TJ Hayes is and ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Chaparral for AZPreps365.com

This highly anticipated top five matchup between MaxPreps-ranked No. 1 Hamilton (6-0) and No. 4 Chaparral (4-2) lived up to all the hype.  

Nicco Marchiol and Christian Anaya proved Friday why they are the best quarterback-wide receiver duo in the state of Arizona. They took over this game in the second half which proved to be the deciding factor in a 35-32 game.  

In the first half, Chaparral capitalized on Hamilton’s continuous errors before and after the snap which added up to 14 total penalties, six of which were offsides. Jamarei Ashby-Phan and captain CJ Eastwood pounded Hamilton’s defense through the running game, adding a touchdown each in the first half. Chaparral was playing a physical and rugged brand of football. Despite their passing game only mustering up about 60 yards, they were able to get what they wanted on the ground and control the tempo of the game. 

No team this year has scored 14 points in the first half on the Huskies. With the Firebirds leading 14-7 with 1:03 left in the second quarter, things were looking great.  

But then Hamilton got the ball back. In a quick 37 second drive, Marchiol led the Huskies down the field to tie the game with a 28-yard touchdown connection to Anaya.  

“That was huge because you know they had all the momentum and we were able to steal the momentum back,” said Huskies head coach Michael Zdebski.   

Opening the second half, Chaparral marched down the field again but only was able to get a field goal for a 17-14 lead. Marchiol and the Huskies were put on the spot to respond.  

Hamilton’s first drive resulted in another touchdown connection between Marchiol and Anaya, their second on the night. They took the lead 21-17, their offense seemed to catch a rhythm, and the Huskies didn’t look back after that.  

"After that drive, I kind of felt like we had their number. We got that tempo moving,” said Marchiol about that quick six-play touchdown drive. 

Chaparral’s ensuing drive was a three-and-out, and the Huskies were primed to put some distance between them and the Firebirds. 

That’s exactly what they did.  

Following a 21-yard punt that gave the Huskies starting field position on the Firebirds 45-yard line, in four plays the Huskies scored again, this time a Marchiol 2-yard touchdown run. After that, Hamilton never lost control of the game. With their star quarterback-wide receiver tandem, their offense would not be denied points on any drive in the second half except the last one in which they ran the clock out. 

When Zdebski was asked about his star wide receiver Anaya, he said, “If he’s not the best, he is one of the best in the state.”  

Marchiol connected with Anaya to post 115 yards through the air and two touchdowns.  

“It’s a combination of us maturing a little bit, and us just getting bigger, faster, and stronger. Like Christian said, just off-season work almost literally every single day,” said Marchiol referring to his teammate Anaya. 

Chaparral’s starting quarterback Brayten Silbor couldn’t get enough time all night to stretch the field and match the explosive plays with the Huskies. Outside of a 52-yard touchdown pass to Gavin Higley, Silbor only threw for about 130 yards. If it hadn’t been for the continued errors by Hamilton, this game would have been one-sided. 

“They were bringing tons of pressure (and) they’re pretty good out wide,” said Chaparral head coach Brent Barnes.  

Eastwood helped keep the Firebirds relevant all game, capitalizing on four of their five fourth-down conversions along with two huge goal line touchdowns. Being one of the captains, his leadership was key all game along with his contributions on both sides of the ball. Without him, the Firebirds wouldn’t have been in the game.  

“He embodies the culture perfectly. If you had to pick one, you’d have to start with (him),” said Barnes. “CJ is always going to come out here and leave everything on the field.” 

Moving forward with two losses on the season, the Firebirds will look to string together more wins preparing them for playoff contention in about a month.