No.11 Glendale Cactus held off a late comeback attempt to secure a 22-20 upset win over No. 6 Desert View at Jaguar Stadium Friday night
“I’m proud of our kids’ effort; we came out on the losing end,” Desert View coach Robert Bonillas said. “Overall, they gave it everything they had.
Desert View (10-1) is coming off another historic season, going 10-0 once again in the regular season.
After returning it to his own 31-yard line, senior running back Desmond Dowayee ran it all the way for a 69-yard touchdown, putting the Jaguars up 7-0 in the opening minutes. He finished with 223 yards on 22 carries.
Cactus (9-2) responded with a drive of its own, going 69 yards down the field to tie it up with a touchdown by junior lineman Blake Pollard from a yard out, evening up the score.
The Jaguars had a chance to score, but failed to convert on 4th down in the red zone, giving the ball back to the Cobras.
The Jaguar defense forced a 3-and-out, leaving the score 7 apiece after one.
Desert View regained the lead with a 33-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Andrew Godoy to sophomore wide receiver Anthony Rodarte.
Rodarte is the first receiver in Desert View history to reach 1,000 yards sin a season, with 1,015 going into Friday night.
The Jaguars looked to double their lead, but senior defensive back Isaiah Moncivaiz intercepted the ball in the end zone, halting those plans.
Desert View’s defense made sure the interception did no harm, forcing a three-and-out.
The Jaguars couldn’t add on to their lead, leaving the score 14-7 going into the half.
Senior wide receiver Cole Douglas got the Cobras into Jaguar territory, looking to tie the game up. Junior defensive back Keanu Romero jumps in front of the pass for an interception to prevent a Cactus score.
The Jaguars gave the ball right back. Sophomore linebacker Kameron Smith stripped the ball from the runner, keeping the Jaguars from extending their lead.
This time around, Cactus took advantage of the turnover, with another touchdown by Pollard from 2 yards out. After two penalties on the extra point attempt, the Cobras decided to go for two. Pollard got the job done again, putting the Cobras up by one.
After forcing another Jaguars three-and-out, the rushing attack for the Cobras started to have their way with the Jaguar defense.
The rushing attack was spearheaded by Pollard, who rushed in from 15 yards for his third touchdown of the game, extending the Cobras’ lead to 22-14.
It looked like the Cobra defense forced another three-and-out, but a muffed punt return by Cactus led to a recovery by Desert View to keep its drive alive.
The Jaguars made the most of the muffed punt. Godoy hits junior wide receiver Robert Medrano, who powers his way in for a 19-yard touchdown. The two-point attempt was unsuccessful, shrinking the Cobras lead to two with under 7 minutes left.
The Jaguars’ defense was able to get a stop on fourth down with under two minutes left to give their offense a chance to win the game.
The offense failed to get a first down, sealing the upset victory for Cactus.
What’s Next?
Desert View will go back to the drawing board and regroup for next season to try and get over the hump.
“Next year is the two-year block; we go back and schedule a couple tougher games,” Bonillas said. “If we can request a couple of teams up in the valley and go from there.”
Cactus will stay closer to home, travelling to No. 3 Scottsdale Notre Dame Prep in a quarterfinal matchup. Kickoff is Friday at 7:00 p.m.
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