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No. 2-seed Chandler Basha forced three first-half turnovers to build a 17-0 lead and rolled to its second Open state football title in four years, 34-7 over No. 4 Chandler on Saturday, Dec. 6, at Arizona State's Mountain America Stadium.
This was Basha's third trip to the Open final in four years, losing last year to Peoria Liberty.
The Bears knew Chandler had momentum, beating No. 1 Chandler Hamilton last week in the semifinals. They felt they needed to prove something after coming into the season ranked No. 1 by The Arizona Republic.
They corralled and confused quarterback Will Mencl much of the game.
Mencl, brilliant most of this season in leading the Wolves to a surprising Open final run, fumbled and threw an interception in the first half.
"I mean, look, I'm not surprised," Basha coach Chris McDonald said. "Will is an outstanding player, and (coach) Ty (Wisdom) does a great job with the offense. We needed to punch them in the mouth and be more physical."
After the most physical game of the year, a 19-16 semifinal win over two-time defending state champion Liberty, the Bears (12-1) were ready for anything.
But who was going to be the quarterback?
During media day, McDonald suggested Brodie Vehrs might get the start. But Vehrs, who played in relief against Liberty, was still feeling the lingering effects of a late-season shoulder injury. He was in street clothes for the game.
Junior Jake Rogers, whose dad, Eric, was the head coach at Tucson Salpointe Catholic, delivered big in crunch time.
He ran for a 30-yard score on a designed pass play that broke down in the first quarter and threw a TD pass for Basha's final score of the game. Through three quarters, he was 16 of 22 for 236 yards passing.
While Rogers was being interviewed after the game, Vehrs poked in, calling him "the best quarterback in the state."
"I was nervous," said Rogers, who was the backup all season. "As soon as I stepped on the field, it was just playing football."
Rogers used star cornerback Mason Lewis on offense for this game. Lewis finally was able to use plays that were established since the spring and showed why he's one of the best athletes in the state.
He scored on end-around runs of 10 and 9 yards. He could have been the Offensive Player of the Game, but that went to Rogers.
Lewis ended up being the Defensive Player of the Game. He had a strip fumble recovery after a 35-yard run by Chandler in the second quarter.
"This means so much to us," said Lewis, who had to sit out the first half of the season with his transfer move from Casteel (the 2025 6A state champs). "I'm grateful that I came here. Nobody worked harder than us. And it showed on the field.
"We play for each other. I'm so proud of everyone. It was a team win."
Basha owned the clock in the first half, staying on the field on offense for nearly 25 minutes. Chandler had the ball for just over five minutes in the half.
McDonald went with a conservative game plan to start the game, going heavy on the ground and leaning on junior tailback Noah Roberts, who ran 11 times for 36 yards and caught six passes for 24 yards.
After Rogers scored the first touchdown, the Bears struck again as Lewis took an end-around for a 10-yard score and a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.
After another Chandler turnover, Basha cashed in with Mikey Barth nailing a 22-yard field goal with 1:16 to play in the half. It was his 13th field goal in 14 tries this season.
Chandler (10-3) had 90 total yards on 18 plays in the half. Basha compiled 215 yards on 40 plays.
"We just needed to keep it simple," Lewis said. "It was one-on-one. They didn't beat us. We worked on it all week."
Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. Catch the best high school sports coverage in the state. Sign up for Azcentral Preps Now. And be sure to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you don't miss a thing. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at [email protected] or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Basha dominates Chandler for 2nd Open state football crown
Continue reading...
This was Basha's third trip to the Open final in four years, losing last year to Peoria Liberty.
The Bears knew Chandler had momentum, beating No. 1 Chandler Hamilton last week in the semifinals. They felt they needed to prove something after coming into the season ranked No. 1 by The Arizona Republic.
They corralled and confused quarterback Will Mencl much of the game.
Mencl, brilliant most of this season in leading the Wolves to a surprising Open final run, fumbled and threw an interception in the first half.
"I mean, look, I'm not surprised," Basha coach Chris McDonald said. "Will is an outstanding player, and (coach) Ty (Wisdom) does a great job with the offense. We needed to punch them in the mouth and be more physical."
After the most physical game of the year, a 19-16 semifinal win over two-time defending state champion Liberty, the Bears (12-1) were ready for anything.
But who was going to be the quarterback?
During media day, McDonald suggested Brodie Vehrs might get the start. But Vehrs, who played in relief against Liberty, was still feeling the lingering effects of a late-season shoulder injury. He was in street clothes for the game.
Junior Jake Rogers, whose dad, Eric, was the head coach at Tucson Salpointe Catholic, delivered big in crunch time.
He ran for a 30-yard score on a designed pass play that broke down in the first quarter and threw a TD pass for Basha's final score of the game. Through three quarters, he was 16 of 22 for 236 yards passing.
While Rogers was being interviewed after the game, Vehrs poked in, calling him "the best quarterback in the state."
"I was nervous," said Rogers, who was the backup all season. "As soon as I stepped on the field, it was just playing football."
Rogers used star cornerback Mason Lewis on offense for this game. Lewis finally was able to use plays that were established since the spring and showed why he's one of the best athletes in the state.
He scored on end-around runs of 10 and 9 yards. He could have been the Offensive Player of the Game, but that went to Rogers.
Lewis ended up being the Defensive Player of the Game. He had a strip fumble recovery after a 35-yard run by Chandler in the second quarter.
"This means so much to us," said Lewis, who had to sit out the first half of the season with his transfer move from Casteel (the 2025 6A state champs). "I'm grateful that I came here. Nobody worked harder than us. And it showed on the field.
"We play for each other. I'm so proud of everyone. It was a team win."
Basha owned the clock in the first half, staying on the field on offense for nearly 25 minutes. Chandler had the ball for just over five minutes in the half.
McDonald went with a conservative game plan to start the game, going heavy on the ground and leaning on junior tailback Noah Roberts, who ran 11 times for 36 yards and caught six passes for 24 yards.
After Rogers scored the first touchdown, the Bears struck again as Lewis took an end-around for a 10-yard score and a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.
After another Chandler turnover, Basha cashed in with Mikey Barth nailing a 22-yard field goal with 1:16 to play in the half. It was his 13th field goal in 14 tries this season.
Chandler (10-3) had 90 total yards on 18 plays in the half. Basha compiled 215 yards on 40 plays.
"We just needed to keep it simple," Lewis said. "It was one-on-one. They didn't beat us. We worked on it all week."
Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. Catch the best high school sports coverage in the state. Sign up for Azcentral Preps Now. And be sure to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you don't miss a thing. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at [email protected] or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Basha dominates Chandler for 2nd Open state football crown
Continue reading...
