Three-time defending 2A state champion Scottsdale Christian Academy opened the 2026 season by pulling away from Pima in the second half for a 32-7 victory Friday night.
The Roughriders kept the game within reach through the first half, but SCA controlled the final two quarters behind quarterback Carson Reed and a defense that limited Pima to just 88 yards of total offense.
SCA struck first with 7:39 remaining in the opening quarter when Reed connected with Dom Dickerson for a 14-yard touchdown. The extra point gave the Eagles a 7-0 lead.
Pima’s offense struggled to find room throughout the first half, and SCA added two more points with 1:34 left in the second quarter when the Eagles sacked Pima quarterback Cedric Grimes in the end zone for a safety.
The Roughriders got the break they needed just before halftime.
With 34 seconds remaining, Reed threw a tunnel screen to Caleb Murphy. Officials ruled Murphy had completed the catch before losing the football, and Pima’s Emmet McBiles scooped up the fumble and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown.
The ruling was controversial, but it stood, and the extra point sent Pima into halftime trailing just 9-7.
SCA quickly regained control after the break.
Reed capped a third-quarter drive with a 3-yard touchdown run with 4:56 remaining, extending the Eagles’ lead to 16-7. Max Pflederer then connected on a 41-yard field goal with 1:58 left in the quarter to make it 19-7.
Special teams delivered another blow early in the fourth.
London Olsen recovered a blocked punt and returned it 7 yards for a touchdown with 11:50 remaining. The extra point was blocked, but SCA had stretched the advantage to 25-7.
Reed finished the scoring with 5:54 remaining when he found Murphy for a 20-yard touchdown pass, pushing the final margin to 32-7.
Reed completed 6 of 11 passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for a score. Murphy caught three passes for 53 yards and a touchdown, while Nathaniel Elron led the SCA rushing attack with 43 yards on 11 carries.
The Eagles finished with 243 yards of total offense, including 135 yards on the ground and 108 through the air.
Pima had a much tougher time moving the football.
Grimes completed 8 of 22 passes for 79 yards with one interception. McBiles caught five passes for 33 yards, and Kaden Davis led the Roughriders on the ground with 33 yards on nine carries.
Pima finished with 79 passing yards and just 9 net rushing yards. Grimes was sacked twice, including the second-quarter safety, with the lost yardage from those sacks cutting heavily into Pima’s final rushing total.
Despite trailing by only two points at halftime, Pima was unable to generate an offensive touchdown and was outscored 23-0 after the break.
SCA begins its latest title defense at 1-0 and will host Tonopah Valley on August 28th.
Pima falls to 0-1 and will return home to face 1-0 Tombstone on August 28th.
