Football Notes from Week 3 in Chandler

Steve Belles coached his 100th game on Thursday night, Over the course of that 100 games, Belles has amassed an astonishing record of 95-5. Think about that for a second- FIVE losses. The other thing he’s done five times as Hamilton’s head football coach? Five championships. Belles is equally acquainted with hoisting the golden trophy as much as he is a disappointed postgame handshake at midfield.

All of Hamilton’s success and pedigree didn’t seem to phase the Pinnacle Pioneers on Friday, as QB Brian Lewerke and RB Josh Hoekstra gave the vaunted Huskies defense their biggest test of the season, taking a 17-14 lead into the 4th quarter. Hamilton’s defense, however, flexed their muscle and the Pioneers were only able to amass eight total yards on three drives in the final period. The win puts Hamilton at 3-0, and 2-1 Pinnacle turns their attention to next week’s matchup with Basha.

Basha got back on the winning track Thursday, besting Cesar Chavez 54-28. Zach Werlinger upped his varsity high school career passing TD total to 42, 11 short of Kyle Duran’s school record of 53. Passing statistics notwithstanding, the most important number for the Bears on Friday was 6.16, as in Basha averaged 6.16 yards per carry on 32 carries. This came just one week after a loss to Centennial that caused many to question whether the Bears’ offensive line would allow them to compete for the title this season.

Perry also upped their record to 2-1 on Friday, continuing their dominance over Yuma Gila Ridge with a 27-6 victory. Perry is now 5-0 all-time against the Hawks, and Austin Nightingale has seemingly found a new favorite offensive target in WR Ben Terhark (Jr.), who has caught three TDs in the last two games. Perry faces their biggest test next week as they travel to play 3-0 Mesa Mountain View.

On Saturday, the Chandler Wolves tested their new no-huddle offense against one of the best teams in the nation, St. John Bosco. QB Bryce Perkins and RB Chase Lucas kept the Braves guessing in the first half, jumping out to a 28-10 lead before the behemoths from Bellflower went on a 42-3 run to send Chandler home with a 52-31 loss. QB Josh Rosen was knocked out of the game in the first half with a shoulder injury, and the bulk of the comeback was guided by St. John Bosco’s backup Andrew Katnik. Chandler has little time to recoup as Mountain Pointe visits Austin Field on September 20th.

For C-Town’s smaller schools this weekend, we saw two streaks end. Seton Catholic (2-1) saw their 13 game winning streak snapped by Snowflake (3-0) on, while Valley Christian ended a four game losing streak with a 42-15 win over Tonopah Valley.

For more coverage of high school football from Ralph Amsden, check out ctownrivals.com

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