Douglas Santo is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Basha High School for AZPreps365.com

The last time Basha visited the Sandra Day O’Connor Eagles, the Bears lost in overtime, 27-21. That loss came in the opening round of the playoffs in 2020.

Basha quarterback Desmond Williams Jr. was a freshman then. “Knowing how competitive he is, I’m sure he’s going to want to finish,” head coach Chris McDonald said.

The two teams have only played once since then, in 2021, when the Bears played host to the Eagles and won by a lopsided score of 42-17. In that game, Williams, then a sophomore, gained more than 350 total yards and had four touchdowns.

This Friday, Basha (3-1) will travel to Sandra Day O’Connor (2-2) and try to repeat its 2021 success. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. in Phoenix. The Bears come into the game undefeated on the road this season, winning each of their first three road games. The Eagles, meanwhile, come in having split their first two home games.

“We just have to go out and handle our business,” Williams, now a senior, said.

Williams leads the team on offense with just over 243 passing yards per game and 102.3 rush yards per game and 16 total touchdowns. He has two games with more than 100 yards rushing and is only 27 yards away from 1,000 passing yards in this young season.

“We want to make life easier on [our defense],” Williams said. “So that [the opponent] has to play from behind to help us be able to control the game and not them.”

On the defensive side of the ball, senior linebacker Jack Bleier leads the team with 37 tackles, which is top five in the 6A conference. Bleier also has three tackles for loss and a team-leading eight quarterback hurries. Junior Jamison Stamps leads the team with 16 passes defended and has 15 tackles of his own. Next to Bleier, sophomore Eli Cramer-Cronin leads the team with four tackles for loss and has 30 tackles on the season.

“Eli Cramer-Cronin has definitely stepped up, as a young kid, first year on varsity, he’s kind of exploded off the gate,” Bleier said. “He gives me more confidence, knowing I have someone next to me like that that I can trust.”

The Bears' linebackers could be busy Friday night, as the Eagles love to run the ball. Through four games this season, the Eagles have attempted only 50 passes and have nearly 170 rushing attempts. So, the key for the Bears Friday night will be to stop the run.

“We have to play physical football,” McDonald said. “We have to attack the line of scrimmage and we’ve got to mix up our fronts so that they don’t get comfortable with what we’re trying to do up front.”

Stopping the run might be easier said than done with Sandra Day O’Connor’s three-headed monster in the backfield led by senior running back Nathan Bayus. Bayus leads the team with 137 rushing yards per game coming off 68 carries for 548 yards and nine touchdowns. Senior running back Kaden Armstrong is next behind Bayus with 44 carries for 359 yards and a touchdown, followed by junior running back Bentley Corbin who has 34 carries for 259 yards and three touchdowns this season.

The run game will be key for the Eagles and stopping it will be key for the Bears' defense. In wins this season, the Eagles have averaged 494 rushing yards per game while averaging only 170.5 rushing yards per game in losses. The Bears has given up only 104 rushing yards per game in wins and 184 rushing yards in their lone loss this season.

“We have to fill our gaps, and read our keys,” Bleier said. “We have to attack them first and hit them as hard as we can every play.”

Williams has shown throughout his high school career that he can put up points and do so at a premium, but this game will likely come down to the Bears' defense and how well it can stuff the Eagles' rushing attack and force their quarterbacks to have to make plays.

“We just have to go out there and take it one game at a time,” Williams said.