No. 5 Perry beat No. 1 Tucson 5-3 Tuesday night in the 6A semifinal round to advance to the first state championship match in program history. In the match played at Marana Mountain View, the Pumas scored early to set the tone for the night.

Senior forward Hudson Deutsch hit the net in the 4th minute and Aiden Yen scored two minutes later for a 2-0 lead. The Badgers came in with an 13-1 record in ranking matches and the team was on a scoring roll over the previous five matches, outscoring opponents 23-4 along the way, but the early deficit changed the complexion of the semifinal match.

The Badgers won a state championship in 2014 and the program is considered one of the best in the state while Perry has struggled since a semifinal appearance in 2011. Since that time, the Pumas posted two state playoff victories before this winter. Coincidently, one of those victories was a 2-1 upset at Tucson in 2019.

This winter, the program upset state-power No. 4 Sunnyside 2-1 in the quarterfinal round to set up the victory against top-seeded Tucson. The reward will be a state final against No.2 San Luis Saturday night at Dobson High School. San Luis held on to beat No. 3 Brophy Prep 1-0 at the other semifinal match Tuesday night. If the Pumas pull off this upset, it will be one of the best championship runs in Arizona history.

Tyler Bosi put Puma up 3-0 off a corner rebound in the 29th minute and then Evangelos Sideris drilled a 25-yarder in the 32nd. Luke Skattie out in a header with 21.8 seconds left in the half to cut the Perry lead down to 4-1 at the break.

The Badgers started to press but a goal from Deutsch in the 62nd kept momentum on the side of the Pumas with a 5-1 lead but Ismael Ruiz scored in the 66th minute to give the Badgers some hope. Jimmy Diaz cut the Perry lead down to 5-3 in the 78th minute but time ran out. San Luis took second place in 2021 to Brophy. Like Perry, the Sidewinders will be playing for the first state championship in program history.