With playoffs looming, Phoenix Christian ends regular season 9-1
November 2, 2019 by Brendan Falk, Arizona State University
Phoenix Christian secured first place in the 2A Agua Fria division by defeating Scottsdale Christian 49-7 behind a big night from senior running back Man-Man Freeman on Friday.
“All credit goes to the line,” Freeman said. “They were great holding blocks and letting me get into the open.”
Freeman got the homecoming game started with an 11-yard touchdown run just 4:18 into the game and had two rushing touchdowns before the game was 10 minutes old.
“Every week we expect a lot out of [Freeman],” head coach Brian Cole said. “We expect him to break runs and run hard. He did it tonight but it wasn’t his best game, but at the same time he broke a couple of runs.”
Freeman’s play early in the game set the tone for the Cougars, who led by 28 at the half thanks to two second-quarter passing touchdowns from junior quarterback Adrian Fleming to junior wide receiver Howard Russell.
“I got put in a good spot,” Fleming said. “I had time to improvise and got the ball to Howard in behind.”
The Cougar defense forced two turnover-on-downs in the first half and suffocated the Scottsdale Christian offense, compiling three sacks and allowing only two first downs before the break.
Senior defensive end Marcel Pierre led the way on defense with three sacks on the night.
“I honestly can’t explain it,” Pierre said. “I just get a read off what the offensive lineman does and play off of that. It was a good night for me.”
Fleming, in his fourth career start for the Cougars, finished the night 6-for-6 passing with two touchdowns.
“The coaches put me in a great position,” Fleming said. “All credit has to go to my teammates, they were great tonight.”
Russell got involved on the ground in the third quarter with a 16-yard touchdown run to make the score 42-0 with 5:46 remaining.
“I just saw great blocks and hit my hole,” Russell said. “You just have to hit the hole and be patient.”
Scottsdale Christian’s offense couldn’t get going until the fourth quarter, when they scored their first and only points on a 10-yard connection between sophomore quarterback Carson Mousel and senior wide receiver Ben Carver to make it 42-7.
Less than a minute later in game time, Freeman broke free for his fourth rushing touchdown of the night, a 38-yarder which put any hope of an Eagle comeback to bed. He finished the night with 15 carries for 193 yards and four touchdowns.
Although unhappy giving up points, Cole was happy with the way the Cougar defense played.
“Our defense tonight was good,” Cole said. “We gave up a cheap one at the end but, overall, our defense was good tonight.”
The Cougars took some untimely personal foul penalties throughout the game but Cole stressed they won’t continue to make mental mistakes in the playoffs.
“I think some of the guys weren’t totally focused on the game all week, with it being homecoming and senior night and all,” Cole said. “I think next week we’ll clean it up and be more focused on the game.”
The goal for the Cougars, as it has been the whole season, is to win a state championship.
“The goal this whole season was to get a state championship,” Fleming said. “We all think we have a chance if we stay together as a team.”
The Cougars are 9-1 and will host the first round of the 2A playoffs on Friday at 7 p.m.