Ethan Holtzinger is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Williams Field High School for AZPreps365.com

The Williams Field Black Hawks hosted the Perry Pumas Friday night in a 6A non-conference game.

Both teams came into this game looking to get back into the win column after consecutive losses, and the Black Hawks were able to do just that, with a final score of 17-10.

This matchup meant a little more for Williams Field (4-4), and not just because of the familiar opponent. It was also the Homecoming game for the Black Hawks, and they intended to make the most of a special night in front of their school.

“It feels great man,” said Black Hawks head coach Steve Campbell. “I told the guys afterwards that winning is a habit, but unfortunately so is losing, and that was the first half of the battle that we played tonight.”

The start of the game was not ideal for the Black Hawks.

By the end of the first quarter, the score was 7-0 with the Pumas (4-4) in the lead after free safety Brody Pace’s 37-yard pick six. Pace continued to be the primary contributor for Perry’s defense throughout the game.

“Last year, Brody was a receiver,” said Pumas head coach Joseph Ortiz. “This was his first ever start at the free safety position. For him to do what he did tonight with the pass breakups, the pick six, the downhill tackles, he was the MVP of our game tonight.”

Black Hawks quarterback Kody Guy was able to start the game after sitting out the previous three weeks due to injury, but Guy had to be pulled once again after just the first quarter.

Williams Field had lost the last three games in a row without Guy as the starter, but backup quarterback Dominick Barjona was able to help break that streak Friday night against the Pumas.

“The change at quarterback was injury related, we’ll kind of see where that goes, but I thought that Dom did a pretty solid job,” Campbell said. “You know, he’s still a sophomore, but we’re seeing growth from him every single week. When you consider the amount of practice reps that he’s had, he’s been great.”

Once halftime was over, it was all Williams Field.

Running back Courshawn Hill exploded on a 41-yard rushing touchdown towards the end of the third quarter, and the Black Hawks scored 14-unanswered points in the second half.

The defense played its part to perfection.

With a little over five minutes left in the game, the Pumas found themselves with the ball on Williams Field’s 20-yard line, and they just needed a touchdown to tie the score. The Black Hawks defense stood tall and forced incompletions on every down to close out the game.

“Our defense played lights out tonight,” said assistant defensive coordinator Ray Martin. “They showed up, that’s what it’s supposed to be about right there. After the last couple of weeks, it was just awesome. We needed it for our morale.”

The Black Hawks defense was merciless in their Homecoming game, but the Pumas offense had its own role in the second half drought as well.

“Penalties cost us drives, turnovers cost us drives, and drops cost us touchdowns,” said Ortiz. “Our offense only scored three points. We have to know our assignments, and we need to limit the turnovers and penalties.”

Despite the tough loss, Ortiz is still well aware of his team’s potential.

“At our best we’re one of the best teams in the state, but we’ve given up three games in the fourth quarter this year by less than 10 points,” Ortiz said. “Our offense just needs to figure it out. We showed some glimpses of being a good offense tonight, we just couldn’t capitalize and finish.”

Williams Field will go on to host ALA – Queen Creek (7-1) in a conference game next week, while Perry prepares for its upcoming matchup against Chandler (5-3).