Basic QB Aaron Mcallister leads his team onto the field in vistory after a crushing defeat of Foothill in the Sunrise Regional semifinals game, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016.
Published Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016 | 7 p.m.
Updated Friday, Nov. 11, 2016 | 12:32 a.m.
Stories from games across the valley:
• Bishop Gorman defense, running game unstoppable in win over Palo Verde
• Deago Stubbs does everything as Arbor View wins ninth straight game
• Legacy dominant through the air in victory over Sierra Vista
• Marshall fuels Faith Lutheran to rout of Bonanza
• In rivalry rematch, Basic defense quashes Foothill’s chances at a comeback
• Liberty’s defense dazzles in playoff win over Silverado
• • •
The high school football game always seems to be closely contested when these neighborhood rivals meet. Add to the equation that tonight’s Foothill at Basic contest is a playoff game, and it’s safe to assume the outcome won’t be decided until the end.
They play each fall in the regular season in a rivalry affectionately called, “Battle for Boulder Highway.” The schools are located on opposite sides of Boulder Highway about three miles apart, and when Foothill opened in 1999, it took most of its students from Basic to form a natural rivalry.
Foothill trailed by three touchdowns during the first meeting before erasing the deficit for an upset victory. That was the first of three straight wins for the Falcons to salvage their season to reach the playoffs.
They upset top-seeded Canyon Springs last week in the Sunrise Regional quarterfinals to set up a date with Basic in tonight’s semifinals. Sophomore quarterback Jordan Wilson has blossomed into one of the region’s better players to give Foothill a legitimate offensive threat.
Basic dropped two straight games to close the regular season, but beat Eldorado by the mercy rule of a running clock in last week’s quarterfinals. The Wolves finished second in the Southeast League and last season reached the Sunrise championship game.
Getting past their rivals would give Basic another championship-game berth.
The Basic-Foothill winner will likely face Liberty in the championship game. Liberty, the six-time defending regional champions, hosts Silverado tonight in the other Sunrise semifinals. Liberty beat Silverado by more than 40 points earlier in the season.
The postseason begins tonight in the Sunset Region with top seeds and Arbor View expected to post easy wins. Gorman, the seven-time defending state champions, enter on a 50-game winning streak. Arbor View, the Northwest League champs, hosts Spring Valley.
In the 3A classification, the state semifinals are Friday. Desert Pines hosts South Tahoe, and Chaparral travels to Northern Nevada to face Spring Creek.
We’ll keep everyone posted tonight. Send us your game scores and photos on Twitter using #sunstandout or #702hsfb.
Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21
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