Kobe King is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Betty H. Fairfax High School for AZPreps365.com

LAVEEN — Betty H. Fairfax’s best outing of the season fell just short in the wake of a tenacious second-half attack from Trevor G. Browne’s offense on Friday.

Stampede coach Tyrone Preyer has championed all season long a tightened focus on rebuilding the football team’s culture. Friday's grueling battle was yet another example of his team’s growing potential.

“We’ve had the lead in the fourth quarter in five of our games this year,” Preyer said. “We’ve just got to finish and grow that mentality.”

The Stampede (0-10, 0-8) got off to a blazing start, punctuated by timely defensive plays. Senior Charles Mason thwarted a thorough 10-play drive with a fumble recovery nine yards from the end zone.

On the next drive, senior quarterback Jesue Gurule quickly threw a 61-yard dart to Marcus Mackey for a TD propelling the Stampede to a 7-0 lead with 6:33 to play in the first quarter. This was the first of two Gurule TD passes.

Another lengthy drive was severed in the middle of the second quarter by the Stampede defense when cornerback Elias Tiah blocked a 25-yard field goal attempt. 

Mason again was in an opportune position as he scooped up the discarded ball en route to a 70-yard return to the end zone.

Disaster nearly struck again for the Bruins (2-8, 2-8) as an interception from senior quarterback Kenyon Hale resulted in a 47-yard TD return. It was ultimately called back for an illegal block in the back committed by the Stampede.

Trailing 14-0, Hale’s second chance amounted to a sharp 18-yard TD pass to Carlos Quinonez to cut the lead in half going into halftime.

A brisk drive saw sophomore Armahn Thoms Jr. score on a 38-yard pass from Gurule to put the Stampede ahead 21-7 early in the third quarter. However, Hale’s poise and leadership drove his teammates in the second half. 

“I was just talking to my teammates on the sidelines and telling them to lock in,” Hale said. “And to just keep a cool head and not let the emotions get to us.”

Bruins coach Francisco Rangel relied heavily on Hale’s passing prowess in the second half to embolden his team’s comeback odds. Hale finished the game with 283 passing yards and two passing touchdowns.

A flustered field goal attempt from the Stampede fumbled an opportunity to grow the lead late in the third quarter. Turning the ball over on downs, Hale marched his team down the field with 79 passing yards on the next drive.

Senior Mannie Campos shortly after rushed in his first TD of the game to swing momentum with 15 seconds remaining in the third quarter. The deficit thinned further after Hale’s second TD pass cut the lead to 21-19 with 7:41 to play. 

The Stampede’s defensive grit stood firm once more, demolishing a two-point attempt at the goal line.

After an unsuccessful drive to seal the game for the Stampede, Hale threw for an additional 50 yards to put the Bruins in prime scoring position with less than three minutes to play. 

Senior Raevonta Hill subsequently seized his moment on Senior Night, breaking multiple tackles on his way to a 15-yard run that put the Bruins up 25-21 with 2:16 remaining in the fourth quarter.

That play served as the game-winner, and was representative of the Bruins’ determination during a two-game win streak to end the season.

“I think we finally showed the grit, culture and determination we’ve had all season,” Rangel said. “We’ve had a rough year. And the kids just kept showing up and coming back to work."