Jack McCarthy is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Queen Creek High School for AZPreps365.com

With a big showing from star quarterback Tait Reynolds, the Queen Creek Bulldogs went into Jim Jones Field in Mesa on Friday and took care of business, beating rival Red Mountain 45-21.

Both Queen Creek (now 3-5) and Red Mountain (4-4), came into the game on a two-game losing skid. The Bulldogs were coming off losses to Williams Field and Brighton (Utah), while the Mountain Lions were coming off losses to Highland and American Leadership Academy.

The Bulldogs’ defense had been up and down throughout the season, but it came alive Friday. It only allowed one touchdown in the second half, and Jayshon Liles and Drake Lewis accounted for two interceptions to close the game.

Defensive coordinator Tom Pace said he was happy with the defensive play.

“I think a lot of it was just it started working, so our kids got confidence,” Pace said.

After a great start to the game, a snap went over Reynolds’s head and forced a turnover on downs, allowing for an easy Red Mountain touchdown. The offense responded instantly, scoring two unanswered touchdowns, and the defense held up mostly for the rest of the game.

Red Mountain threatened, starting out both halves with a touchdown. But the Bulldog defense showed its resilience, allowing no points in the rest of the second half.

Arizona State baseball commit and sophomore quarterback Reynolds accounted for five total touchdowns, with three on the ground and two in the air. He threw for 211 yards on 12/20 efficiency and ran for 53 yards.

“I have so much confidence every week because my teammates are awesome,” Reynolds said.

His running game opened up the offense a lot — when a team has to defend both running back Lucas George and Reynolds in the running game, it creates a ton of options in the passing game, and that is exactly what happened Friday.

Reynolds was vocal on the sidelines, cheering on the defense as the game went along. Every time the offense or defense made a big play, the sideline would go crazy, giving a boost to all of the players.

“When he gets his swagger going, the kids follow him,” Queen Creek head coach Travis Schureman said. “We are lucky to have him.”

Schureman said he was proud of the way his players performed.

“I was just proud that our kids didn’t panic,” Schureman said. “They just stayed the course.”

This was an important game for Queen Creek. The playoff push is on. This season, the Bulldogs have had to play some of the best teams in Arizona, but, in most games, they have been competitive.

“We’ve played teams tough,” Schureman said. “To get one done where we finally finished would be great.”

The next two weeks are big for the Bulldogs as they play both Highland and American Leadership Academy, teams both ranked in the top 10 of the MaxPreps Arizona rankings.

No matter what, though, the Bulldogs are going to try and beat the doubters.

“We grind,” Reynolds said. “Win or lose, we’re going hard all the time.”