Williams Field's defensive effort Friday night was miles better than the first time it played Sunrise Mountain. The offense was better, too.

Still it took a late stand near its red zone for #2 Williams Field to walk away with a 21-14 victory over #7 Sunrise Mountain in a 5A quarterfinal contest at Williams Field. The win was the fifth this year by Williams Field by a margin of a touchdown or less.

Williams Field (11-1) will take on #3 and unbeaten Notre Dame Prep (12-0) next Friday at 7 at Campo Verde High School. Notre Dame eliminated Millennium in its quarterfinal, 14-0. Sunrise Mountain closed its season 8-4 after its move up from 4A to 5A with three of its losses to #1 Centennial and Williams Field (two) and the other to 6A Liberty. Coach Steve Decker's losses last year were to the 4A finalists Saguaro and Salpointe.

Williams Field, winners of 11 games in a row, did what it set out to do defensively in the rematch with Sunrise. Williams Field won the first meeting, 23-18, but was punished by Mustangs' senior quarterback Keegan Freid to the tune of 368 yards rushing and passing. 

On Friday Sunrise Mountain managed 32 yards of offense in the first half with Freid posting minus-yards rushing and 38 passing. The only score Sunrise Mountain put on the board in the first half came after an interception in Williams Field territory gave the Mustangs a short field. Freid fired the first of two TD passes on the night to wide out Kyle Copley that pulled Sunrise within 10-7 midway through the second quarter.

Freid finished with about half the total yardage he produced in the first meeting (17 of 35 passing for 197 yards) and virtually nothing on the ground. Sunrise Mountain rushed for only 36 yards as a team (compared to 183 in the first meeting). 

"The defense did a heck of a job," Williams Field coach Steve Campbell said. "I think we've  played five, maybe six D-I type quarterbacks this year. Our defense has had its hands full all season, but have done well considering. They've become very good at being detail oriented each week."

Also bolstering Williams Field's second win over Sunrise was the Blackhawks' ground game. Williams Field rushed for 381 yards, 198 of that going to senior Jaden Thompson. Thompson finished with 26 carries and got help here and there from Kendrix Lurry and Ryker Norton.

Thompson scored on runs of 1 yard (to put WF up 7-0) and 18  yards (making it 21-7 with his two-point conversion run) with 5:31 left in th third quarter.

"Jaden's a downhill back, and he gets the linemen excited when he runs," Campbell said. "Offensively we moved it, but several times we didn't finish.

           Williams Field running back Jaden Thompson (25) rushed for 198 yards on Friday (AzPreps365 photo)

 

Sunrise Mountain pulled within 21-14 with 7:23 left when Freid found Copley  (7 recpetions for 101 yards) from 6 yards out. Williams Field marched to Sunrise Mountain's 24 right after that, but a 43-yard field goal attempt by Chase Wells (who made two earlier in the game) was short.

Sunrise Mountain's final possession began with 3:49 to play at its 20. Freid kept the drive alive twice on fourth-down and third-down conversion passes. Freid was working against Williams Field's defense that was without standout safety Noa Pola-Gates, who left after leaving with a knee injury at the same juncture.

With a first down at Williams Field's 30 with under two minutes left and Pola-Gates standing with an ice pack on his knee rooting his teammates on, the Blackhawks got the stop they needed -- three incomplete passes and a tandem sack by Seth Suesue and Cole Williams.