A blocked extra point from senior lineman Sa'Kylee Woodard just might be the difference between a difficult match in the Open Division or another deep run to the 4A state championship for Canyon del Oro, but that one point showed how evenly matched the Thunderbolts and the Dorados were Friday night when No. 3 Canyon del Oro (7-0) held on for a 17-15 victory over No. 2 Mica Mountain (6-1) at home.

Down 17-9 with 3:23 left in the game, junior quarterback Jayden Thoreson led Mica Mountain to a score on a pass to Jimmy Leon with 32.6 seconds on the clock but the team was forced to go for a two-point conversion, down 17-15, due to that blocked extra point that came after Thoreson hit Jack Bradley to cut the Dorado lead down to 7-6 with 4:25 left in the first half. Woodard came up with a sack and strip on the conversion attempt, with Conner Hangartner picking up the fumble for Mica Mountain, but he was unable to advance the ball and the Dorados secured the victory.

“We had two great teams playing tonight and a missed extra point is really what cost the game and it was back and forth,” Mica Mountain head coach Pat Nugent said. “We had a chance to tie with two points but what more can be asked of two unbelievable teams, anybody could have won that game.”

Thoreson finished with 202 yards passing on 24 attempts with even spacing between Bradly, who finished with 83 yards on four catches, Jonah Garcia, with 70 yards on five catches, Hangartner, with 57 yards on three catches and Leon with the touchdown catch, but the team was hampered on the ground with Sr. Kason Colbert finishing with 48 yards due to an injury in the third quarter.

On the other side, Sr. Kayden Luke was a workhorse again with 157 yards on 27 carries with one being a short TD run to put Canyon del Oro up 7-0 with 34.7 seconds left in the first quarter and the other being a 14-yard run to put the Dorados up 17-9 with 3:23 left in the game. The running game collected almost 200 yards on the night against the Thunderbolts, which accounted for Tristen McClelland finishing the night with only 44 yards passing, but it was a 46-yard pass from Chase Laux to Chance Cassel that led to the deciding touchdown from Luke. McClelland threw a lateral to Laux to start the play and the swarming defense form the Thunderbolts moved in on the action, leaving Cassel wide open down the field where only the closing speed of Jonah Garcia prevented a score on the play.

“We're not a trick play team and the little things add up and that's kind of what we talked about in the huddle,” Canyon del Oro head coach Dustin peace said. “Then we made a field goal and we don’t kick field goals. We had a lot of guys doing those little pieces.”

Both teams hit on field goals with Landon Hubbard putting Mica Mountain up 9-7 in the final seconds of the third quarter and Reece Douglas putting the Dorados up 10-9 with 8:26 left in the game. The field goal from Douglas was the first attempt on the year from sophomore and that was another wrinkle no one expected coming in.

“You know, it's on their home field, maybe we get them on a neutral site, maybe get them at our place, but I'm excited about how we competed when the number one team in the state right down the line,” Nugent added. “Not a big difference between either team.”

Mica Mountain came in ranked No. 9 in the Open Division and No. 2 in the 4A Conference which meant an excellent chance of moving into the Open Division with a victory Friday night but some see that as a curse for a 4A team rather than a blessing with the last team in the Open slated to play the top team, which would be 7-0 Centennial at this point.

The Thunderbolts will host 4A Kino Region opponent No. 32 Sahuaro next week which would further lessen the possibility of an Open Division ranking but Canyon del Oro might have enough power-points to enter the top eight when the new set of placements are released on Tuesday. The Dorados will play at No. 26 Pueblo (3-4) next Friday night before hosting Sahuaro the following week so there might be movement out of the Open Division after those matchups.

At any rate, there was a payoff atmosphere at Canyon del Oro Friday night and both teams are still sitting in a great position for the playoffs.

“We thought each team would score a little more but it was ag good defensive battle and coach Nugent has done a great job defending us the last few years,” Peace added. They're good football team and we knew we were going be challenged.”