Marley Arel is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Barry Goldwater for AZPreps365.com

PHOENIX - Barry Goldwater junior running back Markhi Mckinnon ran for three touchdowns in the Bulldogs' 42-21 win over the North Canyon Rattlers Friday night.

Mckinnon finished the night with 198 rushing yards on 16 carries, averaging just over 12 yards per rush.

Senior running back Osyruss Rodriguez added 133 rushing yards for the Bulldogs, as well as a touchdown to open the scoring for Barry Goldwater, the home team. 

The game started off slow for both teams, as it remained scoreless until 7 minutes left in the second quarter.

The Rattlers put together a solid drive down the field to start the game, but a fumble would cause them to lose 15 yards and take them out of the red zone. They would then proceed to miss a 44-yard field goal.

Barry Goldwater would follow that up with a drive into Rattler territory but would lose a fumble around the 30-yard line to put an end to their momentum.

North Canyon was able to take that turnover and use it to their advantage. Senior Billy Bounmy punched it in from four yards out at the end of their second drive to give the Rattlers a 7-0 lead. 

On the first play of the next drive, Rodriguez took a handoff 81 yards to open the scoring for the Bulldogs. However, a missed extra point would prevent them from tying the game, allowing the Rattlers to hold on to a 7-6 lead with 6:40 left in the second quarter

After forcing North Canyon to punt on the ensuing drive, Mckinnon would find the endzone from 63 yards out, giving the Bulldogs their first lead of the game. Junior quarterback Brodie Drank would run it for the two-point conversion to make it 14-7.

Bulldogs senior Dimitri Reese fielded the second-half kickoff at his own 12-yard line and proceeded to take it all the way back for a touchdown, giving Barry Goldwater a huge momentum boost to open up the half. Rodriguez would score the two-point conversion, extending the lead to 22-7. 

This didn’t deter the Rattlers, however.

Junior quarterback Makhi Golston would lead them down the field, eventually taking it into the endzone from seven yards out. North Canyon missed the extra point, which kept the game a two-score deficit, 22-13. 

The Bulldogs would make quick work on the next drive, with Mckinnon once again taking a long run all the way, this time beating out the defense from 55 yards out to make it 28-13 after three quarters.

The Rattlers would strike back to open the fourth quarter, scoring on a 26-yard touchdown pass. It was the first passing touchdown of the game since both teams relied heavily on their rushing attack. A successful two-point try from Golston brought North Canyon back within one possession. 

Barry Goldwater would march the ball down the field, with Mckinnon scoring a one-yard rushing touchdown to put them back ahead by two scores, 34-21, with five minutes left in the fourth quarter

Feeling the pressure of a two-score deficit and having limited time, Golston tried to find a man deep downfield. He instead found Bulldogs cornerback Dimitri Reese, whose interception was another huge play for Barry Goldwater. 

In the first play from scrimmage following the interception, the Bulldogs would complete their only pass of the game for a 38-yard touchdown, capping off their 21-point victory.

It was the third win in a row for the Bulldogs, and it extends their record to 4-1. It is coach Frank Lautt’s best start to a season with Barry Goldwater, as well as the team’s best start overall since 2004 and the players are proud to be a part of it.

“It feels really good to be honest, I’ve always wanted to feel that kind of pride and accomplishment of something very big and it feels real good.” said receiver/cornerback Caleb Aguilar. 

Linebacker Candido Flores had similar things to say.

“It feels great, when I first came here everybody said it sucked and had all these nicknames. But after the Covid year and Coach Lautt came, everything has been better.”

Even though they came away with a victory, Flores felt it wasn’t their best. 

“I was worried about the first quarter and the end of the first quarter because you know it was kind of sad. We were playing really (expletive) and we could have done better… Even though we won the game we could have played way better than we could have," he said.

Teammate Querenelle Avery shared some thoughts about the first quarter as well. 

“Yeah we wasn’t doing what we were supposed to do, making a lot of mistakes, but we came back.”

The Bulldogs want to strive for more, and they will get the chance to do so on the road next week against Apollo High School. It is Barry Goldwater’s first regional game of the season, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday.