Jalen Weathers is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Chandler High School for AZPreps365.com

For the last game of the regular season, Chandler High School beat Hamilton 49-13 in one of the biggest rivalries in the state. Chandler running back,Ca’Lil Valentine showed no mercy in this matchup, recording three touchdowns in the first half.

Hamilton’s defense had no response for Valentine’s impressive night, allowing Valentine to rush for 147 yards and a 49-yard reception. 

The Battle of Arizona Ave trophy is now back with the Wolves. After an epic win against the Huskies, there were all smiles for Chandler. Hamilton had the trophy last because they won last year’s match, 19-17, but on Friday night, Chandler was clearly the better team.

Chandler is now seeded as the No. 4 team in the Open Division state tournament, and Hamilton is seeded at No. 8. 

“It felt off when it wasn’t with us,” Chandler receiver Jaxon Branch said. “Now it’s back in the right place at Chandler. We finally got the trophy back, and it won’t leave anytime soon.”

Breylon Blount gave the Huskies a great start with a 37-yard return on the opening kickoff, which allowed Hamilton to start their first drive on their 47-yard line. 

Quarterback Rich Lucero took advantage of the field position, making some nice passes to two of his receivers, Legend Bernard and Dylan Lord. 

Although Hamilton started off well, making it to the 9-yard line, Chandler’s defense stopped the Huskies there, forcing them to kick a field goal and take a 3-0 lead with 8:51 left in the first quarter.

Soon after, the Wolves put their foot on the gas and didn’t let up. 

In Chandler’s first drive, their run and passing game complemented each other tremendously. Valentine ran the ball hard, rushing four times for 29 yards. In between Valentine’s great runs, Chandler quarterback Blake Heffron threw three passes totaling 29 yards as well. Valentine then scored the first touchdown of the game with a 13-yard run to make it 7-3 with 3:17 remaining in the first quarter.

Once Hamilton got the ball back, Chandler’s defense became relentless. Chandler cornerback Sammie Hunter came up big time for the Wolves, getting a sack to force the Huskies to punt. 

Hamilton was able to punt the ball to Chandler’s 1-yard line, but this didn’t put any stress on the Wolves. On the first play, Chandler gave the ball to Valentine, who broke loose for a 51-yard run. A few plays later, Valentine broke free again, this time ending up in the end zone on a 29-yard run. 

This gave Chandler a 14-3 lead in the second quarter. 

On Hamilton’s next drive, Chandler linebacker Jeremiah Young forced a fumble that gave the Wolves the ball back on Hamilton’s 25-yard line. 

Heffron made the Huskies pay for their mistakes, making a great pass to Carter Ochoa, who toe-tapped his way in the end zone. That extended Chander’s lead to 21-3 with 3:08 to go before halftime. 

Chandler quickly forced Hamilton to punt the ball again to regain possession.

Valentine didn’t waste any time making another play. Heffron found him on a wheel route by the sidelines that led to a 49-yard reception. He was caught at the 1-yard line, but he scored his third touchdown on the next play.

“I hadn’t played against these guys since my freshman year,” Valentine said. “I was just ready to play and show them what I’m about because they’ve never really seen me play.”

Valentine’s third touchdown gave Chandler a 28-3 lead.

With 1:35 remaining on the clock, Hamilton tried to get a score on the board before halftime, but once again, Chandler’s defense showed how lethal they can be. This time, free safety Orion Kupu intercepted Lucero’s pass and had a 29-yard return to give Chandler excellent field position to score once more. 

Heffron found Branch for a 26-yard reception, making a statement before going into the half. The score expanded the Wolves’ lead to 35-3 with 1:02 remaining.

The Huskies found a way to get something rolling on offense well enough to find themselves in field goal position, making it 35-6 at halftime.

Chandler received the ball after halftime and drove it down the field to record another score. While on the 30-yard line, Heffron found Ochoa up the seam for his second touchdown, which put the Wolves up 42-6. 

During the beginning of the fourth quarter, Heffron found Branch, who recently committed to Eastern Washington University, on a 57-yard touchdown pass. 

“He was a big player for us last season,” Garretson said. “I think he led us in receiving. When he gets his opportunities, he makes big plays. He works hard on his blocking and in the classroom. He’ll do great things at Eastern Washington.”

Heffron threw for 252 yards, with Branch and Ochoa being his primary targets. Branch finished the night with 102 yards, and Ochoa finished with 66 yards.

Both teams now look forward to playing in the postseason.

“That’s the greatest thing about athletics is it teaches you you have to come back and be resilient,” Hamilton Coach Mike Zdebski said. “We have to go back and watch the film, looking at what we need to correct. Then, two weeks from tonight, execute at a higher level.”

The Wolves (8-2) will host No. 5 Highland (8-2) on Nov. 17 in the Open Division state tournament. Chandler defeated Highland, 24-22, on Sept. 22.

The Huskies (7-3) will play at No. 1 seed Liberty (9-1) on Nov. 17. In the season opener on Aug. 25, Liberty defeated Hamilton, 56-20.