Tempe Wins Arizona, Capping Five-Peat
Tempe Wins Arizona, Capping Five-Peat
Tempe won the Arizona D1 state title with a 34-17 defeat of Phoenix on Saturday night.
The game was very close early on and Tempe held a slim 12-10 lead at halftime. But paced by three tries from outside center Tu Pauga, Tempe pulled away in the second half.
Co-captains Ike Crowell at flyhalf and Marleigh Fely at No. 8 were leaders by example throughout the game. Fely broke the Phoenix gainline on multiple occasions, while Crowell’s leadership and organization made sure Phoenix was also facing a long field.
This was Tempe’s fifth straight state title and with only five seniors on the roster, they are in good shape to keep the streak going.
However, it’s worth noting that they did lose a game in Arizona this season and that was to Brophy Prep. Yes it was a game that had no effect on the playoff seedings, but Brophy has growing numbers and a very young team and that result was solid reason to look ahead to 2026.
Brophy played Scottsdale in the D2 state final—essentially a Plate Championship—with Scottsdale winning 52-28.
