Alexander McDonald is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Millennium High School for AZPreps365.com

Horizon (3-3) made a late fourth quarter comeback for a road win at Millennium, 25-16, on Friday. 

Millenium was in control, 16-7 midway through the fourth. After the field goal made it a two-score game, Millennium was hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that put the ball at midfield. The Tigers defense nearly held the Huskies, but a poorly played attempt at an interception enabled the Huskies to score 16-14 on their next possession.

Horizon gained momentum thereafter as Millennium was unable to get the run game working in the fourth quarter. The Tigers had a few cheap three-and-outs that piled the pressure on the defense. The Huskies were far from spectacular but the defending 5A state champion found a way to grind out the win. 

Millennium's ground game was their strength. 

“We wanted to run the ball for some reason we got away from that in the fourth quarter," Millennium coach Lamar Early said. "The third quarter went well, I got three running backs that we can run the ball with between Zues (Pindernation), Gio (Peru) and Tay (Player) so we just wanted to run the ball."

Pindernation was the standout of three running backs, took the majority of snaps, made several large gains and scored a touchdown. Peru and Player were both impressive when they got into the game both had runs of 10-plus yards.

However, their performances were in vain as the offense found things harder in the fourth quarter. 

“We didn’t really make a ton of adjustments. We liked what we had we just didn’t execute,” Millennium offensive coordinator James Fischer said.

Defensively for the Tigers, the plan was to stop Huskies tight end and Baylor commit Matthew Klofenstien, which they did reasonably well at limiting him to only a handful of receptions. He grabbed a reception for 30-plus years just before halftime that set up a touchdown before the break. Klofenstien then had another long reception that set up the go-ahead TD at the third quarter's midpoint. 

Aside from Klofenstien, the Tigers defense played well shutting down the ground game comprehensively and defending the pass well. 

“We just tried to put our guy tried to put our guys in better positions to be able to make plays on the ball, on the backside, especially on the backside," coach Mike Lindsey said.

"Our linebackers and some of our DBs, I don’t think that we saw anything that we didn’t expect to see. But it’s a championship team and they know what it takes to compete for four quarters and I think that’s what you saw tonight."

Millenium move to 3-3 on the season and will open regional play by playing crosstown rival Verrado, away, next Friday at 7 pm.