The ACP Knights Varsity football team returned home following two tough road losses to face the Titans of Chandler Prep in the last home game of the season. The Titans entered this game with a record of 5-3 and had suffered a loss to San Tan Foothills the previous week. By halftime, the Titans had jumped out to a 27-0 lead, before being outscored 14-13 in the second half, for a final score of 40-14.

Positive Takeaways

• The Knights offense leaned on the running game to move the football. The offensive line was able to open up some holes for the running backs, leading to 157 total rushing yards for the game. Freshman Mario Duncan ran for 116 yards with junior Habi Ortiz contributing 41 yards on the ground
• The Knights scored two touchdowns in the second half, both coming from freshman quarterback Mark Chavez. On the opening drive of the second half, Chavez connected with sophomore receiver James Chadwick for a 1-yard touchdown pass, capping off a near 5-minute offensive drive to bring the score to 27-7. Late in the 4th quarter, freshman receiver Bryan Dyson caught a 13-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 40-14.
• After falling behind 27-0 after a half of play, the defense was able to slow the Titans offense, only allowing two touchdowns. They gave the offense a chance to get going, which they did scoring 14 points in the final 24 minutes.

Missed Opportunities

• The Titans were able to put up 40 points on the Knights defense. However, this number could have been much less. The defense was able to force 3 fumbles, but couldn’t recover a single one. This gave the Titans extra opportunities on offense. In this game, there were no interceptions thrown by either quarterback, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t opportunities. Already trailing 7-0 early in the game, quarterback Mark Chavez threw what should have been a pick-six and an early 14-0 deficit, but it was dropped by the defender. The Knights defense also had plenty of opportunities to intercept passes and give the offense a short field to work.Amber Butler
• The Knights offense wasn’t immune to turning over the football either. Very early in the first quarter, the Titans defense forced a fumble and recovered deep in ACP territory. On the very next play, the Titans completed a 20-yard touchdown pass to take an early 7-0 lead.
• Early in the second quarter, already down 14-0 and driving deep into Titans territory, the Knights opted to keep the offense on the field to go for it on 4th down rather than kick a field goal to get on the board. The offense failed to convert a first down and on the ensuing drive, the Titans drove down the field in just under four minutes to take a 20-0 lead.

Other Takeaways

• The Knights defense played a good game but was unable to slow down the Titans’ quarterback, who ran for 3 touchdowns.
• Penalties hurt the Knights in this game. Of the 18 penalties committed in this game, the Knights were responsible for 13 of them, accounting for 107 yards.
• Late in the 4th quarter, receiver James Chadwick went down with a possible injury after dropping a touchdown pass. However, it didn’t appear to be too bad as he was able to walk off the field under his own power.

What’s Next?

The Knights travel to San Carlos next week to take on the Braves on October 27th. This will be the final game of the season, so the Knights will be looking to finish the season on a high note.