Rams close season with thrilling, 34-28, overtime win

Randel Barber closed his stellar Maricopa career by intercepting a pass at the goal line in the first overtime to preserve the MHS victory.

The win gave MHS (3-7, 2-3) three victories in the final four games and some happy moments to remember until the 2012 campaign begins.

 

There will be no 2012 season for Barber, a senior, at least not in a Maricopa uniform, but the memory of this one will last for a long, long time for him.

 

“That was the best thing that’s ever happened to me in football, so far,” Barber said after his play stopped the Buffalos who seemed to have an advantage with their first possession of overtime.

 

After regulation play ended in a 28-28 tie, each team was given the ball at the 10-yard line in overtime. Tempe won the toss and elected to have the Rams try first. After Barber was thrown for a two-yard loss on first down, quarterback Dallas Speer sprinted left for 10 yards, putting the ball at the 2.

 

Barber, who had to switch from his usual No. 4 to No. 5 early in the game when the jersey was torn, was stopped a yard short on third down, but took a pitchout from Speer and headed around the right side for the score. The PAT attempt by freshman Ivan Mendez, who made two earlier tries during what was his first varsity game, was wide right.

 

That meant that if the Buffalos answered with a TD of their own, a PAT would win it. “If you had seen that kid kick this year on the freshman team you would believe why I had him out there,”said Rams head coach Cory Nenaber. “He’s a really talented kid. His future is huge.”

 

When THS lined up for its set of downs at the 10, Clayton Kelly was stopped for a one-yard gain on first down. Quarterback Emanuel Gant then went for broke with a toss to the end zone that would have tied the score. But Barber stepped in front of the intended receiver and picked off his second interception of the year to seal the victory.

 

For the second week in a row it appeared that Maricopa was headed for an easy victory, only to see the game come down to the final moments. A week ago the Rams had a three-touchdown lead over Coolidge in the third quarter, but it slipped away in a 41-40 loss.
This time MHS led 28-7 with 7:33 left in the third quarter, and had to pull the win out in extra play. “It’s something we’re going to have to address in the off season, what are we doing, or not doing, that’s causing the lull.”

 

But nothing could contain his emotions regarding his seniors. “I’m so proud of those kids, every single one of them. I told them tonight, that they have helped build the foundation for what Maricopa football is going to be in the future.

 

In the last game of the year the Rams got off to a quick start, taking the ball 56 yards in 11 plays, with Barber going the final 13 for the first of his five TDs in the game.

 

After Tempe tied the score on a 21-yard run by Marcus Whitmore just before the end of the first quarter, the Rams scored on their next two possessions on drives of 65 and then 98 yards.

 

The former included a key third-down completion from Speer to Franshua Avila for 19 yards and the latter runs by Barber of 20, 24 and finally 21 for the score, to give MHS a 21-7 halftime lead. A huge tackle by Cody Keith at about the 2-yard line on the final play of the half at the end of a 50-yard pass preserved the lead.

 

Tempe finally tied the score with 2:59 to play on a three-yard run by Gant and had one last chance to win it in regulation but ran out of time.
Barber piled up 249 more yards rushing and his five TDs gave him 16 in his final four games and 23 overall for the year. Speer completed four of 13 passes for 61 yards with 60 of them to Avila.

 

Tempe got 103 yards from Raija Holt. Gant completed 10 of 18 for 196 yards.