Palo Verde fails on the road
by Casey Crowe on Sep. 02, 2006, under Special, SportsDefending 4A-DII champs lose 24-3
SCOTTSDALE – Scottsdale Arcadia High School avenged last fall’s state semifinal upset loss at the hands of defending Class 4A Division II champion Palo Verde with an emphatic 24-3 victory over the Titans.
“They have a really experienced, talented group of kids, and they played like it tonight,” Palo Verde coach Todd Mayfield said. “And right now, we’re not very experienced. That showed. We have to get better. We have to get tougher.”
Arcadia’s Chip Sivak ran for 204 yards and two touchdowns. From the opening drive, Sivak was in control. After six straight runs from the 5-foot-6, 165-pound back pushed Arcadia deep into Palo Verde territory, Arcadia quarterback Alec McDuffie took advantage of the drawn-in Titans’ secondary, connecting with wideout Joey Dickinson on a 27-yard touchdown strike.
“(Sivak) is not big, but his heart is huge, and his motor absolutely never stops,” Arcadia coach Jim Bevel said.
Palo Verde had missed chances, including a fumble recovery that left it at first-and-goal at the 7. But the possession ended with a missed field goal. Palo Verde’s only score came on a 36-yard field goal from Taylor Redman as time expired in the first half.
But Arcadia immediately snared control in the second half, intercepting a tipped pass from Palo Verde quarterback Josh Robinette on the opening drive of the third quarter.
