Harry Kaseff is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Corona del Sol High School for AZPreps365

TEMPE – Junior quarterback Luke Farrell passed for three touchdowns and 247 yards Friday night, leading Corona del Sol to a 26-21 victory over Sandra Day O’Connor.

The Aztecs were able to find early offense through the passing game. Junior wide receiver Jamar Patterson hauled in five catches for 62 yards and a touchdown in the first half alone.

“The players put their trust in the coaches and each other,” Aztecs coach Eric Lauer said, “and we can see it play out in a positive way.”

After Corona del Sol took an early 3-0 lead, the Aztecs found their groove on offense. Farrell tossed a 45-yard strike to junior wide receiver Jayden Bautista. One play later, Farrell ran it in for a 7-yard touchdown with 7:25 remaining in the second quarter.

The Aztec defense forced a quick three-and-out and Farrell got right back to work. It took the Aztecs just eight plays to find the end zone. Patterson caught back-to-back passes with the second one being a 15-yard touchdown with 3:36 left in the first half, making it 17-0.

“We saw a certain look that they were giving us and we just attacked it,” Farrell said.

Lauer was impressed with his quarterback's poise.

“He (Farrell) is growing up quickly with a brand new offense,” Lauer said. “He’s getting better every week and tonight was a great step forward in his growth on the field.”

The Eagles were able to get on the board with a one-play drive right after Patterson’s touchdown.

On a delayed draw, junior running back Jeremy Adeyanju used his breakaway speed to score a 62-yard touchdown run. The speedy Adeyanju initially took his time before he burst up the middle for the long TD run.

Other than Adeyanju’s second longest run of the season, O’Connor found it difficult to move the ball against the Aztecs. The Eagles were down 20-7 at halftime but they did their best to stage a second-half comeback.

After a scoreless third quarter, Corona del Sol junior defensive back Devin Scholl intercepted O’Connor senior quarterback Carson Craig at the O’Connor 30-yard line, giving the Aztecs great field position.

On the second play of the Aztec drive, Farrell launched a deep ball down the right sideline to senior wide receiver Jude Stevens for a 31-yard TD with 10:43 left in the game. The Aztecs missed the extra point and led 26-7.

But the Eagles responded quickly. On their next drive, Adeyanju rushed for 53-yards in just three plays to set up the Eagles at the Aztecs' 17-yard line. Craig found sophomore receiver Jake Gumbert in the corner of the end zone for a TD to make the score 26-14.

Both teams traded possessions in the fourth quarter before the Eagles scored again. In five plays Craig led his team down the field and found sophomore receiver Braylon Lopez for a 30-yard jump ball TD. The Eagles made the score 26-21 with just 2:30 remaining.

“I’m proud of them for fighting back and getting into it,” Eagles coach Ben Kullos said, “just disappointed that we let it get out of hand in the first place.”

O’Connor went for the onside kick and recovered it successfully as kicker Cohen Horst recovered his own kick. The Eagles could not move the ball, however, and Craig threw a game-sealing interception to Aztec junior defensive back Landon Bickford.

Corona del Sol (2-2) travels to Perry (2-2) next Friday at 7pm. O’Connor (1-3) plays  at Chandler (3-1) next Friday at 7pm.