Defense ruled in a 20-0 win for Marana over Mountain View Marana at home Tuesday night in a game billed as the “Battle for the Saddle.”

Marana improved to 3-0 on the year and Mountain View is now 1-1.

Marana plays in the 6A, and the Tigers reached the quarterfinals of the inaugural flag football playoffs last year. One of the victories in the 13-1 campaign was a 22-0 win at Mountain View, a more dominating victory despite the 20-0 win this year.

This year's result was in doubt until the final few minutes, with Malaysia Roebuck taking an interception back 85 yards to put the Tigers up 20-0 as the clock expired. Mountain View also had an outstanding inaugural season with a 9-3 record and a quarterfinal finish in the 5A Conference.

Marana and Mountain View struggled to move the ball early, but the Tigers managed to move down to the Mountain View 4-yard line with 1:53 left in the first quarter. Joy Navar, however, recorded an interception in the end zone to end that threat.

Marana got the ball back on downs in good field position and Roxi Singer found Malaysia Roebuck from 15 yards out to put the Tigers up 7-0 on an extra point from Peyton Sharp with 10:02 left in the half.

Marana senior Adrian Griffin came up with an interception with 4:06 left in the half but Navar returned the favor with her second interception of the night with 50 seconds left. The defense then really stepped up when Mountain View forced a punt from the 5-yard line with 20 seconds left.

But Ashley Gospodarek came up with an interception to give the Mountain Lions the ball back with nine seconds left only to have Roebuck collect her second interception to end the first half.

Both teams struggled in the third quarter, but freshman QB Mazie Brown ran up the middle from 35 yards out to put Marana up 14-0 with 9:03 left in the game. Gospodarek put Mountain View in good field position on a 38-yard interception return with 3:07 left, but Roebuck ended that first-and-goal situation with her second interception of the night with 1:13 left.

The Tigers gave up the ball on downs at their own 17 with 32 seconds left, but Roebuck then took her third interception the distance, some 85 yards, to put the Tigers up 20-0 with the clock expiring on her run.

The final score was not indicative of the fight from both teams.

Mountain View's next game is at Sunnyside (3-0) on Thursday, and Marana has a bit of a break, with a game at Red Mountain (3-1) on Oct. 1.

Singer threw for 103 yards and a TD, and Brown added 50 yards for Marana. Tiger senior Madison Myers-Rebidas was named Player of the Game for Marana by the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl, gaining 55 yards on nine receptions. Aalaeyah Lujan was named Player of the Game for Mountain View due to her strong defense on the night over the middle.

 

THE PLAYS

THE SADDLE