Jared CohenIn any sport but especially in football, it is very difficult to beat a team twice in one season. The number one seeded Skyline Coyotes were forced to have to do that to the eighth seeded Mesa Jackrabbits for the second time in three weeks.
But the battle tested Coyotes continue to prove time and time again that they are on a mission in 2015 as they knock off Mesa 30-7.
When these two teams met back on week ten, Mesa gave Skyline all they could handle putting up 32 points on the Coyotes in the loss. The result? Head Coach Angelo Paffumi went back to basics and it has clearly helped as they have now allowed just 17 points in the two playoff games combined.
“Yea we were embarrassed the last time we played them because they had so many open field runs where they broke away and we missed tackles,” said Coach Paffumi after the game. “Literally before our last playoff game we spent an hour in practice just tackling. We did make a lot of corrections, we just tried to correct the issues we had.”
On offense, Skyline was efficient with their run game. Amarii Keyes is still battling a high ankle sprain but he gave it a go on friday night and his team rallied around him. His teammate in the backfield, Kaleb Hardin was a workhorse on the night and quarterback T.J. Duarte would tuck it himself and run for some big yards as well.
Mesa’s season comes to an end but it was overall a great season for them. Getting back into the playoffs for the first time since their run to the state championship in 2009. The future looks bright with many returning starters including impressive sophomore running back Kristopher Jackson who broke out this season.
Skyline takes on Marcos de Niza from Williams Field high school next friday at 7pm.
