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Aztecs Improve Again But Fall to #10 GCC

TUCSON, AZ- The Pima Community College football team hosted the # 10 Gauchos of Glendale CC Saturday night in Tucson. The Aztecs had some great drives and good chances to score but key mistakes allowed the Gauchos to leave Tucson with a 34-13 victory. The Aztec's starting quarterback Armando Pena, (FR, Yuma, Ariz., Cibola HS) had a good game as he went 20-31 for 252 yards. Pena's biggest play of the game came at the beginning of the second quarter when he hooked up with Malcolm Shepherd, (SO, Tucson, Ariz., Sahuaro HS) on a 70 yard pass play that resulted in the only Aztec touchdown.

Pena hit nine different receivers in the game and came close to scoring on a couple drives but the Gauchos picked off a couple passes that ended the Aztec scoring threats. Aztec kicker Leandro Pinheiro, (FR, Sells, Ariz., Baboquivari HS) went 2-4 in field goals. He hit two first half field goals from 44 and 37 yards. On the defensive side of the ball the Aztecs had some great efforts that made the Gauchos work for every point they got. Cam Wierson, (SO, Tucson, Ariz., Ironwood Ridge HS) led the Aztecs in tackles as he had eight solos and four assists. Wierson was all over the field and in on almost every play. Kade Creviston, (SO, Tucson, Ariz., Canyon del Oro HS) also had a great night as he had five solos and five assists. Kolter Killion, (SO, Phoenix, Ariz., Gilbert HS) had four solos and four assists including one tackle for six yards of loss.

Lonnie Brunson, (FR, Tucson, Ariz., Sahuaro HS) had two tackles for loss in the game while Victor Umeh, (SO, Arlington Tex., Seguin HS) and Joseph Frias, (FR, Chandler, Ariz., Basha HS) each had a tackle for loss. Aztec defensive backs Kevin Keeton, (FR, Casa Grande, Ariz., Casa Grande HS) and Joseph Bangali, (FR, Fork Union, Vir., Fork Union Military Academy) each had multiple tackles and a pass break-up each. The Aztecs played their best game of the season, and proved to the # 10 team in the nation, that they will not roll over for anyone. "We played physical, and made some big plays on both sides of the ball," said head coach Bill Laslett. "I am proud of my guys. I think we may have turned a corner this week, but we still have to try to get better." The Aztecs will close up their three game home stand next Saturday, September 29th, as they host # 20 Scottsdale CC. Kickoff will be at 7:00 at Amphi high school in Tucson.

NMMI Comeback Falls Short, Mesa Holds for 28-21 Victory

Roswell, NM - Western States Football League action got under way for the New Mexico Military Institute Broncos as they hosted the Mesa Community College Thunderbirds in front of the Corps of Cadets at NMMI. The Broncos jumped out to an early lead with the aid of a 52-yard run by Michael McIntosh (Fr. RB, Memphis, TX). The long run put the Broncos down deep in Mesa's territory. Brandon Zackery (So. QB, Riverview, FL) scored the touchdown on the quarterback keeper. Kevin Perez (Fr. K, El Paso, TX) converted on the point-after try to give the Broncos the 7-0 lead.

NMMI dominated the stat book in the first quarter, tallying 100 rushing yards but could only manage one score. The defense held strong early in the ball game. After a Bronco fumble, Mesa took over on the NMMI 25-yard line. The Broncos held Mesa on a fourth down try from the 5-yard. NMMI was able to drive the ball out from their own end zone to midfield before they were put into a punting situation. The Broncos decided to run a fake punt and Taylor Owen (Fr. P, Carrollton, TX) was hit and fumbled the ball away. Mesa took over with good field position and was able to tie the score at 7-7 with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Dax Crum to Terrance Moore. Mesa took their first lead of the game on their next possession capitalizing on a 9-play, 75 yard drive that was capped off by a 6-yard run by Kevin Morris.

