Two-time defending 4A state champion Mica Mountain won its 12th consecutive game, 30-0 against visiting Canyon del Oro on Friday night and improved to 2-0 in the process.
Both teams are the most recent 4A state champions. CDO won the title in 2023 over Yuma Catholic after it defeated Mica Mountain 23-7 in the semifinals. Mica Mountain beat Chandler Arizona College Prep and Phoenix Arcadia in the last two championships.
Thunderbolt senior running back Jeremiah Anderson started Friday’s game off with a bang, running 55 yards all the way down to the CDO 28-yard line. Anderson later capped the drive off with a 4-yard touchdown run, putting the Thunderbolts on the board first against the Dorados (1-1).
“We wanted to go run the ball down their throats to be honest, because we felt like they couldn’t stop us,” Anderson said about the game plan.
CDO’s first possession couldn’t have gone any worse for the Dorados. A high snap on fourth-and-long rolled the ball into the end zone for a safety. This gave Mica Mountain a 9-0 lead after the first quarter.
In the middle of the second quarter, Mica Mountain was looking to add to its lead, but junior defensive back Damarion Lee tipped the ball and concentrated enough to come up with an interception.
The Dorados couldn’t capitalize on the turnover, leaving the score 9-0 going into halftime.
“We have this thing our coach says, ‘It’s 0-0’ every halftime, so we come out, it’s a clean slate,” Anderson said regarding the 9-0 halftime lead. “I’m pretty sure that kicked into our guys, and we woke up because it was 9-0, and we take offense to that. We like blowing out every team we play.”
Both offenses continued to struggle in the third quarter. CDO turned the ball over on downs twice, and Mica Mountain missed a field goal.
Early in the fourth, the Thunderbolts faced a crucial 4th down. Sophomore quarterback Adam Becker completed a short pass to junior wide receiver Eli Palma, who used his shiftiness to get all the way into the red zone.
Later in the drive, Anderson ran in for another touchdown from 9 yards, extending Mica Mountain’s lead to 16.
The Thunderbolts weren’t done yet. Senior quarterback Michael Consavage aired out a 33-yard pass right into Palma’s basket for another Mica Mountain score.
Mica Mountain added one more touchdown before the end of the game; this time Becker ran it in from 1 yard out, making the final score 30-0.
The Thunderbolts have opened up the 2026 season with back-to-back shutout wins. They have outscored San Tan Poston Butte and CDO by a combined score of 59-0.
The transition of defensive coordinators — Brett Darling to Diego Rivas — has gone smoothly. Darling resigned after last season.
What’s Next?
Mica Mountain looks to win its 13th game in a row at home against Waddell ALA-West Foothills, avenging one of their two losses from last season.
“We’re for sure looking forward to ALA (West Foothills),” Anderson said about the upcoming game. “I’m sure they’re ready for it. We’re here (Thunderbolt Stadium); it’s going to be a sold-out game, I’m pretty sure.”
CDO will stay on the road, traveling to Phoenix to take on South Mountain. Both games kick off at 7:00 p.m. Friday.
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