Kellis senior quarterback Ronald Coty III stepped back in the pocket and hit fellow senior Nathan Macias in stride up the middle and the Cougars led 7-0 some 80 yards later.
It was the first play of the game and it took only 13 seconds off the clock. Coty would leave the game in the fourth quarter with five passes and a 49-7 victory at Oro Valley Ironwood Ridge in the first round of the 5A playoffs.
Kellis made the postseason six times in program history dating back to 2007 and this was the first playoff victory for the Cougars.
“We knew they couldn’t match our tempo Once we scored that first touchdown, we knew it was over with,” Coty said. “We knew this wasn’t going to be a walkover though. We had to lock in and be prepared and take advantage of what we happened.”
No. 12 Kellis (10-1) will travel to play at disrict rival No. 4 Cactus (8-3) in the quarterfinal round after the Cobras beat No. 13 Mountain View 42-13 to set up the game next Friday night.
No. 5 Ironwood Ridge fell to 8-3 on the year with back-to-back losses for the first time in the three years after head coach Dale Stott turned a 1-9 program into a playoff contender.