NMMI appeared to have things going the right way when Brandon Brooks (So. RB, Rosenberg, TX) broke free on a 25-yard run but had the ball knocked free from behind by Mesa's Zach Hernandez. Mesa recovered but was unable to capitalize as Dominic Gamboa's 22-yard field goal went wide left. Mesa would add another touchdown as Crum connected with Moore for a 37-yard pass play. Mesa led at the half 21-7. Backup quarterback Joel Lira (Fr. QB, Lubbock, TX) saw his first action of the season in the second half. After a 31-yard run by Cortae Minor (So. FB, Henderson, NV), Lira scored his first touchdown of the season on a 5-yard option keeper. Perez's kick was good to cut the Mesa lead down to 21-14. A turnover cost the Broncos again as Troy Seivwright-Adams (Fr. CB, Toronto, Canada) muffed the punt and Mesa recovered the football. Jay Leal scored from 40-yards out on the next play to increase their lead to 28-14.

Following the touchdown, NMMI put together an 11 play 66-yard drive that took them down to the 2-yard line. The drive was stalled when there was a mishandled exchange between Lira and Minor. Mesa recovered and held on to their fourteen point lead. NMMI would later get the ball back after a misplayed snap on a field goal try handed the ball over to the Broncos. Lira found receiver Darrell Armstead (So. WR, Copperas Cove, TX) for a 22-yard completion that took the Broncos down to the 15-yard line. Lira scored again on another option keeper. The Broncos trailed 28-21 at this point. The Broncos would get one more chance at making a comeback when Mesa's Kevin Morris had the ball stripped by a Bronco defender.

With the ball near midfield, NMMI had a drive extended as the 5'7", 160 pound McIntosh fought through three Mesa defenders to gain the first down. Mesa's defense would hold on, shutting down the Broncos on the next four plays to preserve the win 28-21. NMMI totaled 392 yards of total offense to Mesa's 461. McIntosh led the Broncos in his first role as the primary ball carrier. He totaled 117 yards on 17 carries. In addition to scoring two touchdowns, Lira completed 2 of 3 passes for 32 yards. For Mesa, Crum completed 18 of 32 passes for 310 yards. NMMI falls to 1-3 overall and 0-1 in the Western States Football League. Mesa improves to 4-0 and 2-0 in the WSFL.

NMMI vs MCC

(09/21/07 at Colt Field )

Roswell,  NM

SCORE BY QUARTERS	1	2	3	4	Score
Mesa	0	21	7	0	28	Record: (4-0, 2-0 )
NMMI	7	0	7	7	21	Record: (1-3, 0-1 )

Scoring Summary:				Plays	Yards	TOP	Score
1	12:59	NMMI	Brandon ZACKERY Carries(Hand Off) TOUCHDOWN!!! 1 yds PAT Kick by Kevin PEREZ GOOD!	6	67	02:01	7 - 0
2	14:55	MCC	Dax Crum Passes to Terrance Moore COMPLETE TOUCHDOWN!!! 17 yds PAT Kick by Dominic Gamboa GOOD!	8	33	02:42	7 - 7
2	10:48	MCC	Kevin Morris Carries(Hand Off) TOUCHDOWN!!! 6 yds PAT Kick by Dominic Gamboa GOOD!	9	75	02:21	7 - 14
2	01:01	MCC	Dax Crum Passes to Terrance Moore COMPLETE TOUCHDOWN!!! 37 yds PAT Kick by Dominic Gamboa GOOD!	6	70	01:52	7 - 21
3	07:46	NMMI	Joel LIRA Carries(Hand Off) TOUCHDOWN!!! 2 yds PAT Kick by Kevin PEREZ GOOD!	10	79	04:14	14 - 21
3	05:51	MCC	Jay Leal Carries(Hand Off) TOUCHDOWN!!! 40 yds PAT Kick by Dominic Gamboa GOOD!	1	40	00:09	14 - 28
4	05:45	NMMI	Joel LIRA Carries(Hand Off) TOUCHDOWN!!! 15 yds PAT Kick by Kevin PEREZ GOOD!	6	78	02:08	21 - 28

