High school football: Basha upsets No. 9 Chandler 14-7 in defensive slugfest

Coming into Friday, the talk was about Dylan Raiola, Chandler's four-star junior QB who's headed to Ohio State, facing off against fellow 2024 signal caller Williams, the Basha field general who's also a four-star with 24 FBS offers.

The Wolves and Bears allowed the first-quarter scores and bunch of yards between the 30s but not much else in a game televised on ESPNU.

Tied at 7 with just over six minutes in the game, Chandler set up for a 45-yard field goal before a delay of game penalty moved the Wolves out of field-goal range. Chandler decided to go for it on fourth-and-13, but Raiola's have was incomplete and the Bears took over.

On Basha's ensuing possession, Dominic Hanger appeared to intercept a Williams pass but it was ruled incomplete and a sideline penalty on Chandler gave Basha good field possession instead of having to play defense.  A few plays later Williams found Demond.

With one last shot, Raiola was intercepted with 1:22 left and the Bears had their first win over Chandler since 2011.

Ca'lil Valentine was the focal point of Chandler's first drive as the three-star junior ran for 47 yards on eight carries while adding a 17-yard catch before capping the 15-play drive with a 2-yard plunge.

Basha answered on the ensuing possession as Williams turned a QB keeper into a 83-yard burst in which he spun out of several tackles and looked like he was going to house it before stumbling and being caught on the 2. Three plays later, on third-and-goal from the 12, Williams extended the play before checking down to Idaho commit Deshaun Buchanan, who backpedaled into the end zone for the equalizer toward the end of the first quarter.