Connor Cox is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Chandler High School for AZPreps365.com

PHOENIX— The Morenci Wildcats upset the number-one seed Parker Broncs in the 2A state semifinals Saturday night, 39-14. Both schools traveled more than 150 miles to Desert Vista High School in the Ahwatukee section of Phoenix to meet up for their showdown in the Valley.

Morenci traveled three-and-a-half hours from southeastern Arizona. Parker traveled three hours from the banks of the Colorado river along the state's western border. When both schools have a three-hour bus ride at the end of the night, the cost of losing becomes even greater. No one wants to be on a losing bus, especially when the ride home is longer than the game itself.

The Wildcats kept that thought in the back of their heads all night, ignoring the cotton candy sunset and maintaining their eyes focused across the field on the Broncs. The game itself took two hours and three minutes. Within those two hours, the Wildcats running back, Michael Casillas, ran away with the victory.

Casillas' first touchdown followed a muffed punt by the Broncs that put Morenci in terrific field position. The Wildcats capitalized and called Casillas' number three plays in a row, the last a five-yard run in which Casillas used jump cuts, causing the defense to stutter in its pursuit, and followed his maze of blockers and tacklers into the endzone.

Casillas dinged up his knee late in the first quarter. He limped off the field for one play. Teammate Derek Saenz picked up the slack with a 49-yard touchdown run the following play. After two failed two-point conversions, the Wildcats led 12-0.

Early in the second quarter, Morenci’s defense wanted to join the party. A big sack forced a fumble. Morenci defensive end Donovan Vozza scooped it up and galloped 49 yards for Morenci's third touchdown and a 19-0 lead. 

On the ensuing driver Parker, in search of momentum, dove deeper into its playbook. Parker head coach Jeston Lotts called a trick play which was a twist on a flea flicker of sorts: a sweep, into a reverse, into a pass down field. Bronc wideout Leo Scott, Jr., hauled it in for a 52-yard touchdown. Parker scored its two-point conversion and that brought the score to 19-8 at halftime. 

After a 20-minute intermission, Casillas returned for his encore. The sophomore had a huge play on fourth-and-five for a gain of 21. A personal foul against the Broncs at the end of Casillas' run  added another 15 yards to the carry, putting the Wildcats at first-and-goal. Casillas finished the drive off with a booming touchdown, right up the gut into the south endzone, putting Morenci ahead, 26-8.

A few more late scores from Morenci would make the score 39-8. Both of those cosmetic touchdowns came on hookups from Wildcat quarterback Daylen Johnson to wide receiver Tony Roybal. On their second touchdown, Roybal ran a gorgeous post-corner route from nine yards out that looked as if was pre-game warm-ups, so open was he. 

Mikey Casillas would finish the night resting up for next week. “Casillas has a bright future ahead of him," first-year coach Leo Garcia said. “The good thing about Mikey is that he’s humble.”

“Hey Mikey, we’re getting lit tonight!” a fan yelled from the sideline. Casillas looked over, shook his head in disapproval and chuckled. He looked up at the scoreboard and cracked a grin, absorbing the moment that he helped cement his team into the 2A state championship game.

The Wildcats will face number-two seed Arizona Lutheran next Saturday at Campo Verde High School in Gilbert in the 2A final.