In what was supposed to be an exciting way to kick off the 2025 Arizona high school football season quickly turned into a very long one on Thursday night.

Pima made the trip up to Scottsdale Christian Academy to kick off the regular season in a rematch of last year’s 2A state championship, but just around four minutes into the first quarter, the game would go on a two hour lighting delay. However, the delay didn’t stop SCA head coach Mike Sheahan from keeping his team amped up and getting a 33-6 win.

“They were too hyped,” Sheahan said. “They were barking outside the door and ready to go two hours later. So I’m proud of them.”

Sheahan said there’s still room for improvement but there are a lot of things to look forward to as well, considering the last two years the Eagles went on a weather delay its first game of the season, they also went on to win back-to-back state championships.

“Sort of such a weird night again for the third year in a row, but I think we got a lot to fix,” Sheahan said. “But there’s a lot of bright spots right now too. I think we got an offense that can take off a little bit, and our defense is finding the ball right now. So I’m pretty proud of them.”

Below is a breakdown of SCA’s 33-6 win over Pima.

Scoring Plays/Box Score

NOTE: You can see the highlight off each score by clicking on each bullet point.

First Quarter

• 2026 QB Sean Helgeson (SCA) pass complete to 2027 WR Kyle Olafson (SCA) for a 33-yard touchdown. Extra point is good. (7-0, 9:59)
• 2026 RB Everett Salazar (SCA) rushed for a 2-yard touchdown. Extra point is good. (14-0, 6:12)
• 2026 QB Sean Helgeson (SCA) pass complete to 2027 WR Dom Dickerson for a 51-yard touchdown pass. Extra point is no good. (20-0, 3:42)

Second Quarter

• 2026 RB Everett Salazar (SCA) rushed for a 2-yard touchdown. Extra point is good. (27-0, 10:19)

Third Quarter

• 2026 RB Everett Salazar (SCA) rushed for a 5-yard touchdown. Extra point is no good. (33-0, 7:08)
• 2027 ATH Joe Palmer (Pima) rushed for a 1-yard touchdown. 2-point conversion attempt is no good. (33-6, 0:22)

Fourth Quarter

• N/A

SCA	20	7	6	0	33
Pima	0	0	6	0	6

The Standouts

2027 SCA WR Dom Dickerson

• The average fan would’ve never been able to tell that this was Dickerson’s first ever varsity football game, and his first competitive football game since he played quarterback in eighth grade. Dickerson had an impressive showing, hauling in a touchdown and snagging an impressive interception—however the interception would get called back. Dickerson will be a receiver to watch in 2A this year purely because of his athleticism.

2026 SCA DE Joseph Kassisieh

• Kassisieh was flying all over the field. Swatting passes, allowing minimal gains, disrupting the backfield, and even hawking interceptions. Just minutes into the third quarter, as Pima is finally putting a drive together where they are driving down the field, Kassisieh was able to jump a screen and make a play to get an interception. Kassisieh would run it back deep into Pima territory, which would set up a 5-yard touchdown run by Salazar.

2026 SCA RB Everett Salazar

• Salazar had a bounce back performance recording three touchdowns after tearing his ACL early on into last season.

2027 Pima ATH Joe Palmer

• Despite fumbling in the third quarter, Palmer showed his two-way playing abilities on Thursday night and why players like him can cause a ruckus in small school football. Palmer was the driving force for a lot of the pressure Pima put on SCA in the second half, which caused them to only score once, and was also the only player to get in the scoring column for Pima in the game.

2026 Pima ATH Rooster Alder

• Alder and Palmer might as well been the tandem duo doing everything for Pima last night on both sides of the ball. Both running the ball well and making plays on defense. After Pima turned the ball over on its second straight drive in the third quarter, Alder was on high alert and made an impressive reach to go up and get an interception on SCA’s second play on offense—leading to Palmer finding the end zone on Pima’s following offensive drive.

Sound Off

SCA head coach Mike Sheahan on 2026 wide reciever Dom Dickerson’s performance in his first varsity football game: “I’m not surprised at all. He’s that kid. I think I told everybody, he’s just an athlete. He’s a point guard on the basketball team. He can do anything out there.”

SCA 2026 running back Everett Salazar on having the performace he did after tearing his ACL a season ago: “Really, I give all my glory to God. It was a blessing. And I really thank my (offensive) line, that line was awesome. They were stacking the box. It was hard. (Pima was) really good. They hit hard. But you know, our line really came through. And, let’s go. That was awesome. Let’s get it.”

SCA 2026 wide receiver Dom Dickerson on what makes the eagles so special: “I would say everything, but it would start with the coaching staff. Sheahan has done a great job bringing in people, specialists who all get along with each other. But then also bringing the energy. Like at my personal positions, at cornerback, like my cornerbacks coach, they’re just, they’re awesome. Like, they make it so fun to come out here and play football, and then my offensive coordinator is also my receiving coach. Like, same thing. Like, it’s just truly, like I said, with that energy, I’ve never just been out here and been like, ‘Man, I gotta go to football’. It is a joy to come out here and play which is just awesome, and I think that is due to the culture that’s been building, and that’s part of the reason why I wanted to get out here.”