Where to start?

The eventual game-winning two-point call that almost didn’t happen?

Saguaro’s three fourth down conversions in its final drive Saturday night?

Or how Devon Dampier and his teammates kept battling despite trailing 42-28 with 11:10 left in the game at Mountain Ridge?

All of it led to a thrilling 43-42 comeback victory for the Saguaro Sabercats and heartbreak once again for the Liberty Lions in the Open semifinals. Right after Dampier tossed a 23-yard touchdown pass to Mason Whitaker on 4th and 8 with 1:02 left in the game, Saguaro coach Jason Mohns signaled in the next play: Plow.

Mohns almost ran it at different points in the game, but his co-offensive coordinator, Andy Johnson, and Dampier talked him out of it, Mohns and Dampier said. Down a point, Saguaro finally ran the play Mohns was itching to run.

After Dampier faked a handoff, Zaccheus Copper slipped out of the backfield and Dampier found him in the end zone for the final points. Levi Robins and Carlos Griffin clinched a return trip to the Open final for Saguaro after Robins batted away a pass that wound up in Griffin’s hands for an interception.

“We said we got nothing to lose,” said Mohns about going for two at the end. “We said our mentality was going to be we are going to throw everything we got at (Liberty). We are going to push our chips all in.”

Saguaro didn’t fold even when it looked bleak a couple of times.

It started its final drive at its own 6-yard line with 5:04 remaining. But on that memorable drive by the defending Open champ, Saguaro successfully executed a 4th and 1 and a 4th and 11 as well.

On 4th and 11 from Liberty’s 47-yard line, Dampier found wide receiver Chris Nimcheski just before going out of bounds for a 22-yard gain. Saguaro’s late-game heroics were needed after a big mistake.

A 68-yard pick-six by Wesley Grim pulled Liberty ahead 42-28, initiating a loud cheer from his fans. “We want Basha. We want Basha,” Liberty’s fans requested.

Basha also reached next week’s Open championship at Sun Devil Stadium. But being down isn’t unfamiliar territory for Saguaro this season.

The Sabercats opened with an uncharacteristic 2-3 record, but the early season struggles supplied some valuable lessons.

“It’s been different since the beginning of the season,” Dampier said. “We used to get down at those points. But over these last couple of weeks we’ve got a stronger bond.”

Instead of hanging his head, Dampier went to work in Saguaro’s following drive. The quarterback, known for his elusiveness and grit, displayed just that when he rolled out and tossed a 42-yard yard touchdown to receiver JoJo Clark on a go rout.

Friends since childhood, Clark caught two touchdowns from Dampier, who tallied four touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown.

Saguaro (9-3) was playing without some key players (WR Deric English, linebacker John Butler, safety Angel Theus, defensive back Dajon Hinton, leading tackler Trey Morrison) who were either already injured or hurt during the game. But the team still found a way to advance.

Liberty (11-1) suffered its first loss of the season and third consecutive close game defeat in the Open semifinals. Junior quarterback Navi Bruzon, who made great strides this season, rushed for three touchdowns, scoring two of them in the first half for Liberty.

Saguaro scored on its first drive in the see-saw battle, but Liberty responded with two touchdowns after switching to a no-huddle. Saguaro then went back up 21-14 with 3:12 left in the first half after Cooper's 5-yard touchdown run.

Burzon closed out the scoring in the first half after a 4-yard run.