San Tan Charter quarterback Zayden Neill is winding down a record breaking career for the Roadrunners, who are only in their fourth season of AIA competition.

It’s feasible for Neill to reach 10,000 career passing yards before all is said and done. He’s already broken the 2A record (9,564) and is 9th all-time in state history regardless of classification. 

None of this will matter to Neill, his teammates, or their opponent come Saturday afternoon.

“We’ve got a big game,” Neill said earlier this week in an understatement.

For second year head coach Chase Cartwright and the young San Tan Charter program, it's the biggest game in school history. The Roadrunners are 10-2 with a meeting against defending champion Pima at 2pm at Westwood’s Brimhall field in Mesa.

“It’s nice to still be standing at this point," Cartwright said this week. “But we’re certainly going up against a great team.”

Pima (12-0) has long been a force in the small school divisions going back to the 1970’s, and are currently enjoying its reign as King of 2A. The defending state champs are riding a 24 game win streak into their Saturday showdown. 

The challenge for San Tan will be handling Pima’s physical style and stout defense. The Roughriders have shutout seven of its 12 opponents this year. 

“They’ve got a great defensive front and these kids have been on this stage,” Cartwright said about Pima.

“We’ve got a complete team, but it’s going to require great execution on our part. We’ve got to finish drives with touchdowns.”

Neill’s top target this season is Uriah Neloms, who’s responsible for 996 of Neill’s 2,274 passing yards thus far. A junior, Neloms understands the meaning of this game for San Tan Charter. “We’re really wearing our hearts on our sleeves right now,” Neloms says. “We want it really bad this year. We want to do it for this year’s seniors. This is the most talent we’ve had at San Tan, so this is our chance.”

In addition to Neloms’ 47 receptions, Daniel Dippre has been the go-to man from his slot position, with 31 receptions and nine scores. Maison Coffman is the deep threat for San Tan Charter’s offense, averaging 24 yards per catch. Cartwright added that Neill has developed into a running threat when necessary, giving San Tan Charter another dimension for defenses to worry about. But Pima isn’t just any other defense.

“They’ll be prepared for everything,” Cartwright said. “They’re not the type of team to give up big plays, so it goes back to the importance of finishing drives with touchdowns and scoring as much as possible.”

For Pima, linebacker Tuddy Smart and defensive tackle Brock Haws lead the way on defense. Haws recorded four sacks last week in a 57-28 rout of Tonopah. Pima had seven total sacks for the game. San Tan Charter’s offensive line will face a tall order against Pima’s strong front seven.

“We need to stay focused and play a clean game,” Neill said. “It’s been a great season but we’d really like to finish.”

In Neill’s four seasons at San Tan Charter, the Roadrunners have gone 3-5, 5-5, 7-4, and currently 10-2.