CAVE CREEK — Thursday night’s game between the No. 10 Cactus Shadows Falcons and the No. 21 Tucson Badgers provided plenty of excitement, as the two stood toe-to-toe exchanging blows all night. It wasn’t until the final two minutes of the game when Cactus Shadows was able to solidify the win on an interception to end Tucson’s hopes of driving down the field and tying the game.
While the 48-40 result on the scoreboard was not what the Badgers (5-5) had hoped for to end the game, Coach Zachary Neveleff is proud of the effort his team put forth until the very last snap.
“They battled the whole way through,” Neveleff said. “There’s no quit in this team. Hopefully, they showed enough to show the committee that we deserve to be in the playoffs.”
The top 24-rated teams qualify for the playoffs. With Tucson at No. 21 playing the No. 10 team, its power rating from the game will be boosted.
Tucson started out the game with the ball first, but struggled to find rhythm on the opening drive. The Badgers ended up punting the ball away after a quick three-and-out in what would be one of the only punts of the game.
Cactus Shadows (6-4) got the ball at the 19 and started progressing down the field, capping the drive off with a 4-yard pass from Donivan Dixon to Kalen Conley. The extra-point attempt by Will Torrey was good, giving the Falcons a 7-0 lead with 6:57 remaining in the first quarter.
The Badgers started the next drive at the 20 and behind some big plays, quickly found themselves in the red zone. Senior quarterback Derek Mesa was able to connect with Makoa Pena for a 7-yard touchdown pass. The extra point attempt by Waleed Al Jashami was blocked by James Wade, making it 7-6 Falcons with 4:33 remaining in the first quarter.
Opening up the second quarter of play, the Falcons were able to find the end zone once again on a 14-yard run by Cooper Konopaski. The kick by Torrey was good, making it 14-6 with 11:54 remaining in the half.
It wouldn’t be long before the Badgers answered with another touchdown on of their own on a bomb from Mesa to Malaki Hiadzi Cunningham. The Badgers went for two, but Mesa’s pass was batted down at the line of scrimmage, making it 14-12 with 9:12 remaining in the half.
Behind Cactus Shadows’ fast-paced offense, the Falcons were able to score yet again. Dixon connected with Wade for a 39-yard touchdown to extend the lead. The extra-point attempt was good, making it 21-12 with 7:04 left before halftime.
On the following kickoff, special teams helped to give Tucson great field position. From there, the Badgers were able to capitalize, reaching the end zone in just four plays. They finished the drive off with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Mesa to Hiadzi Cunningham. The kick by Al Jashami was good, making it 21-19 with 5:34 left in the second quarter.
It wouldn’t remain close for long, as Dixon delivered another huge blow on a 45-yard touchdown run to extend the lead. The extra point was good, making it 28-19 with 3:47 left in the half.
Flags at the start of Tucson’s following drive helped advance them to the 43-yard-line. From there, the Badgers chopped away at the chains. They finished off the drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Mesa to Isaac Fierros. The kick was good, making it 28-26 with just 1:12 remaining.
The Badgers had thought they ran enough time off the clock, but thanks to a great kickoff return, the Falcons got the ball at the 49-yard-line. It only took four plays to reach the end zone, as Dixon connected with Dillon Aspiras for a 35-yard touchdown pass. The kick was good, making it 35-26 with just 31 seconds remaining in the half.
Tucson got the ball back and attempted a Hail Mary before the half, but it was picked off by the Falcons to end the half.
Cactus Shadows got the ball coming out of the half and slowed the tempo down a bit. After reaching the red zone, a slew of flags moved them back and forth until they finally were able to score on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Dixon to Konopaski. The kick by Torrey bounced off the upright, making it 41-26 with 7:36 remaining in the third quarter.
The Badgers ate up a majority of the remaining time left in the third quarter on their following drive. After chopping away at the chains, they were able to finish the drive off with a quarterback sneak by Mesa to cut away at the lead and make it 41-32 with 1:48 remaining. Following a bad snap and hold, the extra point attempt was no good.
Cactus Shadows started their following drive at its 44 and slowly but surely progressed down the field, finishing the drive off with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Dixon to Conley. The extra point attempt was good, making it 48-32 with just under 10 minutes remaining to play.
Special teams was a highlight for the Tucson Badgers, as Ezra Spivey returned the kickoff for a touchdown. The Badgers went for two and were able to convert, cutting the lead to just 48-40 with 9:35 remaining in the game.
“Special teams is huge for us,” Neveleff said. “I can’t say it enough.”
Tucson’s defense showed up when the team needed it most, forcing the Falcons to punt for the first time in the game with just 6:54 remaining.
The Badgers took over at its 32 and attempted to make a push down the field, but a fumble recovered by Cactus Shadows put a damper on things with 5:05 remaining to play.
Tucson’s defense went out there and made another stop, this time forcing a turnover on downs with 2:05 remaining.
The Badgers took over at its 41 and attempted to make their way down the field, but another fumble at the Cactus Shadows 34 was recovered by the Falcons with just 1:11 remaining.
From there, the Falcons were able to run out the remainder of the clock, ultimately snagging the 48-40 victory.
“We had our chances, and that’s all you can ask for,” Neveleff said.
For Tucson, the Badgers now have to sit and wait until the bracket is announced Saturday to see if they make the playoff field.
Neveleff said he’s certain this won’t be the team’s last game together.
“It’s going to be stressful,” Neveleff said. “I’m going to try to take Halloween with my kids, but I know after every ‘Trick-or-treat’ I’m going to be checking scores, (and) checking my phone, seeing who’s up and who’s down.
“I’m sure our coaches will have it up on like five different screens just trying to figure out what the scores are.”
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