RECAP: Marcos de Niza Offense Capitalizes Off Defensive Stops, Turnovers in Win Over Tempe

Even before the game clock hit zero, Marcos de Niza head coach Anthony Figueroa was drenched in Gatorade. Rightfully so. With a 48-14 win over Tempe Thursday night, the Padres finish the regular season with their best record, 9-1, and first region title since 2022—previously in the 4A Desert Sky region, now in the 4A…

Adam Beadle
4–7 minutes

Even before the game clock hit zero, Marcos de Niza head coach Anthony Figueroa was drenched in Gatorade.

Rightfully so.

With a 48-14 win over Tempe Thursday night, the Padres finish the regular season with their best record, 9-1, and first region title since 2022—previously in the 4A Desert Sky region, now in the 4A Black Canyon region.

“Man, I’m proud of my boys,” Figueroa said. “They work really, really hard, and there’s nothing like just seeing the fruit of your labor. You know, they work, and they love each other, and it’s great to have this kind of season, but honestly, we’re not satisfied. But I’m really, really proud of them.”

As of the latest AIA rankings on Oct. 28, Marcos de Niza would get a bye and play at home in the second round of the 4A playoffs, something that exhilarates junior running back and linebacker Christian Garcia.

“What excites me the most about that opportunity is we get to have our amazing student section come out and see us again,” Garcia said. “Just having a home field (advantage) just gives all of us hope and all of us a higher standard of just playing.”

Box Score

First Quarter

Second Quarter

Third Quarter

  • 2027 ATH Christian Garcia (Marcos de Niza) rushed for a 55-yard touchdown. Extra point is good. (41-6, 9:29)
  • 2026 RB Demetrius Davis rushed for a 30-yard touchdown. Extra point is good. (48-6, 2:20)

Fourth Quarter

  • 2026 QB Saul Mendez (Tempe) pass complete to 2027 WR Jonathan Washington for an 18-yard touchdown. 2-point conversion is good. (48-14, 1:32)
TEAM1ST QTR2ND QTR3RD QTR4TH QTRFINAL
MDN211314048
TEMPE060814

The Standouts

2026 Marcos de Niza Quarterback Jaeden Lott

Lott is probably the most untalked-about quarterback in the State of Arizona. Entering Thursday night’s game, Lott had thrown for a total of 2,212 passing yards, the ninth most amongst all quarterbacks in Arizona. Lott’s dominance in that category was on full display in the first half, completing four of his eight passing attempts for 105 yards and three touchdowns.

2026 Marcos de Niza Safety/Wide Reciever Alejandro Gomez

Gomez was a lockdown defender in Thursday night’s win over Tempe, picking up his fourth and fifth interceptions of the season, which makes him tied with three other players in the 4A Conference for the fifth most interceptions.

2027 Marcos de Niza Running Back/Linebacker Christian Garcia

This kid is an absolute beast on both sides of the ball, and had some really mature things to say about his team’s win and its playoff potential postgame. In the first half alone, Garcia totaled 185 yards, which is more than he’s had in a single game all season, and two touchdowns on just five carries while also playing basically every snap on defense. Garica is going to be a big part of Marcos de Niza’s potential playoff success.

Key Plays

  • The first two scoring drives for Marcos de Niza Thursday night came courtesy of back-to-back defensive stops when Tempe had the ball inside the Padres’ 10-yard line.
  • Following Garcia’s 99-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, Gomez intercepted 2026 Tempe quarterback Saul Mendez on the Buffaloes’ first play back on offense. It only took two plays for Lott to find 2028 tight end and linebacker Kayden Honeyman for the Padres’ third touchdown of the quarter.
  • Just as Tempe marched into the red zone at the beginning of the second quarter, 2027 cornerback Carlos Abeyta intercepted a pass from Mendez in the end zone on third-and-goal. Marcos de Niza capitalized once again as Lott drove the offense down the field in just six plays for the Padres’ fourth score of the game.
  • Despite being down 34-6 at halftime, Tempe’s defense came out hot and forced Marcos de Niza to go 3-and-out and bring out the punt team on its first offensive drive in the second half. However, a penalty on Tempe before the punt gave Marcos de Niza an automatic first down and opened the window for the Padres to score their sixth touchdown of the game.
  • Midway through the fourth quarter, Tempe likely had its best play of the day thanks to a 21-yard throw by Mendez and a head-topping grab by 2028 wide receiver CJ Brown. That play helped set up Tempe’s final scoring play of the 2025 season.

Sound Off

Marcos de Niza head coach Anthony Figueroa on what stands out to him about 2027 running back and linebacker Christian Garcia: “He’s resilient, that he’s a scrapper, that he doesn’t go down without a fight, and I’m proud of him too, because he’s put in so much work over the offseason. Again, anyone who has seen that boy work in the weight room (knows) it’s clear. It translates.”

2027 running back and linebacker Christian Garcia on the brotherhood at Marcos de Niza: “It’s thicker than just family. You know what I’m saying? We’re all connected as one. It’s not even the fact that we’re not all blood-related because we really are all blood-related. Padre, Padres is just a brotherhood. Marcus de NIza is just a brotherhood overall. We have great connections with the coaching staff, everybody, just the school in general. We’re all connected, and we all love each other.”

Tempe head coach Sean Freeman on what 2026 quarterback Saul Mendez has meant to the program over the last four years: “He’s the mayor, you know? He’s been here since (he was) a freshman. Starts as a freshman. You can’t replace that type of person, you know? There’s gonna be guys to come in and play quarterback and whatnot, but Saul Mendez is gonna go down as probably one of the best quarterbacks at Tempe High School… I’m gonna be rooting for him to the end.”

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