Marcos de Niza Coach Figueroa gets 1st playoff win

TEMPE - A balanced effort with quick strike scoring plays allowed Marcos de Niza to fend off Paradise Honors comeback bid Friday, Nov. 14 with a 27-14 home win and advance to the 4A state quarterfinals.

The #8 seed Padres' defense silenced the Paradise Honors rushing attack and nabbed four takeaways for its first playoff win since 2019 and Coach Anthony Figueroa's first with the program.

It wasn’t always pretty, though that’s something that comes with the territory of November football.

“I think those kinds of wins are necessary,” Figueroa said. “Those kinds of moments in games where you have to learn how to win in different ways.”

The Panthers were able to pick off Padres senior quarterback Jaeden Lott in the end zone on the game’s o

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