Kyle Connell is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Millennium High School for AZPreps365.com.

In a battle between top teams in the state, Canyon View traveled to beat Millennium, 21-14.

The Jaguars improved to 9-1 and the Tigers fell to 8-2.

The much-anticipated 5A Desert West matchup lived up to the hype, needing overtime to decide the winner.

Well-coached defenses showcased their talent in the first quarter, with both teams holding the other scoreless after 12 minutes. 

The tides quickly turned courtesy of the Tigers' junior linebacker Dashia Richardson. She tallied two interceptions in the second quarter to set up touchdowns from wide receiver Jennah Grice and a 15-yard scramble from quarterback Breana Saunders to close the half with a 14-0 lead. 

“We’re winning by 14, but they’re gonna come back and try to win this game,” head coach Jermaine Austin told his team at halftime. “We need to make sure we’re still making plays.”

Although Millennium was able to move the ball in the second half, Canyon View was cheered on by a strong contingent of away fans and started to claw back. Two second-half TDs from Jaguars’ wide receiver Angelina Harrell on great throws from junior quarterback Katelyn Jewell tied the game, forcing overtime.

AIA Flag Football overtime consists of alternating drives from the red zone 10-yard line until a winner is crowned. Canyon View would win in the first overtime, going ahead 21-14 on a TD catch from senior Nyjah Green before Angelina Harrell sealed the game with an INT on the subsequent Millenium drive. 

The two teams head into a two-week period without any games before making a final playoff push. Millennium captain Grice spoke on how the team aims to stay focused heading into fall break.

“We’re still practicing every day, and we’re really motivated to win finals,” Grice said in the postgame. “We just have to stay on track of the end goal. This game will help us for playoffs and build us as a team.”

Austin echoed an identical sentiment, focusing on the future and gearing up for playoffs.

“We’re still going to practice every morning during fall break,” Austin said. “Tomorrow, we’re going to watch this film and see what we need to do.”

Millennium hosts Higley (5-2) in their next game on Oct. 17, and Canyon View will host Verrado (6-2) on the same day.