	NMMI	MCC
FIRST DOWN	20	22
RUSHES / YARDS (NET)	69/360	41/151
PASSING YARDS (NET)	32	310
Passes Att/Comp/Int	5/2/0	32/18/0
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS/YARDS	74 / 392	73 / 461
Fumble Returns / Yards	0 / 0	0 / 0
Punt Returns / Yards	2 / 26	0 / 0
Kickoff Returns / Yards	5 / 116	3 / 38
Interception Returns /Yards	0 / 0	0 / 0
Punts (Number/Avg)	2 / 38	4 / 44
Fumbles / Lost	7 / 4	2 / 1
Penalties / Yards	6 / 69	10 / 105
Possession Time	30:06	27:43
Sacks By: Number/Yards	0 / 0	1 / 8

RUSHING(Att / Yards):
Mesa	Jay Leal	20 / 100	Wallace Lebrane	6 / 20	Ronald Young	6 / 14	Kevin Morris	4 / 13
	Dax Crum	3 / 5	TEAM	1 / 0	Devon Smith	1 / -1
NMMI	Michael McIntosh	17 / 117	Cortae Minor	21 / 115	Brandon Brooks	4 / 49	Brandon Zackery	9 / 41
	Darrin Allen	3 / 21	C.J. Oakley	4 / 15	Joel Lira	8 / 14	Darrell Armstead	1 / 7
	Shandon Augustus	1 / 0	Taylor Owen	1 / -19
PASSING(Comp/Att/Int/Yard):
Mesa	Dax Crum	18/32/0/310
NMMI	Joel Lira	2/3/0/32	Brandon Zackery	0/2/0/0
RECEIVING(No / Yard):
Mesa	Spencer Perkinson	6 / 130	Brice Wilkins	4 / 74	Terrance Moore	2 / 54	Micah Parker	2 / 24
	Ronald Young	3 / 16	Jay Leal	1 / 12
NMMI	Darrell Armstead	1 / 22	Michael McIntosh	1 / 10
INTERCEPTIONS(No / Yard):
Mesa
NMMI
Stadium: Colt Field		Attendance: 1200
Kickoff time: 07:00 PM		End of Game: 10:00 PM		Total Elapsed Time: 3:00
Officials: Referee: ;		Umpire: ;		Linesman: ;
Line Judge: ;		Back Judge: ;		Field Judge: ;
Side Judge: ;
Temperature: 85		Weather:
SACKS(UA / A):
Mesa	Zach Hernandez	1 / 8
NMMI
TACKLES (UA / A) :
Mesa	Unknown	9 / 0	TEAM	8 / 0	Preston Hale	6 / 0	Devon Cox	6 / 0
	Marcos Esquivel	5 / 2	Jamichael Hall	5 / 0	Nick Anderson	5 / 0	Gabe Hernandez	3 / 1
	Terence Rainey	3 / 0	Zach Hernandez	3 / 0	Billy McDrew	2 / 1	Gannon Conway	2 / 1
	Michael Darrington	2 / 0	Rafail Reyes	1 / 0	Ted Kook	1 / 0	Brendon Jordan	1 / 0
	Julian Hunsaker	1 / 0	Justin Herron	1 / 0	Cody Simpson	0 / 1
NMMI	Troy Seivwright-Adams	6 / 1	Hollan Fiu	6 / 0	Dominic Smith	5 / 3	Derek Dimitroff	5 / 2
	Chris Story	4 / 0	Trent Whitmill	3 / 1	Ced Johnson	3 / 1	Royel Johnson	3 / 0
	Mike Shorter	2 / 2	David Johnson	2 / 0	Rasheed Dunlap	1 / 3	Nathan Mageo	1 / 1
	TEAM	1 / 0	Glenn Madison	1 / 0	Kenyon Littles	1 / 0	Jay Johnson	1 / 0
	Jeremy Farley	1 / 0	Derrick Ware	0 / 1	Mike Mosley	0 / 1