Brendan Sodell is a sports journalism student at Cronkite/Arizona State University, covering South Mountain High School for AZPreps365.

 

PHOENIX -- South Mountain stepped up its defense after the halftime break, but it was too little too late, as the Jaguars fell to McClintock, 42-14, on Friday night. The Jags' Jaylen Huckaby wasn't as effective as in past games, but he did have the play of the game with a 91-yard kickoff return touchdown to end the first half.

South Mountain Runs out of the Tunnel One Last Time at Home

One noticeable change to start the game? Huckaby started at quarterback for the Jaguars. Though that wrinkle failed to lead to many yards, South Mountain wanted to start the game with a trick up its sleeve to make the Chargers react right off the bat. The normal starting quarterback, Bailey Watson, would return for the next drive, and the rest of the game behind center. Though Huckaby did not remain as the primary signal caller, he was still the focal point of the offense all game, as he's been all season.

The Jaguars' main problem was being unable to convert on third down, which has been an issue all season for the offense. Two quick three-and-outs to start the game already had South Mountain in a 14-point hole in the first quarter. "This isn't how we do things and this isn't what we're about," said coach Byron Evans postgame. "This is why we got practice at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow."

The team has put in the work, but the results aren't showing up yet, with Friday night's loss being South Mountain's fifth in a row.

After taking the lead early, McClintock went to work on the ground. Senior running back Prince Conteh racked up 125 yards and a whopping four touchdowns over the course of the game's 48 minutes, looking like a prime Derrick Henry with mulitple 15-plus yard gains through multiple defenders at a time. Conteh was the motor of McClintock's ground-and-pound offense tonight.

The Jaguars know they need to able to start off games on a better note, and this is the primary focus of the coaching staff going into the final week of the season. South Mountain has one final chance to showcase its promise this season, and wants to make the most of the opportunites. "Our second halves have improved every week, but we need to learn how to stay consistent for four quarters," said Evans.

South Mountain heads to Cave Creek to face Cactus Shadows next Friday in its season finale.