The battle between Skyline and Cottonwood on Friday night was billed as a midseason championship showdown in Region 2.
The game lived up to the hype.
Cottonwood quarterback Crosby Jensen completed 31 of 36 passes for 330 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Colts to a 43-28 victory that was not iced until the final minutes.
In a thrilling contest filled with explosive offense, Cottonwood junior linebacker Anthony Lewis made the game's biggest defensive play.
With six minutes remaining and the Colts nursing a hard-earned 36-28 lead, Skyline quarterback Chase Dunford fired a jump-pass over the middle.
Lewis stepped in front of the intended receiver, however, and killed the Eagles' drive at midfield with an interception.
From there, Jensen led the Colts on a clinching scoring drive. Running back Stephen Carter capped the drive when, on third-and-three, he burst up the middle for 16 yards and a touchdown.
The win improved Cottonwood's record to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in Region 2.
Skyline, which was shut out out in the second half after scoring on its first four possessions, dropped to 4-2 overall and 1-1 in the region.
Cottonwood, which moved to Class 5-A this season, improved its record in an on-again, off-again series with Skyline to 5-30. The win was the Colts' first over the Eagles since 1988.
Jensen was the key.
Nearly unstoppable in Cottonwood's spread offense, the senior quarterback completed his first 16 passes.
At halftime, Jensen had completed 21 of 22 passes for 228 yards and three touchdowns.
Still, Skyline stayed close.
After falling behind 6-0, the Eagles scored on their first play when Dunford hit Brian Orr for an 80 yard touchdown.
When Skyline quickly regained a 14-7 lead, Algernon Brown hit Orr with a 68-yard option pass to tie the game.
In their first four offensive plays, the Eagles gained 160 yards and scored twice.
In the end, however, the Cottonwood defense's ability to stop Skyline in the second half made the difference in this battle for regional supremacy.
