Faith Lutheran already had plenty of bulletin board material heading into its first-round matchup of the 5A Southern Region Playoffs against Desert Oasis. Earlier in the season, the Crusaders lost a close game to the Diamondbacks 30-27.

Now, as the No. 6 seed going on the road to face the No. 3 seed, Faith Lutheran also had doubters in the media to add to its motivation.

The extra fire seemed to work for head coach Jay Staggs’ team, as the Crusaders pulled off an upset with a 35-8 win.

“I know a lot of media outlets didn’t believe that we should be in the playoffs,” Staggs said. “Our boys felt differently, and we wanted a chance to prove ourselves.”

After struggling at times this season to get stops on defense, Faith Lutheran’s defensive unit put on a clinic Friday night.

The Crusader

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