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Maybe Northwest Christian will continue hanging a 50-spot on everyone in 4A until they get placed on the short list of title contenders.
After beating Youngker, Moon Valley and Estrella Foothills all by 46 points or more, the Crusaders stepped up in class against Peoria. But Northwest Christian treated the Panthers like Youngker, Moon Valley and Estrella Foothills on Oct. 30.
At home, the Crusaders kept the Panthers off balance all night. Senior tailback/safety Levi Huisman had 21 carries for 229 yards and three touchdowns in 2½ quarters. Junior quarterback Blake Sparks went 11-15 for 128 yards and two scores, all in the first half.
It all added up to another Northwest Christian (4-0) rout, by a 52-12 count.
"It's a big statement, with them being such a big school. It feels good to dominate and it feels good because we have such a big group of seniors," Huisman said. "Our line has a lot of experience."
The home team drove for a 38-yard field goal by senior Caden Murphy. After a Peoria three-and-out and an injury to Panthers two-way lineman Trey Hendrix, Huisman bounced off tackle for 26 yards and a 10-0 lead.
The Crusaders went for it on fourth and 5 from the Panthers 28 to start the second quarter, and Sparks connected with senior receiver Owen Arthurs for 11. Two plays later, he hit junior wide receiver Bryce Trimble between the numbers on an 18-yard slant for a 17-0 advantage.
"We had a couple of receivers coming back. I knew we would compete. Did I expect some of these scores? If I'm being honset, probably not," Northwest Christian coach Dave Inness said.
Peoria (2-3) replied with a big play. Senior wingback Brandon Price took a delayed counter and broke free for a 62-yard touchdown. It was 17-6 midway through the second after a missed extra point.
But the Crusaders' offense continued its dissection, chewing up 77 yards in a little more than four minutes. Huisman went for 32 on a screen pass, and Liam O'Neill leaked out of the backfield for a 13-yard scoring pass.
The next sequence put this game to bed before halftime. Peoria senior quarterback Jayston Hefley looked deep for junior receiver Issac Moreno but senior defensive back Theo Greenan picked him off near the end zone.
That started an 87-yard Northwest Christian march. Sparks bulled in from the 1 and it was 31-6 at halftime.
"They've very very well coached, and a great program with a lot of good athletes. The biggest thing is, we had stuff to improve on this week, coming into it. When you play a good team, those things get magnified. You can get away with it sometimes," Peoria coach Will Babb said. "Honestly, they remind me of a Mountain View team. Everybody looks about the same size (6-1, 180) and they make it happen."
Huisman carried twice in the second half and both times for emphatic touchdowns. He went for 40 yards on the Crusaders' first offensive snap of the half.
Then after another defensive stop, Husiman broke two tackles for the 65-yard exclamation point. It was 45-6 and his night was done.
"Four offensive linemen didn't play this year because of what's going on in society - and we don't fault that at all," Inness said. "We have no superstars. Levi's starting to figure out where the holes are. He's never played tailback in high school until now."
After Price went out of the game with an injury, Hefley aired it out, Moreno beat his man on a streak route and the result was an 80-yard touchdown.
But other than two plays, the Crusaders defense kept Peoria's speedy playmakers bottled up all night.
"The size scared me to to death. We've never seen speed like that," Inness said. "We've got to adjust to the speed. Everybody did a good job of rallying to the ball. They took the game plan and did what we asked them to do."
Following two tough early losses, particularly a 43-0 defeat at Cactus the Panthers rebounded for solid victories over Greenway and Benjamin Franklin.
Babb said Hendrix, who spent the second half on crutches with ice on his ankle, will be evaluated during the week. Price appeared to be ok after having the wind knocked out of him.
"It can be frustrating. We're telling them we've got two opportunities, hopefully - because it's getting a little bit crazy," Babb said. "Just getting a season is great, but these kids want to win. And we won't accept this."
In a week, the Crusaders meet their tallest task yet - a Cactus team at full strength next week in Glendale.
"Coach said celebrate for 20 hours. Then we start priming for the next game," Huisman said.
Richard Smith Associate Editor | Surprise & West Valley Preps @rsmithYWV
Richard Smith has been with Independent Newsmedia since 2016, and worked at a Sun City-based news outfit covering the Northwest Valley for 22 consecutive years.
An NAU alum and lifelong Arizona resident, Richard began as a copy editor and page designer at Surprise Today and the Daily News-Sun, then rekindled his love of sports writing by taking the reins on West Valley Preps in 2008.
For most of the mid-2010s he was the Surprise editor and West Valley Preps reporter. Now he’s the West Valley Preps Editor and Surprise Associate Editor.
As COVID restrictions slowly lift, Richard is cautiously optimistic he will visit book stores, football fields and gyms again this fall.
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