T-Birds homecoming against Bears delivers victory, excitement, surprises
Rene Gomez
On homecoming weekend the Mesa T-Birds football team won 27-21 against the Phoenix Bears Oct. 5 at John D. Riggs Stadium.
The T-Birds’ 5-2 record has put them back into the WSFL top 20 rankings at 18 with one game left in the regular season.
Offensively, the T-Birds were off to a rough start when Mesa lost a fumble on the very first play from scrimmage.
The Bears then took advantage by scoring on the next possession; a passing touchdown with 13:39 still in the first quarter.
Mesa’s next opportunity with the ball resulted in a 77-yard punt return from sophomore defensive back Demarlon Morris.
“I just saw great blocks set up by my teammates. Thanks again to my teammates for those blocks,” Morris said.
Phoenix responded with another touchdown to regain the lead 14-7.
The T-Birds were about to tie the score again when Morris returned an interception for a possible touchdown.
That play was nullified by a penalty during the return, but the T-Birds were able to keep possession.
That drive ended though when freshman quarterback Brad Schencker fumbled for a second time; this time in Phoenix territory.
Turnovers were an issue with the T-Birds for most of the evening as there were a total of five (two interceptions and three fumbles).
Even though the offense had moments of struggle, the defense and special team units provided great field position opportunities with takeaways and great returns.
The T-Bird defense was able to force a total of five turnovers as well (three interceptions and two fumbles) with one interception by sophomore linebacker Taylor Hansen returned for a touchdown.
Morris’ all-purpose yardage was just as important as he gained 197 from punts, kickoffs, and an interception.
In the second half, the T-Birds found an offensive rhythm that had Schencker connect with sophomore wide receiver Cody Saul on a 72-yard pass to give the T-Birds a 20-14 lead after a missed extra point.
Phoenix managed a rushing touchdown to retake the lead 21-20, and heading into the fourth quarter, Mesa had to respond.
A rushing touchdown from freshman running back Tyler Prestwich gave the T-Birds the lead for good 27-21, and Phoenix could not even get close to a scoring opportunity.
Schencker’s shaky start was erased by making plays in the second half with his receivers for big first downs and of course the big throw to Saul.
Schencker finished the game 22 of 41 with 283 yards passing and one touchdown.
“We came out a little slow, but we made some changes and it was just those bumps in the road so we’ll fix them over our bye week,” Schencker said.
Eight different players recorded a reception and two players (Saul and sophomore wide receiver Torrance Carr) gained over 100 yards receiving.
The offensive line was also a unit that deserves credit for what the team was able to accomplish.
“Those guys play in and play out are just monsters and they just go after it,” Schencker said.
Mesa has a bye week coming up, but their last regular season game is away at Glendale Oct. 19. 7 p.m.
