Paradise Valley was not the place for finesse football.
It’s where two stubborn teams, the Trojans and the Apache Junction Prospectors, pounded on each other in a 4A Desert Sky matchup Friday.
SLIDESHOW: Friday night high school football
Using a bruising running attack, Paradise Valley ground out a 28-7 homecoming victory.
It was a key league victory for Paradise Valley (6-1, 3-1) with every win critical in the Desert Sky Region.
“I told our kids that it’s a region championship game every week for us,’’ Paradise Valley coach Donnie Yantis said.
Running back Jake Brown rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns for the Trojans, and teammate Tyree Parker had 117 yards and two touchdowns.
“That was our basic offense,’’ Brown said. “Our offensive line did a great job.
The Trojans rushed for 275 yards, with quarterback Kevin Spain only throwing seven times, and three of those tosses were on Paradise Valley’s first possession.
Paradise Valley scored the first time it got the ball, taking the opening kickoff and driving 77 yards for a touchdown. It was Brown getting the score with a 27-yard run.
Near the end of the first quarter the Trojans made it 14-0 when Parker scored on a 16-yard run.
The Prospectors’ offense finally showed life late in the first half, with the big play coming on fourth down on their own 44-yard line. Needing only 1 yard, Apache Junction running back Shane McCullen got the ball, used two brilliant blocks and raced around the left side of the line for 56 yards and a touchdown. McCullen finished with 130 yards on 14 carries.
Brown added a 26-yard run for a touchdown in the second half, and Parker did the same only from 41 yards.
Meanwhile, the Trojans’ defense was sensational in limiting Apache Junction.
Prospectors quarterback Nate Scola did not complete any of his five pass attempts.
“The second half, our defense really stepped it up,’’ Yantis said.
