In a battle of Sabercats, Sabino killed any hope Saguaro had of capturing a fourth straight 4A-I championship with a 28-6 semifinal victory Friday night at Paradise Valley High School.

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After Sabino went up 21-0 going into the fourth quarter, Saguaro looked poised for a comeback. Quarterback Teddy Ruben reeled off a 39-yard run, and running back Danny Clark punched in the score a few plays later on fourth-and-short.

Clark ran well all game, collecting 114 yards and one touchdown.

Despite the switch in momentum, the Sabino defense recovered quickly and shut down Saguaro for the remainder of the game.

Saguaro could find no holes in the Sabino secondary, collecting only 53 yards through the air. Cornerback Keanu Nelson led the defense with three interceptions, all of which came near the goal line.

Saguaro dug itself into a deep hole in the first half thanks to a multitude of penalties and a couple turnovers. The Cats committed seven penalties for 50 yards and turned the ball over twice on an interception and a fumble.

Saguaro did a decent job moving the ball, but Sabino's defense only seemed to get stronger as the Sabercats moved down field, with both turnovers coming as the Sabercats moved the ball within the opponent's 25-yard line. Saguaro entered Sabino territory a total of four times in the first half but came away with no points.

With under three minutes left in the half and the ball on Sabino's 25-yard line, Nelson ended Saguaro’s hopes of putting points on the board in the first half. With great position on the ball, he out-jumped wide receiver DJ Foster to intercept quarterback Ruben’s pass on the 1-yard line.

The Sabino offense took full advantage of Saguaro’s misfortune, putting up 14 points in the first half. Sabino quarterback Nathan Brooks connected with a wide open Mike Brown for a 35-yard touchdown in the first quarter before running back Stephen Fraser busted through the Saguaro line for a 65-yard touchdown run later in the half.

Saguaro could find no way to stop Brown and Nelson on the ground. Brown ran for 178 yards and a touchdown. Nelson collected 186 total yards with one touchdown receiving and one touchdown rushing.

Sabino advances to face Canyon Del Oro in the 4A-I state championship in Tucson at the University of Arizona.