Perry coach Preston Jones and players enjoy the postgame attention after their 56-31 win over Mtn. Pointe. (AzPreps365 photo)

 

Fourth-seed Perry never trailed Friday night in its bid to reach its first-ever football championship game. But that didn't mean there wasn't a tense moment in upending one of the postseason fixtures of late in top-seed Mountain Pointe.

Perry scored on its first five possessions of the game and repelled an early third-quarter bid by Mountain Pointe to get back in the game in finally producing a 56-31 victory at McClintock's Jim Lyons Stadium.

Perry (12-1) gets a chance to avenge its only loss this year in two weeks when it faces sister-school and defending 6A champ Chandler i(11-2) n the title game Dec. 2 at University of Arizona Stadium in Tucson. Chandler knocked off Red Mountain, 51-10. Mountain Pointe saw its season end  at 10-3.

Perry coach Preston Jones, who will be inducted into the Mesa Sports Hall of Fame on Monday night, asked his team one question before departing the victory huddle.

"Do you have one more? Have to wait two weeks tp see if that plays out.

Perry senior quarterback Brock Purdy threw four first-half touchdowns in guiding the Pumas to a 35-17 lead at intermission. Purdy hit on a number of big plays and finished the opening half with 330 yards passing. Perry led by as much as 28-3 one minute into the second period.

But the second half began with Mountain Pointe starting to believe it could get back in the game. The Pride drove 65 yards in five plays with quarterback Nick Wallerstedt tallying for the second time in the game on a 17-yard run to cut the margin to 35-24.

With Perry looking like it would have to punt on a three-and-out, the Pumas came up with arguably the biggest play of the night and it didn't even go for six points.

Facing thrid-and-10 at its 20, Purdy rolled to his left to ward off the pass rush and fired 30 yards downfield connecting with favorite receiver Colby Dickie to keetp the offense on the field. Four plays later, Perry scored on the second of three Kenny Fultz rushing touohdows to answer Mountain Pointe and the lead was back to the halfime margin of 18 (42-24).

"That play was huge," Perry coach Preston Jones said. "It was an unbelieveable throw and unbelievable catch.. We needed it badly."

Perry's offense and defense got in synch and did the rest.  The offense scored twice more on TD runs of 31 by Jalen Young and 15 by Fultz. The defense forced two Mountain Pointe punts, stopped the Pride on downs and recovered a fumble to end a potential scoring drive with nine minutes left.

Fultz finished with 83 yards rushing on nine carries  and Purdy's evening finished 17 of 31 for 408 yards.  His TD strikes were to Jorden Young (2) and one each to D'Shayne James and Tate Speaker. James had four catches for 157 yards.

Mountain Pointe played without 1,300-yard rusher Jakim McKinney, who took ill in pregame. The Pride also wore down by the time the fourth period began with many players going both ways.