Marcos de Niza gains Pima Region advantage
Marcos de Niza 43, Pinnacle 29
by Jason Stone

NORTH VALLEY – Pinnacle players said after last week’s hard‑fought 43‑29 loss to Marcos de Niza that they would see the Padres again in the playoffs.

Considering the teams are two of the best 5A‑Division II teams in Arizona, chances are a rematch in the postseason could happen.

But Round 1 in the fight went to Marcos de Niza, who pulled out the win with an explosive offense that no team has stopped all year. The Padres, who also gained a leg up in the race for the Pima Region championship with the victory, jumped out to a 29‑7 first‑half lead, then held off a furious Pinnacle rally with two fourth‑quarter touchdowns.

Pinnacle (5‑1 overall, 0‑1 Pima Region) lost the No. 1 spot in 5A‑II power points and its undefeated record but didn’t go down fighting. The Pioneers rallied in the third quarter when quarterback Evan Johnson scored his second and third rushing touchdowns of the game in the quarter.

When Johnson passed to Max Zemezonak for a 19‑yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, the Pioneers had rallied to tie the game at 29.

But Harrison Evans showed why he’s one of the state’s mostly highly recruited players with a 50‑yard touchdown burst that put Marcos de Niza (6‑0, 1‑0) back up for good. A 15‑yard touchdown pass for Marcos then put the game out of reach.

Johnson finished the game with 111 rushing yards and 23 completions for more than 250 yards passing. Zemezonak had nine catches total for 126 yards.

Pinnacle faces another big test this week when the Pioneers play Skyline (5‑1, 1‑0), one of three teams in the Pima Region ranked in the top five in 5A‑II power points.