Skyline gets a final word from coach Angelo Paffumi after its 43-36 victory over Mtn. View. (AzPreps365 photo)

 

With a potential tie-breaking drive about to fizzle, Skyline running back Aaron Wood made a suggestion to coaches as they contemplated a fourth-down call with less than two minutes left in Thursday's 6A East Valley Region game with Mountain View.

it was a bit of a razzle-dazzle, but executed to perfection to keep the winning drive alive and ultimately produce a 43-36 victory over Mountain View at Skyline High. 

Skyline (4-3, 2-0 region) thought it had the right play call on third-and-five at MTV 25 with a handoff to speedy Marcus Brown heading to sweep the left side. Mountain View (3-3, 0-1) foiled it with a shoestring tackle of Brown for a 5-yard loss. That made it fourth-and 10 at the 30 and the Coyotes used their final timeout and used it to change the play.

"I told the coaches that I thought it would work," Wood said. 

"It" was the hook and lateral. Quarterback Steven Castle made a quick throw to Darius Glover with Wood as the trailer. Glover pitched it perfectly to Wood, who completed the play for 15 yards and a first down. On the next play Wood took a handoff and sifted through the right side for the winning 15-yard TD with 1:00 to play. It was Wood's third TD of the game -- all in the second half. Wood, who rushed for 301 yards in a loss to Hamilton last week, was limited to 104 yards on 24 rushes. 

Skyline wasn't celebrating too much, knowing that Mountain View had enjoyed more success moving the ball in the second half. The Toros behind quarterback Brandon Nunes, marched from their 44 to Skyline's 9 with 16 seconds left. But after completing three successive passes on the drive, Nunes came up empty on his last three. The final one in and out of the hands of an open receiver in the end zone with eight seconds left.

Nunes showed good poise all night and spread the ball around nicely. He completed 24 of 37 passes for 267 yards. None were for a touchdown and none were picked off. Nunes scored on runs of 7 and 1 in the third period that put the Toros up 22-21 and then 29-21..

The touchdown machine on the ground for Mountain View continued to be Jeremiah Hollen who scored his 6th, 7th and 8th TDs of the year on runs of 2,1 and 4. Hollen, who also plays linebacker, intercepted Castle late in the third period that led to the score that put Mountain View up, 29-21.

Castle was in on several big plays for Skyline. He opened the game with a 48-yard bomb to Glover that set up the first touchdown -- a run by Brown. Castle made it 13-0 later in the quarter when he ran the option on fourth-and two and scampered untouched 47 yards. Castle hooked up with Brown on a 55-yard TD late in the second period -- a jump ball that Brown and the defender battled. The defender fell and Brown reached back to nab the tipped ball and and finished the score. Brown also made a fantastic coach in the middle of double coverage to set up a Wood TD that tied the game at 29 late in the third period.

Both teams fought through penalties to score their points. Skyline was penalized 17 times for 140 yards; Mountain View 13 times for 110. The game was stopped for aobut a half and hour early in the fourth quarter when Skyline fullback Luis Lopez suffered a neck injury. Lopez had feeling and movement as he was loaded into an ambulance. Skyline coach Angelo Paffumi said the outlook was good as he arrived at the hospital. Lopez was undergoing precautionary tests as Paffumi waited for the latest report shortly after midnight.