PREP FOOTBALL: Magazine rallies past Hazen

MAGAZINE -- The Magazine offense doesn't ask senior quarterback Tatum Scott to throw it often, but he made the most of his chances Friday night at Diamondback Stadium.

Scott connected with Ashton Droemer with just six seconds left in the first half for a key touchdown. Magazine used that momentum in the second half for a 44-22 come-from-behind victory against Hazen in a first-round matchup of the Class 2A state playoffs.

The Magazine touchdown narrowed the Hazen lead to 22-6 in a back-and-forth first half.

"That was big," Magazine coach Ryan Chambers said. "If you go down three scores in high school, there isn't a lot of time to make that up and even more so with our style of football running the ball. We needed somebody to step up because we came out a little flat. We had some players stepped up on that play."

The passing touchdown helped answer consecutive touchdowns from Hazen after they scored then got an onside kick recovery and scored again. Magazine on the scoring drive took over at the opposing 45 with one minute, 11 seconds left in the first half.

"We were clicking there early," Hazen coach Joe Besancon said. "But we gave up that play just before the first half. That gave them all the momentum they needed. It was 22-0 when they hit that, but it was closer than that."

It was all Magazine (9-2) after halftime. Magazine scored on five consecutive drives in the second half against Hazen (4-5). They took advantage of a blocked punt and two fumble recoveries to help set up three of those drives for touchdowns.

The Rattlers after the break used a 13-play drive to march down the field and cut the Hornet's lead to 22-14 when Droemer scored from 3 yards out. Scott completed the two-point conversion with a pass to Cameron Raggio in the third quarter.

The Rattlers tied the game at 22-22 still in the third quarter with a 6-yard touchdown from Droemer. Scott found Austin Krigbaum for the two-point attempt after the score with about three minutes left in the third quarter.

Scott then found Brad Price for a 20-yard touchdown pass and Droemer added the two-pointer to take the first lead of the game, 30-22, with about nine minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Senior running back Kobe Faughn in a record-setting night broke a 43-yard touchdown to help take a 38-22 lead with about six minutes left in the game and put the game away. Scott with a rush got the two points after the score.

Scott then finished off the fourth-quarter scoring with a 15-yard touchdown and a 44-22 lead with about three minutes left in the game.

Faughn led the way for Magazine. He finished with 21 carries for 205 yards and a touchdown. With his performance on the night, he broke the single-season school rushing record held by his coach Chambers back in 2010.

"I'm so happy for him," Chambers said. "He sat behind a really good running back and waited his time during the last two years. He just waited for his turn. He has made the most of it this season."

Faughn and the Magazine offense was limited in the first half, but Chambers knew that would change after the break. Faughn rushed for 150 second-half yards and had his biggest gains of the night, 43 and 37 yards, as his final two rushes.

"He knows it's playoff football," Chambers said. "He has taken it to another level. They did a good job stopping him in the first half. He is the type of player that will wear you down and eventually bust some big ones. He doesn't slow down. It seems like he gets faster in the second half."

Scott finished three of five passing for 59 yards and two touchdowns for Magazine. He also rushed for 53 yards on 10 carries with a touchdown.

Droemer carried the ball 17 times for 146 yards and two touchdowns for the Rattlers. He also caught the key 31-yard touchdown just before halftime. Price added four rushes for 55 yards with a 20-yard touchdown catch as well.

"It was a great team effort," Chambers said. "We needed some guys to step up on the offensive end. Kobe can't carry the ball every down. Everybody usually keys on Kobe, but we have plenty of guys who can make plays with the ball in their hands."

Hazen was guided by sophomore quarterback Luke King. He completed 20 of 31 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns. Eric Cohen caught three passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. Kolten Tosh, a freshman, caught five passes for 31 yards including a score.

Hazen was able to take a 22-6 edge heading into halftime with a strong half from King and the defense.

Hazen punted on its initial drive of the night, but it recovered a fumble on Magazine's first drive of that night.

It didn't take long for Hazen to take advantage of the momentum. The Hornets scored on the next play to take an early 8-0 lead. King found Cohen for a 77-yard touchdown pass. King added the two-point conversion.

Hazen converted several fourth downs on the way to its second score of the night. Tosh caught a slant pass from King for a 6-yard touchdown. That made the lead 14-0 in the second quarter after a failed two-point conversion.

After the score, Hazen's Sheddy Ward recovered an onside kick. That set up another scoring drive with just about a minute left in the first half. King capped it with a 2-yard rush for a 22-0 edge.

Magazine took over at the opposing 45 with one minutes, 11 seconds left before halftime and made the most of the possession. That's when they got the key score before the break.

Four downs

• Both programs entered the game with playoff success. Hazen had won at least a playoff game in the last three years, while Magazine entered the game with two years of winning at least one playoff game as well.

• Hazen fumbled the ball three times and lost it twice. Magazine turned it over once with a fumble as well.

• Faughn was limited to just 55 first-half yards before his strong second half.

• Magazine now advances to face the winner of Foreman and Hector next Friday in the second round of the playoffs.