Many in attendance may not have seen it coming. Campo Verde's Caden Calloway did. 

"When we came out for the second half and it started we could tell they were tired," Calloway said of the Coyotes' opponent Notre Dame Prep. "They had a lot of guys playing both ways. We saw one of their players throwing up. I think we were in better shape. When the fourth quarter started, we just kept pounding away."

Campo Verde erased a touchdown deficit late in the third quarter, then turned two turnovers and punishing ground game in the final period into a 27-12 victory over Notre Dame Prep in a 5A East Region game at Campo Verde. Campo Verde improved to 3-1, 2-0 region and won its third game in a row after an opening night loss to Williams Field. Notre Dame Prep is even at 2-2, 0-1 region and has lost two games in a row for the first time in George Prelock's four-year tenure as head coach.

Calloway, a 5-foot-9, 166-pound senior workhorse back, piled up 140 yards rushing in the second half and 201 for the game on 25 carries. Five successive carries after a 25-yard pass completion from quarterback Reilly Garcia to Boston Williamson were the six plays that covered 86 yards in two minutes. It turned a 12-7 deficit to a 13-12 lead as the third period ended. Calloway's first carry was for 20 yards and perhaps should have been for no gain. He appeared bottled up left of center, but planted his foot and changed direction for the big gain.  He capped the drive with an 18-yard TD run giving the Coyotes the lead for good.

Campo's defense kept Notre Dame off the field much of the first half of the final quarter., stopping the Saints on downs and via turnovers.

The turnover on downs was first at the Notre Dame 39 thanks to a nice pass-break up by Noah Borchard. The Coyotes didn't convert that stop into points, but two plays later Campo pounced on a Notre Dame fumble at the Saints 36. Six plays later with Caden Calloway advanced the ball  to the Notre Dame 15, senior fullback Jagar Hieger stepped into the limelight with a 15-yard scoring run, improving the lead to 20-12.

Caden Calloway's younger, but larger brother, junior, Connor (6-0, 205), intercepted a pass giving Campo the ball at the Notre Dame 31. Caden Calloway gallopped to paydirt on the next play for the game's final points.

"Defense is what drives us," first-year head coach Ryan Freeman said. "This was our best game, and certainly best half we've played this year. We shored up mistakes in the second half."

Freeman said he also believes Caden Calloway is almost all the way back from last year's season-ending ankle injury that took place early in the 5A semifinals against Notre Dame.

"I think the first game or so he was a step slow," Freeman said. "Tonight he ran with more confidence. All our backs did a nice job tonight."

Campo Verde rushed for 307 yards with Cade Bemis, Connor Calloway and Hieger giving Caden Calloway a breather down the stretch.

Notre Dame made a change at quarterback starting and staying with junior Braden Wells. Wells completed 25 of 35 passes for 214 yards, but the passing game and offense in general slowed the final 24 minutes. Senior wide receiver Gavin Smith was the evening's top receiver with nine catches for 119 yards and the game's first TD.

The teams traded scored in the first half with Smith opening the scoring on a 35-yard catch and run from Wells. Campo Verde answered midway throught the second period to take a 7-6 lead with a Reilly-to-Borchard 14-yard TD. Notre Dame took the lead at hafltime scoring with seven seconds left on a 1-yard run by Luke Nash. The drive was good for 76 yards and 16 plays and took up almost half of the period.

Campo Verde found an opponent to play next week at home - Salpointe Catholic. The Coyotes were to have faced Millennium, but COVID-19 forced that game to be cancelled. Notre Dame Prep continues with a region home game against Maricopa.