OH YEAH: Anthony Greco No.45 and Ryan Reardon No.55 of Notre Dame Prep celebrate after making a defensive stop Friday against Higley at Tempe High School.

Lisa Olson, Tribune

CONTACT COMING: Notre Dame Prep quarterback Sean Renfree prepares to get hit by Higley’s Israel Perez during Friday’s state semifinal game at Tempe High School.

Lisa Olson, Tribune

This was not supposed to be Scottsdale Notre Dame Prep’s night.

SLIDESHOW: View High School Football semifinals slideshow

Fourth-down strategy pays off for Notre Dame

Not only were the Saints matched up against an experienced Gilbert Higley team looking for a return trip to the 4A-II state football title game but they were also playing in a constant rain that flooded the field before the opening kickoff and turned it into a marsh by halftime.

The conditions were less than ideal for a team that had relied so heavily on the strong arm of quarterback Sean Renfree and the quick feet and soft hands of receiver Brandon Hirneise all season and more suited for the Knights’ physical, run-first, -second and -third style of play.

By efficiently executing a ball-control game plan, converting two key fourth downs and taking advantage of two turnovers — the only two of the game — the Saints overcame all obstacles in front of them to pull out a 15-14 victory on Friday at Tempe High and advance to the championship game in only their third year of varsity play.

“It’s a great feeling,” said running back Patrick Foley, who rushed 14 times for a game-high 70 yards. “Last year was disappointment when we lost in the first round. … We’re really excited.”

The Saints’ opponent in next Friday’s title game will be Cottonwood Mingus, which eliminated them last year 41-27. The matchup is one Notre Dame (12-1) has been anticipating for a long time.

“I’ve been thinking about Mingus in the back of my head since they beat us last year in the playoffs,” coach Scot Bemis said. “They’re a well-coached football team, and it’s going to be a fun one to watch.”

Friday’s game was as well. After a tight first three quarters of play, it appeared Higley was on its way to a second straight title game when Alex Jentzen capped an eight-play, 73-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run to put his team up 14-9 with 5:46 remaining.

A short time later, Notre Dame was in trouble, facing a fourth-and-2 from its own 42. The Saints, though, remained calm and picked up 31 yards on a Statue of Liberty play.

“We’ve been working on that a lot,” said Foley, who ran the ball on the play. “We’ve been practicing that for about seven or eight weeks. We finally pulled it out when we needed it, and it worked. It was great.”

A 5-yard pass from Renfree to Hirneise capped the eight-play, 66-yard drive but the Saints led by only one with 2:27 left after their two-point conversion failed.

Three plays later, Saints safety Andy Wilder sealed the game when he intercepted a floating pass from Trey Gray.

“I saw the corner slip and I knew I had to get over there. Then I just stuck my hands out and it fell right in my hands.”

Notre Dame’s first touchdown came on a fourth-down play following a Higley fumble inside its 10-yard line, and the Saints won the time of possession battle as well, running 72 plays to the Knights’ 34. Notre Dame’s defense also came up big, stopping Higley four times on third-and-long (more than 5 yards).

“The third- and fourth-and-long killed us all night,” Knights coach Jim Beall said.