Stephen Smith is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Thunderbird  High School for AZPreps365.com

Thunderbird wore down St. Mary’s on Friday evening, pulling away in the second half and finishing the regular season with a 27-10 win over the visiting Knights. 

The Titans, the fifth seed, will  host Bradshaw Mountain, the 12th seed, in the first round of the 4A state playoffs next Friday at 7 p.m..

Ahead of Friday's game, Thunderbird honored a 32-player senior class -- a point of pride for the program.

“It was a great moment,” Thunderbird coach Matt Nalette said. “It was the culmination of a lot of hard work from them over the past four years.”

Following the pregame festivities, the Titans opened the scoring midway through the first quarter. Senior quarterback Andrew Cohill found senior tight end Bradley Holland across the middle of the field, who got upfield and scored a 32-yard touchdown with 7:13 remaining in the opening quarter, though the extra point was missed. 

Cohill completed 9 of 12 passes for 74 yards and one touchdown. 

The Knights moved the ball well on the ensuing possession, resulting in a 37-yard field goal by senior Liam Sullivan to make it a 6-3 game. 

The rest of the half was a defensive battle with both teams forcing turnovers and making things difficult for the opposing offense, something St. Mary’s came in hoping to accomplish. 

“We made it a fight against a very good team,” St. Mary’s coach Jose Lucero said. “Our kids did a great job making plays and knocking Thunderbird out of rhythm offensively.” 

In the second half, the Titans’ defense continued to stifle the Knights, forcing a three-and-out following a Thunderbird fumble to get the ball back to their offense quickly. 

“The defense continually stepped up when we needed them to,” Nalette said. “They (the defense) really kick-started us.”

A quick drive that exclusively featured senior running back Elijah Little ended with a 14-yard touchdown run by Little and a subsequent two-point conversion by Little to give Thunderbird a 14-3 lead with 3:23 remaining in the third quarter. 

Now playing with a more significant lead, the Titans’ defense continued to find success, highlighted by an interception by senior cornerback Elijah Hubbard and numerous turnovers on downs. 

“The defensive line kept their gap integrity,” Thunderbird senior defensive lineman Mason Fosu said. “Everyone on defense was flying to the ball and doing their job.”

In the fourth quarter, Little added touchdowns of 6 and 30 yards to give the Titans a 27-3 advantage with 8:17 remaining in the game. 

Little finished with 30 rushes for 267 yards and three touchdowns, showcasing all the facets of his game that have made him so successful at Thunderbird. 

“He has an amazing combination of speed, shiftiness, balance and power,” Nalette said. “He is a very powerful runner.”

A 2-yard touchdown run by St. Mary’s sophomore running back Branson Brown made it a 27-10 game with 7.7 seconds to play. 

Having punched their ticket to the playoffs next week, the Titans are excited by this opportunity and look forward to the coming week of preparation. 

“We want to succeed in the playoffs very badly,” Fosu said. “We know we have to work extra hard during practice next week to prepare.”

Thunderbird (9-1, 4-1) will host Bradshaw Mountain (7-3, 4-1) next Friday at 7 p.m. in the first round of the 4A state playoffs. St. Mary’s finished the season 5-5, with a 2-3 record in the 4A region.