No.7 Desert View continued to roll through its competition, improving to 8-0 overall, with a 29-0 5A non-region victory over No. 23 Canyon del Oro at Jaguar Stadium on Friday night.
The Jaguars have won 19 consecutive regular-season games dating to the 2024 season.
PHOTOS BY GILBERT ALCARAZ
“We pulled together as a team; we were missing some players, we’re just going to come back stronger next week,” junior running back Keanu Romero said about the team’s performance.
Both offenses struggled early. The Jaguars went three-and-out on their first possession, and the Dorados (4-4) missed a field goal far left.
The Canyon del Oro defense continued its dominance from the week before, forcing a fumble that popped into the arms of senior defensive lineman Daniel Pacheco and set up the Dorados in Jaguar territory.
The offense couldn’t capitalize, forcing a punt after senior defensive lineman Juan Norzagaray led a pack of Jaguars for a sack.
Junior running back Greg McKinstry III started the second quarter with an exclamation point, running 80 yards and putting Desert View on the board first.
Canyon del Oro had a promising drive and looked to respond. Desert View’s defense put a halt to those plans with a fourth-down stop by senior defensive back Anthony Saavedra, bringing the runner down within inches of the line to gain, causing the referees to bring the chains out to confirm.
Both teams continued to struggle moving the ball on offense; a big factor was the high winds causing both passing attacks to be nonexistent, leaving the score 7-0 entering the half.
After forcing a three-and-out on defense, the Jaguars and their running game marched them down the field, capping it off with a 10-yard touchdown run by Romero. The two-point attempt was unsuccessful.
“We always do better in the second half, and that talk they give to us, we just come out different,” Romero said about Desert View coming out stronger in the second half of games.
Saavedra added on to his big night on defense with an interception on the next possession, giving the ball back to his offense.
After a huge pass from junior quarterback Andrew Godoy to sophomore wide receiver Anthony Rodarte put the Jaguars all the way at the Dorados’ 1 yard line, sophomore fullback Julio Carreon powered his way, putting the Jaguars up three scores. The two-point attempt was successful.
Towards the end of the third quarter, Godoy scrambled and threw it up for Rodarte, who ended up making a diving catch in the red zone. After taking a sack a play later, the Jaguars came back with a 21-yard touchdown run by McKinstry. The two-point attempt was unsuccessful, putting the Jaguars up 29-0 in the early minutes of the fourth quarter.
The high winds continued to get worse, making it difficult again for the offenses, leaving the final score at 29-0.
What’s Next?
Desert View (4-0 in the 5A Southern) stays home for Senior Night, hosting No. 25 Cienega, who are currently on the outside looking in if the playoffs were to start today. The game with the Bobcats (4-4, 4-0) will be for the region title.
Canyon Del Oro goes back home to take on No. 20 Buena in a 5A Sonoran matchup.
Both games kick off at 7 p.m. Friday.
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