By Don Ketchum

It was a game fitting for a rematch between the participants in last year’s Class 2A football championship game.

Phoenix Northwest Christian, the champion, traveled to face runner-up Yuma Catholic on Saturday night (Aug. 27). Both teams now are members of Division V, Section II, part of the Arizona Interscholastic Association’s latest realignment.

With the game tied 6-6 in the fourth quarter, Northwest Christian star running back Casey Jahn broke off an 87-yard touchdown run and the Crusaders held on for a 13-6 victory.

Yuma Catholic held a 6-0 advantage at halftime after a 3-yard scoring run by Ryan Gill. Northwest Christian tied it in the third quarter on a 22-yard pass from quarterback Orbi Gonzales to Trevor Osborne.

“It was a great ballgame, a dogfight between two great teams,’’ said Northwest Christian coach David Inness. “It was a big win for us.’’

Northwest Christian had 265 yards total offense, 194 of it by Jahn. Yuma Catholic had about 238 total yards, pretty much evenly divided between running and passing.

Both teams are on the road in Week 2 on Friday night (Sept. 2). Northwest Christian is at Sedona Red Rock and Yuma Catholic is at River Valley, in the northwest part of the state near Bullhead City.