The Chaparral Firebirds came up just short of the top ranked Saguaro Sabercats 38-24 on Friday Night. The Sabercats move to 4-1, while this loss brings the Firebird’s record to 2-2. The game was a story of halves. In the first half the Firebirds were clicking on all cylinders, but in the second half the tides turned in favor of the Sabercats.

Chaparral led 17-7 at half time. The aggressive Firebirds were marching up and down the field. Quarterback Brayten Silbor, who was filling in for the injured Jack Miller, threw a 37-yard touchdown to Tommy Christakos to give the Firebirds an early 10-0 lead. The highlight of the first half was a gutsy reverse wide receiver pass. The ball was flipped to Christakos on a reverse and the California commit tossed the ball to Wes Mason for a seven-yard touchdown.

“It was something we have been working on for a while,” said head coach Brent Barnes. “It was the perfect alignment on the field and situation.”

However, in the second half, everything changed. Chaparral struggled to move the ball on offense. The Firebirds, who tackled very soundly in the first half, gave up three touchdowns of more than 45 yards.

“Everything that went right in the first half went wrong in the second,” said Barnes. “We didn’t take care of the football. We were out of position on defense and it snowballed.”

Saguaro led by star cornerback and running back Kelee Ringo took control of the game. The top ranked player in Arizona in the class of 2020 according to 247 Sports had an interception and exploded for 2 long rushing touchdowns in the second half.

“Kelee Ringo is probably the best player in Arizona and he made some big-time plays,” said Chaparral defensive coordinator Derrick Nsubuga. “We had some assignment busts defending the run in the second half and that was really the difference in the game.”

Saguaro’s defensive pressure had a big impact on stalling the Chaparral offense. The Sabercats sacked Silbor twice and forced a fumble off of running back Jared Williams. The pressure really got to Silbor as he was hit repeatedly throughout the second half and he only completed nine of 22 pass attempts. “We started to get the quarterback uncomfortable and we adjusted to the draw play which hurt us in the first half,” said Saguaro defense end Tristan Monday.

Saguaro’s was very undisciplined the entire game. It almost cost them greatly in this game. The Sabercats were charged with numerous penalties throughout the night including an unsportsmanlike conduct call for taunting that cost by Ringo them a touchdown.

“We were undisciplined the whole game especially with personal fouls, but we came together in the second half and got the job done,” said Monday.

While the game ended up being a disappointment for Chaparral, the atmosphere certainly was not. The Bird Cage, Chaparral’s student section, was cheering and jeering from start to finish. The sidelines were filled by alumni cheering on their alma mater. The Saguaro student section was equally impressive as they filled out the entire visitor’s side.

Despite this loss Chaparral’s season is far from over. They have been hurt by injuries so far this season. Star quarterback Jack Miller missed this game, but he should be back on the field soon. Having Tommy Christakos back on the field made a huge impact on this game. There are definitely areas where the Firebirds to need to improve, but the talent on this team is undeniable and there is a lot of football left to be played.

“We just need to learn from our mistakes and get better,” said Barnes when speaking on how the team will move forward.

Next week the Firebirds travel Glendale to take on the 4-1 Mountain Ridge Mountain Lions.