Sixth-seeded Scottsdale Desert Mountain pulled off an upset Friday night and eliminated third-seeded Phoenix Pinnacle with a 21-17 win at Pinnacle in the 5A-II quarterfinals.

“The last three wins have been the biggest in school history,” Desert Mountain coach Tony Tabor said. “We beat Chaparral, won our first-round playoff game, and we’ve never been to the state semifinals.”

The Wolves (9-3) rallied back from a 17-14 deficit with four minutes to play to punch their ticket into the third round.

Quarterback Drew Seaman connected on his first four passes of the drive to get the Wolves a first-and-goal at the Pinnacle 9-yard line. After being pushed back by a holding penalty to the Pinnacle 16-yard line, Seaman found Sam Demaree for a 16-yard touchdown pass with 1:17 left that proved to be the game-winning score.

“We had been running a double post but changed it to an out (pattern), and they bit,” Tabor said.

Pinnacle quarterback Alex Cappellini was picked off two plays later by Desert Mountain’s Kyle Tokasey to seal the win for the Wolves.

“It is unbelievable,” Seaman said. “I’m speechless.”

Pinnacle’s frustration boiled over at the conclusion, leading to a scrum on the field with 22 seconds left. Two Pioneers were ejected, but no Wolves were kicked out. Multiple penalties were assessed.

Pinnacle (10-2) started strong, scoring the first ten points. Alex Zemezonak connected on a 42-yard field goal on the opening drive, and the Pioneers went up 10-0 when Cappellini scored on a 10-yard draw.

Desert Mountain then roared back with 14 straight points.

Anthony Snyder got the Wolves on the board with a 10-yard touchdown catch from Seaman that cut the deficit to 10-7 heading into the half.

Early in the third quarter, Kevin Radcliffe ran a sweep around the right side for a 16-yard touchdown run that gave the Wolves a 14-10 lead.

“It was a matter of running our game plan. We missed some open passes and some blocks,” Tabor said. “We didn’t change a thing at halftime, but we made a few more plays in the second half.”

Pinnacle came back to take the lead in the fourth, as Zemezonak caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Cappellini to put the Pioneers ahead 17-14 with 7:35 left before Desert Mountain’s game-winning drive.

The Wolves advance to face Scottsdale Chaparral, a 54-32 winners over Goodyear Millenium, in two weeks at a neutral site in the state semifinals.

“The bye week helps us prepare for them,” Seaman said. “It will help us get a better game plan for the rematch.”

Desert Mountain beat Chaparral 27-20 in overtime in the last game of the regular season.

“We beat them once, but it’s going to be a battle. Beating someone twice is hard,” Tabor said. “We’re going to have to play our butts off in two weeks.”

LIVE IN-GAME UPDATES

Alex Zemezonak hits a 42-yard field goal on Pinnacle's opening drive to put the Pioneers up 3-0 with 9:29 left in the opening quarter.

Cappellini scores on a 10-yard quarterback draw and Zemezonak hits the extra point to make it 10-0 Pinnacle with 4:15 left in the first quarter.

Anthony Snyder hauls in a 10-yard touchdown pass from Drew Seanmen to put Desert Mountain on the board. Matt Foley's extra point bounces off the left upright, but it finds its way through to make it 10-7 Pinnacle with 5:47 left in the half.

Radcliffe runs it in from 16 yards out on a sweep to the right to give Desert Mountain a 14-10 lead early in the third quarter.

Cappellini finds Zemezonak for an 11-yard touchdown pass that puts Pinnacle back on top, 17-14, with 7:35 left in the game.

Demery reels in a 16-yard floater from Drew Seaman to put Desert Mountain ahead 21-17 with 1:17 left in the game.

Desert Mountain holds on for a 21-17 victory to upset No. 3 Pinnacle and advance to the 5A-II state semifinals.

PREVIEW

No. 6 Desert Mountain vs. No. 3 Pinnacle

Time: 7 p.m.

Address: 3535 E. Mayo Blvd., Phoenix

Key matchup: Since throwing three interceptions against the Pioneers the first time, QB Drew Seaman has done a better job of decision making for Desert Mountain. The Wolves have a good offensive line and love to run “downhill” with Kevin Radcliffe, but Pinnacle stuffed him last time, and the Wolves will need Seaman and his receivers to make a few plays and loosen up the Pioneers’ front eight.

Stat leaders: Desert Mountain — Rushing: Kevin Radcliffe 221 carries, 1,108 yards, 11 TDs; Anthony Snyder 31-141, 1 TD; Shane Williams 29-119, 0 TD; Passing: Drew Seaman 106 of 196, 914 yards, 10 INT, 8 TDs; Receiving: Anthony Snyder 21 catches, 204 yards; Kyle Tokasey 19-146, 1 TD; Matt Del Valle 13-160, 1 TD.

Key stat: Desert Mountain was held to 53 yards rushing in the first meeting.

The intrigue: Pinnacle took advantage of four turnovers and a non-existent Desert Mountain offense for a 27-17 win in early October, but the Wolves made some coaching changes immediately following and like the results. Desert Mountain beat Scottsdale Chaparral and the Pioneers lost a leader in linebacker Andrew Hurley to a broken leg last week. The Pioneers have a little better balance offensively, but the Wolves have a good defensive line and Kyle Tokasey is a ball hawk in the secondardy (9 interceptions). If Chaparral beats Millennium, the winner gets another rematch of Desert Valley Region play in two weeks.