Aurora Castaneda is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Arcadia High School for AZPreps365.com

Arcadia’s undefeated season left it waiting a week for its postseason debut, but the break did nothing to cool the Titans' momentum.

With a home crowd roasting from the opening whistle, top-seeded Arcadia powered past No. 16 St. Mary’s 50-25 on Friday night in the first round of the 4A playoffs.

The Titans earned an automatic playoff berth and a first-round bye after finishing the regular season undefeated, and entered the past season as the No.1 seed — a position that brought high expectations after reaching the quarterfinals last year and semifinals two seasons ago.

From the start, Arcadia looked ready to make another run at a chance of passing semifinals and winning state.

“Coming into the game as the No. 1 seed, you just have to keep your head down,” senior defensive end Julien Olshan said. “That seed doesn’t mean anything once the playoffs start. We respect everybody. Fear nobody.”

The first quarter opened with Arcadia's stands shaking and St. Mary’s fighting to match the energy.

A yellow flag flew at 7:04 p.m., and with 3:29 minutes left on the clock, Arcadia head coach B.J. Pasquel got into a heated exchange with the referees. Arcadia's defense set the tone early, with Olshan applying pressure snaps after snaps.

Arcadia took control in the second quarter, scoring to go up 13-7 before the extra point made it 14-7. St Mary’s sideline remained quiet while Arcadia’s crowd stayed loud through every play. With 27 seconds left in the half, Arcadia scored again to make it 21-7.

“We played really well together,” Olshan said. “Defense had pressure on the quarterback the entire time. Our secondary was locked down. On offense, everybody stepped up – Ryan Jimenez, Zach Smith, Jax Ashley with the big runs.”

The Titans opened the third quarter with a juke-filled touchdown run that pushed the lead to 27-7 before the PAT made it 28-7. St Mary’s responded with score at the 8:13 minute mark, cutting it into 28-14, but Arcadia answered immediately.

Senior Ian Slater scored to extend the lead to 36-13, then found the end zone again to push it to 42-13. Another extra point made it 43-13, Arcadia’s sidelines erupted as the lead widened.

“One moment that stuck out was right after St. Mary’s scored,” Arcadia Athletic Director Drew Ammon said. “The very next play, we break off an 85-yard run. There was no panic. It was right root, left foot, kept moving. The kids did exactly what they were expected to do.”

Arcadia kept control into the fourth quarter, adding scores to make it 50-19 before the game closed at 50-25. Even with the lead secured, Olshan showed sportsmanship by helping St. Mary’s players off the field after plays.

Pasquel credited his team’s composure and experiences.

“We’ve had a good week of practice,” Pasquel said. “At this point, you want to win and move on, and that’s what we did. We had too many penalties early, but the kids kept plugging along. Once we got that 21-7 lead and started the second half with the ball, we felt pretty good.”

He added that senior leadership has shaped the team's identity all season.

“These kids have played a lot of football,” he said. “They work hard, they show up every week, and they don’t look ahead. They worry about the next opponent, and that's why they’ve been successful.”

Despite the loss, St. Mary’s head coach Jose Lucero said he was proud of his team’s effort.

“It's a good football team over there,” he said. “My guys never quit. They kept battling even when we were down big. I’m proud of them.”

Arcadia will face Marcos de Niza in the quarterfinals on Friday, Nov. 21.