T-Birds falter after half vs. Artichokes
Dominic DeCono
Heartbreak and anger was the mood of MCC fans leaving the stadium when the T-Birds fell short in their football home opener against Scottsdale 24-20.
The T-Birds started strong when they got off to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and led at halftime 20-0.
But Scottsdale would bounce back.
The Artichokes put up 17 unanswered and kept Mesa scoreless in the second half but couldn’t close the deal.
Scottsdale missed a game tying field goal attempt with 3:38 remaining in the fourth quarter and after a penalty gave Mesa a 1st down with a minute left, the T-Birds all but secured victory.
However, a questionable coaching decision cost the T-Birds immensely.
Facing 4th and 1 with 40 seconds left at their own 38-yard line, Mesa opted to go for it instead of punting and failed to convert for the first down.
Scottsdale responded with a couple of 20-yard receptions including the winning pass in the final seconds to deny Mesa its second win of the season.
After the game, MCC head coach Ryan Felker admitted he should not have gone for it on 4th down.
“I made a bad call,” he said.
“If we can’t get one yard we don’t deserve to win but this one wasn’t on our boys cause they fought hard. I’m the one who made the call and I’ll wear that on my sleeve good or bad.”
Scottsdale head coach Doug Madoski said the 4th down call was a huge momentum swing that changed the game for the Artichokes.
“We had just missed a game tying field goal and committed a penalty that gave them a critical 1st down. That defensive stand changed everything,” he said.
Coach Madoski also said the T-Birds defense had given Scottsdale trouble all night.
“We just didn’t show up in the first half and their defense was stellar most of the game. But we managed to respond in the second half and made plays when we needed them,” he said.
The T-Birds were led offensively by running back Carlton Williams, who ran for 178 yards on 23 carries and one touchdown, while quarterback Blake Kemp went 23 of 39 for 142 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception.
Damarious Randall highlighted the defense with two interceptions. The Thunderbirds play their next home game Sept. 22 against Eastern Arizona.
