No. 7 Prospectors' secure heavy lead over Arcadia

After nearly being held to a scoreless first half, the Prospectors (5-3) would go on to secure a double digit lead over the Titans for the majority of the fourth quarter, ending the game with 42-21.

The Titans and Prospectors played similar offenses all night, relying on their star running backs to gain the majority of their yardage.

On Arcadia’s side, senior Quintyn Isabell rushed 125 total yards in the game, including a carry for 27 yards in the first quarter and another for 45 in the third.

But, it was Apache Junction’s Isaiah Savoie offensive game that would eventually see to the Prospector’s healthy deficit over the Titans. Rushing for a total of 155 yards and scoring three out of five touchdowns for the Prospectors.

“When he was a freshman, I remember him scoring a touchdown against Prescott when he was 14 years old and I thought, ‘This kid’s something else,’” Apache Junction head coach Bruce Binkley said. “But, the best thing about him; he's a 4.0 student. He’s the most humble kid I’ve ever been around. He’s just a phenomenal person.”

After a restless game, Savoie hardly showed signs of fatigue. He says it’s the result of his conditioning.

“My coaches get me ready during the week,” he said, “And I rest on Saturday and Sunday; I get back at it on Monday and I condition just for Friday. And then I come back and try my hardest — it’s all mental.”

His first chance at the playoffs were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but he is now gearing up for still just one of two more chances to secure a championship title before graduation.

Savoie described a thrilling game for the team, coming back from a 10-point deficit before the half, to ultimately win the game.

“The most exciting part was seeing my team overcome being down,” he said, “We were down 10-0, and then from that, we scored 42 points and all the momentum came to us. When the momentum’s on our side, there’s nothing that can stop us. We’re like a juggernaut.”

The Titans opened up the game after recovering a fumble from Apache Junction just 13 yards from their goal with a little under eight minutes left in the first quarter. After a 10-yard drive, a quarterback keeper sealed the deal.

Arcadia had another fumble recovery just seconds after, and a three-play, 34-yard drive by Isabell brought them within field goal distance, creating that first 10-point deficit over Apache Junction.

The game seemed to be in Arcadia’s hands as the Prospectors worked to put a score on the board for the first 11 minutes of the second quarter. Despite getting the ball back at their 20-yard line, Apache Junction’s first touchdown came after a six-play drive, which included a 20-yard pass from Gavin Limongello to Garrett Garcia and was capped off with a run in by Carlos Juarez Reyes.

Arcadia put another three points on the board in the third quarter, while the Prospectors scored 21, which included an interception and touchdown by Dane Fidler while the Titans’ were at 1st-and-goal with a minute left.

The momentum continued for the Prospectors when Garcia caught a 36-yard pass and two more plays brought Savoie into the end zone, for a 35-13 lead.

Brady Forst ushered in Arcadia’s next score and a successful two-point conversion narrowed the lead to 14-points for the Prospectors, but with just six minutes left in the game, time was running out for the Titans.

Lastly, a three-play drive and penalty on the Titans brought the Prospectors within 1-yard of the end zone, allowing Savoie his third and final score of the night.

The Prospectors will face Queen Creek Benjamin Franklin (1-8) at home for the final regular season game of the year on Thursday.

“We just have to prepare,” Binkley said. “Ben Franklin runs a wing-T offense. They’re very well coached, and they’re a good football team. It’s our senior night; it's a short week. This took a lot out of us, we’ve got to go get some rest and get ready to go.”