Chaparral tops Sunnyside in matchup of 4A powers

Sunnyside High triple-teamed wide receiver John Peel last night.

Big mistake.

Scottsdale Chaparral quarterback Darren Mougey threw to other teammates, and the top-ranked Firebirds rolled to a 41-14 victory at home in a matchup between two Class 4A powers.

"We have so many other weapons on this team," the 6-foot-4, 215-pound quarterback said.

Mainly himself.

Mougey scored on a 75-yard quarterback draw. He also threw scoring passes of 35 yards to running back Billy Berans and 8 yards to tight end Adam Levandowsky.

Tailback Kam Kranz scored on a 50-yard run, and cornerback Geoff Williams tacked on another touchdown late in the second quarter, returning his second interception of the game 88 yards.

Williams, who had three interceptions, has four in two games.

"The offense and defense are both forces," Williams said.

Chaparral's offense finally slowed, but that came after a 30-minute delay in the second quarter when an official's aide was knocked unconscious by a swarm of players along the Chaparral sideline. The elderly man's head snapped back and hit the asphalt long-jump runway.

The aide regained consciousness and paramedics arrived, but the man refused medical attention.

Sunnyside (0-2) prided itself on defense in 2001 when it won the 4A title and last season when it kept Chaparral close in the semifinals before losing on a field goal.

The Blue Devils have given up 76 points in two games against quality offenses.

Sunnyside coach Richard Sanchez remembered last year's 4A semifinal in which wide receiver Peel came up huge.

The team didn't remember Kranz, who watched last year's game from the sideline because of a hand injury.

"They made some very big adjustments to take away Peel," Firebirds coach Ron Estabrook said.

Sanchez doesn't need to be convinced that Chaparral is No. 1.

"They're good," he said.