Phoenix Thunderbird always has a chance as long as quarterback Daryl Little II has the ball in his hands.
He helped give the Titans an early two-touchdown lead, then, after Phoenix St. Mary's rallied to take a 34-22 lead early in the fourth quarter, Little took over.
The junior scored on a 45-yard run, converted a 2-point play with his legs, completed a fourth-down pass, then scored on a 1-yard run that ended up being the game winner in a 36-34 4A football thriller at Phoenix Washington's football field on Friday, Oct. 9.
"He's just so resilient," Thunderbird coach Matt Nalette said. "Whenever you ask just a little bit more from him, he does it."
Little had to do a lot, because the Knights (5-2) kept coming at the Titans (5-2) with their own brand
of resiliency, led by quarterback Luke Horn, receivers Anthony Cannon and Billy Lewis and running back Branson Brown.
Horn threw a couple of long passes that Cannon couldn't hold onto at the end. But, on the last pass, Thunderbird was called for pass interference, giving the Knights a chance to win it.
With five seconds left, Hector Lepur III came on to attempt a 46-yard field goal. It was just short and the Titans celebrated another 4A Skyline Region win that came down to the last play. Last week, the Thunderbirds lost to Phoenix Northwest Christian 21-20.
"This team, we've been putting the work in," Little said. "All we do is work hard. We came into the game as underdogs. Nobody believed in us."
Thunderbird is a big believer with the dynamic Little never taking a play off. After his plays on offense, he turns to defense.
The Knights welcomed back Brown, who had been out the last three games due to an injury. He showed explosiveness, turning upfield on scoring runs of 26 and 33 yards that gave them a 28-22 lead with 5:13 left in the third quarter.
Then, early in the fourth quarter, it looked like St. Mary's was going to put away the Titans, after Horn found Kingston Fanaika for a 3-yard touchdown and a 34-22 lead. It was Horn's third touchdown pass. He had hit Cannon for a 26-yard score and, after Little scored on a 10-yard run for a 22-7 Thunderbird lead, Horn threw a jump pass over the middle to Lewis, who took it 68 yards for a score.
But the Knights couldn't keep up with Little and company. Little raced 45 yards for a score, then his 2-point conversion run that cut it to 34-30 with 10:29 left.
"Hats off to Thunderbird," St. Mary's coach Jose Lucero said. "And hats off to Daryl Little. The kid is special. No doubt about it.
"I'm proud of our kids. They were resilient. We just know we have to play better football. That's where we're at."
Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. Catch the best high school sports coverage in the state. Sign up for Azcentral Preps Now. And be sure to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you don't miss a thing. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Daryl Little II rallies Thunderbird past St. Mary's in 4A thriller
