It was the kind of rally you remember forever. Trailing by three touchdowns in the third quarter, the Phoenix football team came all the way back, only to fall agonizingly short in the end of a 43-42 loss to North Valley in the Skyline Conference finale for both teams on Oct. 25. The Pirates found themselves trailing throughout the night before a third-quarter surge made the game interesting. Mike Walker's scoop-and-score of a fumble led to an 81-yard touchdown before Nik Goff caught a 71-yard scoring pass from Zach Dungey to give the Pirates a 36-35 lead with about one minute left in the game. North Valley rallied with a quick score to take the lead again before Dungey led the Pirates on a frantic final drive, eventually connecting with Trystan Norris on a 28-yard touchdown after time had expired. The Pirates attempted a two-point conversion to win the game. Dungey handed the ball to Walker, who came up just short of paydirt to end the game.  

The Phoenix football team overcame on Saturday to post a 36-20 non-conference win at McLoughlin High School. A game played in strong winds and rain, the Pirates improved to 2-5 in the process heading into Friday's regular-season finale at North Valley. Kickoff is set for 7 pm in Merlin. Phoenix led the entire game, including a 20-6 halftime edge. Mateo Lopez had a solid day running and receiving as he scored a pair of touchdowns. Nik Goff caught a 30-yard td pass from Zach Dungey while Dungey adding a rushing touchdown. The Pirates also got a rushing touchdown from Ryan Brumble and added a safety in the game to complete the scoring.

Seniors stepped up on Senior Night for the Phoenix football team. Unfortunately, the Pirates didn’t quite have enough to hand visiting Henley its first loss of the season in a 42-27 loss to the Hornets at Jack Woodward Stadium. The Pirates led 27-21 after Nik Goff caught his third touchdown of the night from Zach Dungey in the third quarter. Henley countered with three straight scores and improved to 6-0 on the season. Goff caught scoring passes of 71, 32 and 49 yards and finished with five catches for 200 yards. Dungey threw for 212 yards while Micheal Walker ran for 95 yards and touchdown. Walker set the pace for the Pirate defense, recording seven tackles in the game. Phoenix is 1-5 overall and 0-3 in the Skyline Conference. The Pirates head to Milton-Freewater for a non-conference game against McGloughlin on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 1 pm.

A big offensive night wasn't enough to get the Phoenix football team in to the Skyline Conference win column on Friday night. The Pirates scored four touchdowns in a 40-27 loss at Klamath Union. Phoenix (0-2 in the Skyline, 1-4 overall) led 21-12 at halftime and 27-26 after three quarters but was unable to stop the host Pelicans, who won for the first time this season. Zach Dungey threw scoring passes to Joey Baynard and Nik Goff while Mateo Lopez and Mike Walker ran for touchdowns for the Pirates, who host Henley in the annual homecoming game on Friday night. Edgar Hernandez added three extra points for the Pirates.

With the toughest part of its schedule behind it, the Phoenix football team is ready to rise. Coming off a 45-0 to defending Skyline Conference champion Mazama last Friday, the Pirates (1-3 overall) head to Klamath Union on Friday night looking to end a two-game losing streak. Kickoff is set for 7 pm in Klamath Falls. Phoenix moved the ball at times against Mazama but was never able to find the end zone. Leading 7-0 after one quarter, the visiting Vikings scored 28 points during the second and third quarters to put the game away. Several nice catch-and-runs by Micheal Walker highlighted the offensive effort for Phoenix.  

Moving the ball wasn't an issue for the Phoenix football team on Friday night. The Pirates consistently gobbled up yards in a non-conference game at Sweet Home but were able to find the end zone only once in a 22-7 non-conference loss to the host Huskies. Mike Walker's one-yard scoring run in the second quarter and an extra point by Kyle Braun set up the lone Pirate touchdown. Phoenix had a couple of early drives stalled by turnovers. The Pirates trailed 15-7 early in the fourth quarter when they were move but were unable to get in from the one-yard line. Sweet Home countered with a score to put the game away. Nik Goff's 91 receiving yards on five catches highlighted the offensive effort for Phoenix. The Pirates (1-2 on the season) host Mazama on Friday night to open Skyline Conference play. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 pm at Jack Woodward Stadium.  

The Phoenix football team clicked on both sides of the ball Friday night. The Pirates were impressive from the start, rolling up a three-touchdown lead and never allowing visiting Newport into the end zone in a 27-0 final at Jack Woodward Stadium. Winless since late in the 2017 season, Phoenix was on the board early when senior running back Mateo Lopez scampered 56 yards for a touchdown in the game's first two minutes. Lopez scored again on a two-yard dive late in the first quarter before Zach Dungey found Nik Goff for a 30-yard TD in the second quarter. Kyle Braun added extra points after all three touchdowns. Colton Samis closed the scoring with a 69-yard touchdown run in the final quarter. Lopez finished with 126 yards on 16 attempts, Dungey threw for 172 yards and Micheal Walker hauled in five passes for 87 yards. The Pirates yielded only 125 yards to Newport in the game. The loss ended a 10-game losing streak for Phoenix, which ironically defeated Newport in a playoff game in Phoenix during the 2017 season. Phoenix (1-1 on the season) returns to action Friday when it visits Sweet Home.

A pair of long touchdowns by Nik Goff provided the biggest highlights for the Phoenix football team in its season opener. A senior, Goff brought a kickoff back 94 yards and a punt 80 yards in a 52-13 non-conference loss to Cascade Christian on Friday night at US Cellular Field in Medford. Goff's first touchdown cut the Challengers lead to 7-6. Cascade responded with a touchdown and led 14-6 at halftime before taking charge of the game and opening a 42-6 lead at halftime. Goff's second score came in the second half. The Pirates moved the ball throughout the night but were not able to prevent big plays by the Challengers, who are expected to be among the state's top teams in the 3A ranks again this year. Cameron Cory led the Phoenix running game, picking up 85 yards on 20 carries in the game. Phoenix returns to action Friday when it will host Newport beginning at 7 pm at Jack Woodward Stadium.