Fiesta Bowl Flag Football Showdown Archive

Season 1 (2024)

November 7, 2024:

Final Score: Hamilton 13, Chandler 0
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On paper, Hamilton - the No. 2 team in the country in the USA TODAY Sports Super 25 national rankings - had a huge advantage over its rival Chandler. But a rivalry brings out a different level of play and Chandler was up to the challenge.

Unfortunately for Chandler, although its defense kept Hamilton's high-octane offense in check, it could not gain traction offensively in a 13-0 loss in the third Fiesta Bowl Flag Football Showdown.

Hamilton entered the game averaging 34.4 points per game, but only mustered a pair of field goals until the fourth quarter. Hamilton played complementary football as its defense pitched its ninth shutout in 13 regular season games. Hamilton completed the regular season with a 13-0 record and will be the top seed in the Arizona 6A State Tournament.

Laela Johnson converted her first of two field goals with 1:24 left in the first quarter to give Hamilton a 3-0 lead. That score held until midway through the third quarter when Johnson put her second kick through the uprights. Hamilton's second scoring drive was aided by a Chandler defensive penalty on third down that resulted in an automatic first down.

Leading 6-0, Hamilton strung together its lone touchdown drive towards the end of the third quarter. Marlie Phillips found Samaya Taylor-Jenkins for a highlight reel 33-yard reception on the last play of the quarter. One play later to open the fourth quarter, the duo connected on a two-yard touchdown to conclude the scoring.

Taylor-Jenkins, a member of the Fiesta Sports Foundation Preseason All-State Team, was named the Fiesta Bowl Player of the Game after posting eight receptions and 91 receiving yards and the game's only touchdown. Defensively, she also recorded her team-leading eighth interception. Taylor-Jenkins finished the regular season with 1,730 receiving yards and 30 touchdowns.

October 15, 2024:

Final Score: Millennium 21, Mountain View (Mesa) 7
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Two top five teams according to the Arizona Republic's Super 10 rankings faced off in Goodyear in the second game of Fiesta Bowl Flag Football Showdown and Millennium used a hot first half to notch an impressive 21-7 victory over Mountain View (Mesa), the defending Arizona 6A State Champions.

Millennium, the No. 5 team in the Super 10, raced out to a 21-0 halftime lead behind the play of quarterback Breana Saunders. Saunders threw for two touchdowns and ran for another before the intermission, while Millennium's defense pitched a first half shutout.

Millennium struck first, with a bit of luck, as Saunders found Mackenzie Rubel for the game's opening touchdown. After Saunders scrambled to her right, she lofted a 50/50 ball into the end zone that was tipped into the hands of Rubel, giving Millennium a 7-0 lead. Saunders then threaded the needle and connected with Andrea Carmona for a second touchdown, before running to her left for Millennium's third score on a 20-yard touchdown.

Late in the game, Mountain View got into the end zone with a perfect scoring toss from Tierah Metcalf to Alexis Archibald. However, that would be Mountain View's only points of the evening.

Saunders was a dual threat for Millennium, completing 16-of-27 yards for 228 yards and two touchdowns in addition to totaling 129 of her team's 176 rushing yards, but the Fiesta Bowl Player of the Game belt went to Carmona, who made plays on both sides of the ball. She recorded a team-high six receptions for 48 yards with her receiving touchdown being her team-leading seventh of the season. Defensively, Carmona notched two interceptions, increasing her season total to seven.

September 19, 2024:

Final Score: Highland 19, Campo Verde 7
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Building on a successful Fiesta Bowl Friday Night Showdown, the Fiesta Sports Foundation brought their signature flair to Gilbert for the inaugural Fiesta Bowl Flag Football Showdown between Highland and Campo Verde. Although Campo Verde entered the season as the defending Arizona 5A State Champion, it was Highland who came away with the first-ever Flag Football Showdown victory, 19-7.

Campo Verde struck first when Isabella Pap found Madison Coger, a member of the Fiesta Sports Foundation Preseason All-State Team, for a 15-yard touchdown midway through the first quarter. However, that was Campo Verde's only score of the evening with Highland's defense pitching a shutout the rest of the way.

Highland, a quarterfinalist in last season's Arizona 6A State Tournament, got on the scoreboard midway through the second quarter with the first of Alexis Eley's two scoring passes. Eley connected with Brooklyn Miller for a score, but Campo Verde blocked the ensuing extra point to maintain a 7-6 edge heading into halftime.

While Campo Verde struggled to move the ball consistently in the second half, Highland found its footing. Eley, the Fiesta Bowl Player of the Game, put her team in front 12-7 with her second touchdown pass - this time to Bella Blum - and later orchestrated a third scoring drive. She capped the drive with a 5-yard scramble to push the lead to 19-7, providing the final margin.

Eley was nearly perfect, completing 20-of-23 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns through the air, while adding a third score on the ground. Emilee Searle secured 10 of Eley's 20 completions for 81 yards, both of which led the team, while Kylie Riggs posted four of Highland's seven sacks. For Campo Verde, Pap was 17-of-31 for 266 yards. Coger led all players with 134 receiving yards on eight receptions.