Defense shines as MCC picks up 1st win against PC 21-10
By: Warren Younger
Defense was the name of the game as the T-birds beat Phoenix College 21-10 giving the T-birds their first win of the season.
The game started off slow with no points scored in the game’s first quarterback and forth drives for both teams as they stuck to the run game for much of the game.
T-Birds running back Carlton Williams ran the ball well despite the defensive first quarter.
The first play in the second quarter was a 43 yard pass from T-Birds Quarterback Austin Apodaca to Wide Receiver Garrett Craig which put the
T-birds on the one yard line.
The very next play ended with a hand off to Carlton Williams for the touchdown.
On the next drive Phoenix QB Isaiah Huston threw a 35 yard pass to WR Israel Simpson to tie the game after converting on a 4th and 1 earlier in the drive.
The game was tied 7-7 going into halftime.
The third quarter saw more of the same but Phoenix took the lead on a field goal midway through the third to make the score 10-7.
The next T-birds drive resulted in a drive downfield which ended with a 10 yard touchdown pass to Craig
who hurdled into the endzone dodging three Phoenix defenders on his way.
The extra point made it 14-10 with six minutes left in the third quarter.
Phoenix fought back as a 35 yard pass from Houston gave phoenix the ball at the T-birds five yard line.
With a valiant goal line stand the T-birds forced Phoenix to take the field goal but kicker
Ian Pietenik missed the field goal wide left as MCC took possession at their own 5 yard line as the 3rd quarter ended.
4th quarter saw a lot more excitement and risky plays
with MCC going for it on a 4th and 1 inside their own 20 and not converting giving Phoenix gorgeous field position.
But Phoenix failed to convert for the second time in the game giving the ball after a failed 4th down conversion of their own.
Later in the quarter saw another red zone stop for the T-birds as phoenix fails to
convert another 4th and 2 inside the MCC 20 yard line.
But the play of the game took place just outside the two minute warning when MCC took a huge gamble and went for it
on 4th and 8 just inside Phoenix territory.
QB Austin Apodaca took a broken play and turned it into a
41 yard Touchdown run with just two minutes to go, ultimately putting the game out of reach for Phoenix giving MCC the victory
21-10.
“It just feels good to get that
first win under our belts.” Said
T-Birds QB Austin Apodaca,
“We came into the season having high hopes thinking we were going to be 1-0 every week but that didn’t happen in the first two weeks.”
“Now we just have to go into every week trying to go 1-0 and not think about the whole rest of the season.”
The T-birds defense played
a big role in the victory holding Phoenix to a single touchdown and a field goal which is a great sign after giving up a combined
107 points in the previous two games.
“I think the team finally got a sense of unity” Apodaca said, “We lost a lot of players last year and it was important for the defense to play like a team again.”
“The defense saved our butts out there”.
Apodaca ended the game with 19-28 completions with 171 yards passing and a touchdown.
Carlton WIlliams had a monster game on the ground
with 33 rushes for 151 yards and a touchdown
Garrett Craig led all T-Birds receivers with 63 yards and a touchdown.
The T-birds have six games left including Pima and East Arizona in the next two weeks with the Homecoming game against New Mexico Military on the 27th of September.
The T-birds have to finish the season strong to make it to the playoffs but Head coach Ryan Felker likes his teams chances.
”We feel good.” Felker said
