Desert View earned the inaugural El Sol Cup in its annual “Duel in the District” matchup, 41-12, against Sunnyside Thursday night at Blue Devil Stadium.
The El Sol Cup is a new addition to the rivalry and was built by students in the Sunnyside Unified School District.
The Jaguars (6-0, 3-0 5A Southern) have now won three games straight against the Blue Devils. The series still leans in Sunnyside’s favor with a 16-8 record.
“Sunnyside, they have a well-coached team. Their kids played hard, but ours did a little better job today,” coach Robert Bonillas said about the win.
The Jaguars got off to scintillating start.
Senior Desmond Dowayee returned the kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown, putting Desert View up 7-0 in the first 12 seconds.
“I wanted the ball, I wanted them to kick it to me, and they did,” said Dowayee, who went on to score three more touchdowns and rushed for 78 yards on seven carries.
He had touchdown runs of 33, 14 and 8 yards.
Late in the first quarter, after stopping the Desert View offense on fourth down, the Blue Devils (2-4, 1-1) ran the ball down the field, only coming away with three points off a 26-yard field goal by sophomore Ethan Enriquez.
Sunnyside immediately got the ball back after forcing and recovering a fumble on the first play of the second quarter.
The Desert View defense held strong, preventing a score only for its offense to give it away again the next series.
The Blue Devils came away with another field goal, this time from 36 yards out, by Enriquez. That cut the Jaguars’ lead to 7-6 heading into the half.
“We just need to focus more at practice and before the games; that’s really it. We need to start focusing and coming together more,” junior Greg McKinstry III said about his team’s slow start overall.
McKinstry finished with 76 yards on four carries.
Early in the third quarter, Desert View senior Cristian Salgado intercepted a pass thrown directly at him.
A few plays later, the Jaguars cashed in with an 8-yard touchdown run by Dowayee; the extra point was no good.
Midway through the third quarter, Dowayee found the end zone again from 33 yards out, his second rushing and third total on the night.
The two-point attempt by junior Andrew Godoy was successful.
The Blue Devils caught the Jaguars’ defense off guard on their next possession; sophomore Ray Leon III found senior Rene Johansen-Grijalva behind the defense for a 51-yard touchdown pass. Johnsen-Grijalva broke free from a potential tackle and ran into the end zone. The 2-point attempt was no good.
The Jaguars wasted no time responding with a 65-yard touchdown run by McKinstry, getting those points right back for Desert View. The extra point attempt was blocked. Keeping the score at 27-12 entering the fourth quarter.
Desert View tacked on another score off a fumble caused by junior Robert Medrano, recovered and returned 25 yards by junior Lamichael Flannigan.
Under two minutes to go, Dowayee extended the Jaguars’ lead with a 14-yard rushing touchdown, his fourth total of the night. The two-point attempt was unsuccessful.
Desert View stays on the road next Friday, traveling down south to Nogales, the alma mater of Bonillas, looking to continue its dominance during region play.
“We have to focus one day at a time, every practice at a time, and we’ll take it one day at a time,” Bonillas said about the schedule ahead.
Sunnyside stays home for the third week in a row against Vail’s Cienega Bobcats.
Both games kick off Friday at 7 p.m.
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