to start the second half.

Dampier ran for 62 yards, setting up Saguaro's first two touchdowns — a 3-yard run by Jaedon Matthews and a 3-yard pass to Deric English after Dampier hooked up on a 30-yard pass play to English. It appeared English caught the ball out of bounds but the referees ruled a touchdown that could have had the Wolves reeling.

Chandler's defense responded by keeping Dampier from making anything out of broken plays in the third quarter and making him grind out first downs in the third quarter while trying to play catch-up.

"How they train, how they work, how we demand, my coaching making adjustments," Chandler coach Rick Garretson said. "And we came out and did what we do. That's why we're a well-conditioned team. A strong team. You saw that in the second half."

Meat-grinder schedule

It was obvious the way Saguaro controlled much of the first half that opening the season against Bergen Catholic paid off. Saguaro lost that game 28-7 to now a top-10 nationally ranked team from New Jersey. But it showed what Saguaro's offensive and defensive lines needed to do to grow up fast. A tough win over Queen Creek, a rout of Sandra Day O'Connor and then a 14-0 lead over Chandler showed Saguaro will respond to anything.

And now, the Sabercats face yet another great team in Peoria Liberty (3-0) next week. Liberty, off this week, has a defense that has yet to give up a point this year. Saguaro is going to benefit from having the toughest schedule in the state. And Garretson let Mohns know after Friday's game that he'll see him in the Open playoffs.

"Jason's got a good team, and I told him, 'See you down the road,' " Garretson said.

Living up to the hype 

Even with the hour-and-a-half late start, this had a state championship atmosphere from the media to two of the top Cardinals' players in attendance. Everybody wanted to see this rematch. And, even though Chandler began to put distance on Saguaro in the second half, it lived up to the billing. From Raiola showing composure after being bottled up much of the first half to the Wolves' offensive line taking over in the second half, Chandler showed that it can take a punch and come back. And Saguaro showed that it isn't going to quit, even after seeing Chandler go a on 31-0 run.

"My team can stay together," Valentine said. "It's a brotherhood. If we don't stay together, we're not doing it."

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on Twitter @azc_obert.

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