Mesa High senior running back Kris Jackson dominated on the ground, rushing for 341 yards on 34 carries, as Mesa came up with an exciting 31-29 win Friday night against the Basha Bears

“It’s always good to come up with a win,” said Jackson, whose night included an electric 76-yard touchdown run. “The yards, they don’t matter as much. I’m glad we got the win tonight.”

The Class 6A non-region game for Mesa's homecoming was an emotional back-and-forth battle all night. Basha (1-5) and Mesa (2-4) combined for five touchdowns of 40 yards or more.

“What I loved was the kids kept fighting back," Mesa coach Kap Sikahema said. "They punched us in the mouth, we punched them right back. We didn’t quit, and that’s what I’m proud of,” Mesa coach Kap Sikahema said.

Connor Phelan started at quarterback for the Bears after previous starter Collin Collins left the team for unknown reasons earlier in the week. Despite Phelan going 12-for-29 passing in the game, he was in sync with wide receiver Ty Siffermann.

Siffermann had seven receptions for 222 yards and two touchdowns for Basha. One of them was a 43-yard catch-and-run to give the Bears a 15-14 lead with just over two minutes to go in the second quarter.

Mesa’s Nate Hanna had a hot start for his team. After Basha kicked a field goal on its opening possession, the Jackrabbit senior quarterback threw a 46-yard bomb on his first throw of the game. Boyd Mox reeled in the catch just before the goal line and made his way into the end zone.

“I think I played a pretty good game, definitely not my best of the year," Hanna said. "I made some mistakes, but all that matters is that I was able to help lead my team to victory. We are going to enjoy this win no matter how many mistakes because, in the end, we pulled it through.”

Hanna threw two more crucial touchdowns for the Jackrabbits. Mesa scored with seven seconds left in the first half on a 5-yard pass from Hanna to Bishen Foster Jr.

His last touchdown was a strike off a play-action pass to senior wide receiver Marcus Taylor, who took it to the house for a 55-yard touchdown.

“We saw the (defensive) coverage, and we decided we had a perfect play for it,” Hanna said. “Marcus made a great move to get past the safety, and I was able to put it in the right spot. He made a great catch and took it to the house.”

On the ensuing possession, Basha had a costly fumble that would seal the game. Mesa capitalized on the field goal at the end of the third quarter, handing the Bears a 31-22 deficit that they could not come back from.

“It’s a tough loss," Basha coach Rich Wellbrock said. "I’m proud of our boys. They battled hard tonight, but we weren’t able to come up with the win.”

Jackson has 1,173 rushing yards through six games this season for the Jackrabbits. This puts him very high on the list of best running backs in the state of Arizona statistically.

“I love that kid,” Sikahema said. “That 341 doesn’t surprise me because I knew he was going to get something like that sooner or later. Whatever college picks this kid up, it’s a steal.”

Mesa goes on the road to take on the Westwood Warriors (3-3) next Friday. Basha welcomes in Chandler (4-2) for a home game.