American Leadership Academy Queen Creek isn’t just the little 6A team that could.

The Patriots are the team that can and does.

Friday night at Mountain Pointe High School, they did it again.

Thanks to a crafty passing attack and steady defense, ALA Queen Creek once again demonstrated its efficient brand of football with a 28-0 dismantling of the Pride in a 6A non-region contest.


The Patriots (5-1), who rose from 3A to 6A in just four years, reeled off their fifth straight win and did so emphatically, surprising nearly everyone but themselves.

The week six showdown was a highly anticipated game for Mountain Pointe (4-1), which was finally able to play as many as eight of the 27 transfers who were part of a mass-migration over the summer.
But the influx of new personnel never seemed to bare fruit Friday night, as the Patriots were outsized but unphased.

“We knew (Mountain Pointe) had a bunch of transfers and they were supposed to make a big difference,” junior cornerback Ryder Agne said afterward.
“But we weren’t scared, we just did our jobs, stuck to the game plan and executed.”
ALA Queen Creek got a typical performance from quarterback Enoch Watson.
The senior methodically poked and prodded during the first quarter, taking what the defense gave him. A few minutes into the second quarter, Watson and wideout Jayden Williams found a soft spot in the Mountain Point secondary.

Williams took a pass over the middle before outrunning the Pride secondary through the middle of the field for a 76 yard touchdown.
The Patriots 7-0 halftime lead evolved into a blowout by the end of the third quarter.

The Pride secondary began to open up for Watson, as he was able to find receivers further downfield, including another touchdown strike to Williams, this one from 44 yards which required Williams to adjust for a leaping catch near the goal line for a 14-0 lead midway through the third quarter.

A two minute sequence late in the third quarter saw Mountain Pointe self destruct with four personal foul penalties, one of which came from an assistant coach.

Of the four penalties, two came towards the end of another ALA scoring drive that only made things easier for the Patriots, as Diego Morales scored on a three yard run for a 21-0 lead.
Two more personal foul penalties drove the Pride back on its next possession.
Then on a third and long, quarterback Robert Knorr flipped a screen pass to Zeke Rodriguez, but the ball went through his hands and up in the air, when Patriot Ryder Agne  took the ball near the 20-yard line and galloped untouched into endzone.
The interception return provided the final score with a few seconds to spare in the third quarter.

Watson finished with 206 passing yards and two touchdowns for the Patriots.

Agne gave a simple explanation for ALA Queen Creeks’s continued success into the 6A ranks.

“We aren’t very big physically and we may not be the strongest, but our coaches really do the best job of teaching us how to play winning football, Agne added.
The defense was a big part of that formula in posting the shutout.

Mountain Pointe’s only offensive pulse in the first half was a 65 yard touchdown reception that was nullified by penalty.
Safety Nate LaDuke intercepted Knorr pass late in the second quarter. In the second half, Knorr had trouble taking any shots downfield.

As usual, ALA Queen Creek coach Ty Detmer praised the work of his assistants.
“James Verenski and Max Hall do such a great job of getting through to these kids,” Detmer said.

ALA Queen Creek continues its difficult stretch of 6A competition next week with a matchup against Red Mountain (4-2).
Mountain Pointe will host Corona del Sol (2-3).