By Don Ketchum

Bottles were uncorked and a fine white mist covered the team and its fans.

It wasn't champagne, but apple cider. And it wasn't Peoria Liberty doing the spraying.

It was the Scorpions of Goodyear Desert Edge after they held on to win the Class 4A Division II Skyline Region title at hgme on Friday night, doing it in dramatic fashion by knocking Peoria Liberty from the unbeaten ranks with a 14-11 victory.

Desert Edge (8-2) expects to host a first-round playoff game, and will learn the opponent when the pairings are announced on Saturday morning. Liberty, which was making a bid for a second straight unbeaten regular season, fell to 9-1 but still should host a playoff game.

Desert Edge had to hold its breath until the last few seconds, when a game-tying 33-yard field-goal attempt by Liberty barely missed its mark, hitting the lower part of the crossbar.

It was the first winning season in the history of Desert Edge, which began varsity play in 2004.

"It's great for the kids and great for the community,'' said first-year coach Rich Wellbrock, who was at nearby Tolleson High the last few seasons.

"We've got sectionals next year (under new alignment), so this is the last Skyline championship and the first for the school. That's what we kept telling the kids this week.''

Desert Edge had a 14-3 halftime lead, scoring on a 54-yard touchdown pass from Tanner Lung to Shane Simmons and a 1-yard run by Lung.

The Scorpions received the second-half kickoff and took 8:08 off the clock before losing the ball on a fumble at the Liberty 4.

"That (time-consuming drive) was not exactly what Liberty wanted, I'm sure,'' Wellbrock said.

Desert Edge then got a huge break when a 96-yard touchdown run by Liberty shake-and-bake quarterback Andre Gattie was called back due to a block in the back.

Liberty was called for a handful of other key penalties in the second half, which enabled Desert Edge to maintain its momentum.

Tyler Rogers replaced Gattie at quarterback early in the fourth quarter, due to the fact that he has a stronger arm. Gattie lined up at wideout. Rogers got the Lions into the end zone on a 36-yard pass to Paul Panaccione with 6:53 left in the game. Gattie hit Panaccione with a two-point conversion pass to cut the lead to 14-11.

On Liberty's final possession, Panaccione gained 23 yards on an end around to the Desert Edge 20 to help set up the field-goal attempt, but Liberty couldn't quite get it done.

"Our defense did a great job. He (Gattie) is a good football player, and we eliminated the big plays. The guys who needed to step up stepped up,'' Wellbrock said.