Jayden Nance is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication student assigned to cover Pinnacle High School for AZPreps365.com.

PHOENIX –  Cesar Chavez found no answers against Pinnacle’s ground game and swarming defense Friday night, as the Pioneers rolled to a 44-7 win at home.

This week, Pinnacle (5-1) rotated three quarterbacks, two players regaining eligibility, Antonio Casias and Jackson Reader. Together, they went 13-of-17 for 140 yards and three touchdowns. Receiver Quvohn Lewis, also making his season debut after sitting out due to transfer rules, hauled in four passes for 44 yards and two first-half touchdowns.

“We knew we had to come ball out after our loss last week,” said running back Gavin Hammond, who paced Pinnacle with 110 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. “We can do a lot better than that, though.”

Hammond was part of a rushing attack that churned out 335 yards and three touchdowns, highlighted by Brandon “Peanut” Morgan, who broke loose for 137 yards and a score on just five carries.

Cesar Chavez (1-5) struck early when quarterback Mason Penrod connected with Ronald Brassfield on an 85-yard touchdown during the Champions’ second drive. But Pinnacle’s defense clamped down the rest of the way, limiting Chavez to 18 rushing yards on 12 carries and forcing a crucial turnover.

“Honestly, just finish. That’s our mindset every drive,” Pinnacle defensive back Kash Silva said after the defense recovered a fumble following a goal-line stop in the third quarter. “If we let something up, we've got to finish, and that’s really just what we did.”

Penrod finished 14-of-28 for 189 yards and the touchdown. Overall, Chavez managed 205 yards through the air but struggled to sustain drives.

Despite the win, head coach Dana Zupke called his team’s execution “disappointing.” Pinnacle fumbled on the 1-yard line to open the second half, turned the ball over on downs in the red zone before halftime, and struggled with penalties throughout the night.

“I was really disappointed in our effort tonight,” Zupke said. “Execution was bad. Too many mistakes. In all due respect to Chavez, we should be better than that.”

The Pioneers led 30-7 at halftime, but miscues kept the game from turning into a blowout earlier. Chavez briefly swung momentum late in the second quarter by stuffing Pinnacle on a fourth down with 3:22 left, then nearly scored in the third quarter before a bad snap gave Pinnacle Lineman Brody Burglin a fumble recovery.

“We played together and we fought to the end,” Silva said. “But we always got stuff to improve and we always got stuff to clean up.”

For Zupke, the win wasn’t about the scoreboard as much as the missed opportunities.

“The message was it’s never about the team we’re playing,” Zupke said. “It’s always about trying to improve. We’re trying to be a playoff team, we’re trying to be a championship team. And every week’s an opportunity for us to get better. I don’t feel like we got better tonight, just like we didn’t get better last week.”

Both teams will get a week to regroup. Pinnacle heads into its bye before a road matchup at Hamilton High School, while Cesar Chavez will also rest next week before hosting Mesa High School.