In the end, it was more about survival than victory for Mesa Skyline.

 SLIDESHOW: Friday night high school football

But coach Pete Jonovich and his squad will gladly take a region win regardless of aesthetics or stats.

Such was the case Friday night, as Skyline survived a second-half surge from Phoenix Pinnacle, pulling out a 29-21 victory in a 5A-II Pima Region contest at Skyline.

Pinnacle scored all of its points in the second half, but Skyline made the necessary plays to preserve the win.

“I was pleased with the emotional effort our kids gave early in the game,” Jonovich said.

“I was a bit concerned after losing last week to our rival (Desert Ridge), but we executed really well in the first half and then did what we needed to. And what can you say about Thomas Brown? He does everything for us.”

As usual, Brown was the key for Skyline, rushing for 109 yards on 15 carries and scoring two touchdowns in the first half, one on a pass from Mike Bailey. Jared Smith added a pair of field goals as Skyline built a 26-0 lead by halftime.

At that point, there were no signs of a Pinnacle comeback. But when defensive back Tyler Gallant intercepted a Bailey pass on the second play of the third quarter, the Pioneers came to life.

Quarterback Alex Cappellini revived the offense with a 24-yard TD pass to Eric Gaur. A few minutes later, Cappellini scored with a 1-yard TD plunge and cut the lead to 26-14.After a Smith field goal for Skyline, Cappellini hit Taylor Stib for the last TD.