Hudson Pischer is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Tempe High School for AZPreps365.com

PHOENIX – Tempe High turned a turnover-filled first half into a commanding second-half performance Friday night, defeating Moon Valley 50-14 behind quarterback Jaleel West’s explosive performance through the air and on the ground.

Despite two turnovers,the Buffaloes led 26-14 at the half. Tempe’s defense came out in the second half tightened up, while the offense continued to exploit Moon Valley’s defense.

“They’ve learned how to respond to mistakes,” head coach Sean Freeman said. “The team this year is all about resiliency.”

Tempe opened up the scoring when West found his fellow Ed Doherty Award Medallion recipient Jaiden Hart-Rodriguez for a 16-yard score with 8:13 remaining in the first quarter. Hart-Rodriguez made a spectacular grab over a defender to give the Buffaloes an early lead.

The Ed Doherty Award Medallion is a recognition awarded to top-performing Arizona high school football players weekly. Winning a medallion allows the athlete to be a candidate for the Ed Doherty Award, given to the best football player across Arizona.

Recent notable winners include Devon Dampier (2022), Bijan Robinson (2018, 2019) and Brock Purdy (2017).

Tempe quickly retook possession on the Rockets’ side of the field before the drive stalled when a pass caught by Nemo Calvin was dropped within moments of being caught. It was ruled a fumble and turnover, which led to Moon Valley’s first points on the board courtesy of a 28-yard run from quarterback CJ Samon.

Tempe turned the ball over once more after a botched screen pass ended up in the hands of Rockets defensive lineman Louis Rios Noyes. With 1:33 to go in the first quarter, Samon found the end zone yet again to give Moon Valley a 14-7 lead.

West responded to Samon’s two scores with one of his own, taking it himself 75 yards to the house just 30 seconds after Moon Valley took the lead. West made a pre-snap adjustment based on what he saw from the defense, and it ended up being the right call.

“Adjustments like that are second-nature to me when I practice those game situations week to week,” West said.“Credit to my offensive line and my coach (MVP) for pointing out holes in the defense so I was able to audible out of certain plays that allowed us to get big gains.” 

The second  quarter came with a strong finish to the half from the Buffaloes, as West tossed two touchdown passes, one to Calvin for 48 yards and another one to Hart-Rodriguez as time expired. A missed extra point and failed 2-point conversion, however, left the score at 26-14 going into the break.

“Don’t let up. Right now, it’s too close for me,” Freeman said at halftime.

The Buffaloes responded well to that message. They came out of the break firing with help from Terran Sprewell, who scored on a 29-yard catch and run while making five defenders miss on the way to the end zone.

Tempe gained full control of the game when Hart-Rodriguez made an impact on the other side of the ball, intercepting Samon. Although the drive did not result in a score, Tempe pinned the Rockets deep and a stellar sack in Moon Valley’s own end zone by Maximo Jordan resulted in a safety, plus possession.

Other scores later in the game came from West and Hart-Rodriguez once more. West took another one to the house, this time for 47-yards, and Hart-Rodriguez finished the scoring with a 52-yard touchdown with 7:12 remaining.

The Buffaloes’ ability to shut down the Moon Valley offense in the second half gave their own play calling more confidence.

“When our team fills the gaps and knows what to do, then we can stop anyone,” Hart-Rodriguez said. “We have a great skilled position group and when our defense plays like that, the sky's the limit.”

Next week, Tempe will welcome Independence (0-7) for its homecoming game. The Buffaloes will look to stay undefeated in region play against a scuffling Patriots group. 

“I don’t take any team lightly in the region, [Independence] can come out and put up points quickly just like we saw today, and they’re hungry for a win on top of it being our homecoming,” Freeman said. “We got to come out here and put points up right away and shut them out.”