The goal is to get the school’s first-ever region championship. Friday’s 13-11 victory by Phoenix Pinnacle over previously unbeaten Tempe Marcos de Niza is one way to get a lot closer to that 5A Pima Region title.

SLIDESHOW: Friday night high school football

The Pioneers (4-2, 2-0) preserved the victory when they blocked a 39-yard field goal attempt by Eric Rodriguez with less than 30 seconds left in the game.

They also stopped a big two-point conversion play that would have tied the game late in the fourth quarter.

Trailing 13-5, Marcos de Niza had its only quality drive of the game with less than five minutes left. Quarterback Zach Schira completed passes of 40 yards and 8 yards on the drive before hooking up with Ramon Abreu for a 22-yard scoring pass with 4:10 to play.

Abreu and Pinnacle defensive back Cody Gibson both came down with the football, but it was Abreu who wrestled it away from the Pioneer sophomore.

Gibson got even on the two-point conversion, breaking up a pass intended for Joe Morell.

“I was fighting him for the ball and he got it for the touchdown,” Gibson said. “I had to make up for it on the two-pointer.”

Pinnacle’s defense shut down a Padre offense that had been averaging over 35 points per game. Marcos de Niza (5-1, 0-1) struggled from the very beginning to move the football. The Padres had just three first downs through the first three quarters Friday night.

“I thought our offense would put up more points than we did,” Padres coach Roy Lopez said. “We need to get better. This happened for a reason in more ways than one. We need to play four quarters of football.”

Schira threw for 167 yards on 9-of-19 passing. Pinnacle’s defense limited Marcos de Niza to less than three yards a carry on the ground.

For the longest time, Marcos de Niza led the game 5-3 thanks to a safety and a Rodriguez field goal. But midway through the third quarter, Pinnacle kicker Alex Zemezonak gave the Pioneers a 6-5 lead with a 44-yard field goal.

Pinnacle increased its lead to 13-5 with 4:57 left in the game on a 30-yard touchdown run by Taylor Stib.

Stib finished with 75 tough yards on 15 carries as the Pioneers had less than 200 yards of offense.