Just under a minute remained in the first half, but Basha’s offense marched out onto the field once again with a chance to put yet another score on the board before halftime on Thursday night.
With the ball at the Perry 32 on second-and-two, 2027 quarterback Jake Rodgers rolled out to his right and connected with 2027 Jaden Baldwin, who was wide open at the 13-yard line. From there, Baldwin ran toward the end zone and cashed in for Rodgers’ fourth touchdown pass of the night, contributing to a 52-3 win for the Bears.
In only his second career varsity start, Rodgers’ dominant offensive performance was enough to earn him Fiesta Bowl Player of the Game honors and Basha’s sixth straight win against Perry, the longest winning streak by either of the schools in the rivalry’s existence.
Even with the performance Rodgers and his team had, he isn’t satisfied.
“I mean, it definitely feels good, but I still got a bitter taste in my mouth from two weeks ago, so I’m just excited to get into the playoffs and keep rolling,” Rodgers said.
With the win, Basha is also crowned 6A Southern region champions and likely solidifies itself as the No. 2 seed in the open division playoffs, earning a first-round bye.
Head coach Chris McDonald said time off before the playoffs will be important for his team.
“I think it’s good to sometimes just kind of step back, reassess some things, right?” McDonald said. “Recharge the batteries, get healthy, you know, let their body heal a little bit, and so that’s the focus right now, and then it’ll be obviously getting back to work.”
Box Score
NOTE: View any scoring highlight by clicking on the corresponding bullet point.
First Quarter
- 2027 QB Jake Rogers (Basha) pass complete to 2026 WR Kash Brock (Basha) for a 6-yard touchdown. Extra point is good. (7-0, 10:21)
- 2027 K Colton Crawford (Perry) 33-yard field goal is good. (7-3, 5:57)
Second Quarter
- 2027 K Mikey Barth (Basha) 40-yard field goal is good. (10-3, 11:07)
- 2026 RB Noah Roberts (Basha) rushed for a 2-yard touchdown. Extra point is good. (17-3, 8:32)
- 2027 QB Jake Rogers (Basha) pass complete to 2026 WR Kash Brock (Basha) for a 2-yard touchdown. Extra point is good. (24-3, 1:58)
- 2027 QB Jake Rogers (Basha) pass complete to 2027 RB Noah Roberts (Basha) for a 35-yard touchdown. Extra point is good. (31-3, 1:16)
- 2027 QB Jake Rogers (Basha) pass complete to 2027 WR Jaden Baldwin (Basha) for a 32-yard touchdown. Extra point is good. (38-3, 0:26)
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
The Standouts
2027 Basha Quarterback Jake Rogers
Rogers is deserving of applause for what he’s done leading the Basha in the Bears’ last two games. Rogers’s ability to find the open wide receiver at the right moment shines above all the rest of his abilities. He’s very calm and collected in the pocket. It’s very Kurt Warner-esque the way he quickly makes the right read. Basha will still be able to find success in the open division playoffs if 2026 quarterback Brodie Vehrs does not return from injury with Rogers in the backfield.
2027 Basha Tight End Barry Adams
Adams is the type of player that, if you asked him to go out and play any position on the field, he’d probably do it. At 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, Adams is a heck of an athlete and a guy that’s, in a way, been the most underrecognized player on this Basha team this season because of the amount of talented players the Bears have on offense. He had a huge catch downfield that set up Basha’s first score of the game.
2027 Basha Defensive Back Tre Kennard
Kennard picked up his first interception of the season late in the second quarter, which helped set Basha up with a one-play scoring drive. Kennard will likely play a much bigger role for Basha next season.
2028 Perry Wide Receiver Amos Augustine
Although Perry’s offense wasn’t able to get much going in the game, Augustine’s play was undoubtedly a bright spot. Augustine has improved significantly since the spring and the end of summer. He does a nice job creating open space and has some killer quickness. Augustine made a huge catch down the sideline in the first quarter that helped set up Perry’s only score of the game.
Sound Off
Basha head coach Chris McDonald on the way 2026 running back Joshua Gaines runs the football: “He’s a tough kid, man. He’s a Division-I guy, you know, and somebody’s going to take a chance on him, and they’re going to be real, real happy.”
Basha head coach Chris McDonald on how much he’s seen the coaches Basha brought in this offseason help the team grow: “I kind of feel like it’s weird, but I kind of feel like we’re kind of finding our rhythm, a little bit. Like it took us a little bit to kind of mesh, if you will, and I’m talking like, not just staff-wise, but I’m talking, I can speak for offensively I felt like the second half of the season we kind of found our groove a little bit, and so I think that’s just kind of all of us kind of staying in our lane and doing our job.”
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