CAMP VERDE — Freshman Tucker Hensley tossed two scores in the absence of starting quarterback Carson Reed due to injury, but it was a special teams play that turned the tide as No. 1-ranked Scottsdale Christian escaped an upset bid by Camp Verde with a 28-14 win Friday night.

Tied 14-14 with 38 seconds to play in the third quarter, No. 13-ranked Camp Verde elected to punt inside their own 15-yard line but during the try, the ball appeared to hit the shoulder pad of Scottsdale Christian linebacker London Olsen, who watched the ball go straight up into the air and into the waiting arms of Michael Fox in the endzone for a touchdown.

“I was kind of scared; I wanted to fair catch it just in case, but I was like nah, it’s my time and I have to make the play. I caught it and was relieved,” Fox said.

Typically, Camp Verde lines up in a rugby-style punt formation, but on this play, they appeared to play it straight up.

“It changed the momentum, changed the game and it’s probably why we won,” Fox said.

A few minutes later, Angelo Scappaticci intercepted an ill-advised throw from Zayden Turnbell and the Eagles took full advantage as Caleb Murphy caught a 2-yard toss from Hensley to go up 28-14 with 9:03 to play and they never looked back.

It is the 12th straight win dating back to last season’s state championship run for the Eagles (8-0, 5-0 2A Metro 3), who nearly had a repeat of last year’s Arizona Lutheran loss that cost them an undefeated season. That loss in Week 10 was right before the playoffs, and Scottsdale Christian hasn’t lost since.

“I told [the team] that Camp Verde was coming, they are a super physical and they showed that tonight. They really challenged us tonight. It was one of the best things that could happen to us,” Scottsdale Christian coach Mike Sheahan said, adding that his club usually gets everyone’s best as the defending champs.

“I think they [Camp Verde] are even better than that. They made a couple of mistakes, and we were able to capitalize against them. That’s a good football team that was lined up across the field from us,” Sheahan said. “I’m proud of those Camp Verde kids, and I’m proud of my boys, they went through some adversity tonight. It feels like it wasn’t a win, even though it was a win, it was one of those games.”

HOW THEY SCORED

Camp Verde came out playing physical football from the beginning, turning a powerful Eagle offense that averaged 51.4 points per game coming into Friday night’s contest away twice to begin the game.

With 5:43 to go in the first quarter, Turnbell found Justin Smith on a misdirection screen play for a 20-yard touchdown to put the Cowboys (6-2, 3-2 2A Metro 3) up 7-0.

After the Eagles answered on a 10-yard run by Nathanial Elrod to tie it 7-7 with 60 seconds left in the first, Hensley found Dom Dickerson on a 15-yard touchdown pass to give his team a 14-7 lead.

To begin the second half, Turnbell found Wyatt Loveall streaking down the left sideline on a 49-yard touchdown pass to tie the game 14-14 at the 9:29 mark in the third quarter.

At that point, Scottsdale Christian, which had allowed only 19 points all season, knew they were in for a fight.

With 2:45 to play in the third, Josiah Chavez won a jump ball in the endzone to record an interception off Hensley, giving the No. 13-ranked Cowboys the ball on their own 20-yard line, but four plays later were forced to punt and it was blocked by Scottsdale Christian, proving to be the turning point in this contest.

“I think the way we played tonight proves that we can play with anyone in 2A,” Camp Verde coach Aaron Gronwald said via text after the game. “[This may not] necessarily prove anything to opponents, but our focus is on us, and I think it proved to our boys that they can play with anyone.”

Gronwald’s club, which started the season 4-0 before losing a tough one to Cortez in Week 5, 26-21, blew out Holbrook (70-6) and had a statement win over Chino Valley (71-20) before Friday night’s visit with Scottsdale Christian.

“We’re getting back to work next week to add another brick and take on whoever we get in the crossover and take some momentum into the playoffs to make a run,” Gronwald said. “We don’t feel like we’re out of anything right now.”

SCOTTSDALE QB SITUATION, DEFENSE

Sheahan was pleased with what he saw from his freshman quarterback in Hensley, who took over for Reed after he injured his arm in the win over Cortez two weeks ago.

“We know [Hensley] can spin it a little bit, and we wanted to make sure he doesn’t get those happy feet, which he had a little bit tonight which you could see. He had a couple of freshman mistakes and stepped up in some big spots,” Sheahan said.

Hensley said he needs to stay locked in at practice and continue to get better.

“I have to step in the leader role, being a vocal leader. I am a freshman, so leading this team is big. The seniors this year, they’ve won three [state titles] already, so it would be nice to win a fourth for them,” Hensley said. “I have to be a leader and do what I do best.”

On the other side of the ball, Sheahan said this is likely the best defensive unit he’s had at Scottsdale Christian.

“It’s hard to talk about right now [based on tonight], but I think it’s the best defense I’ve had in my tenure here. They fly around. It’s the same guys in the same system for the past three years,” Sheahan said. “A lot of seniors with a couple of juniors sprinkled in there, maybe one or two sophomores. They fly around, play good football. We have a pretty physical team; I was really proud of them in that second half.”

UP NEXT

With the 2A conference pairing regions together in a playoff-type seeding during Week 10 action, Scottsdale Christian will host Arizona Lutheran on Friday, Oct. 23. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Camp Verde as the No. 3 seed in the 2A Metro 3 region will face Scottsdale Prep. on Friday at 7 p.m.

Both Scottsdale Christian and Camp Verde had one cancellation this year on their schedule, giving them only nine games during the regular season.

Brian M. Bergner Jr. has covered professional, collegiate and high school sports for more than 20 years. Follow him on X and Instagram at @AzPreps365Brian or on Facebook at @Five2MediaWorks. Have a story idea? Email Brian at bbergner@azpreps365.com.