SCOTTSDALE — Cactus Shadows Football got the best of the Notre Dame Prep Saints on Friday night, defeating them on the road 17-7. It was a big night for the Saints, who were celebrating both their homecoming and 25th anniversary. The Falcons swooped in and crashed the party, though, picking up a huge win for their Head Coach Chris Dixon.
“First of all, I want to say it’s too bad Coach Dixon wasn’t here,” Assistant Coach Steve Belles said. “He’s the heart and soul of our team. We follow his lead, and his lead is fantastic. That’s the reason we were prepared tonight, under his leadership. I just think the kids said, ‘we’re going to get it done tonight.’ We’ve been close this year, but we finally put four quarters of football together to win this thing tonight.”
Dixon was ejected prior to halftime, putting Belles at the helm for most of the game.
According to Notre Dame Prep Coach George Prelock, he said tonight was the reality check his team needed.
“They had a great game plan,” Prelock said. “Hats off to Coach Dixon and everyone over there. They executed their game plan, and they were a little more physical than us, especially in the first half. This is a wakeup call for us. We’ve got to learn from our mistakes, and move on.”
Cactus Shadows was able to get on the board first on a trick play. Junior quarterback Gage Millard dumped the ball off to Colin Godfrey, who found an open Austin Wood down the field. Wood was able to take it in for six, and the extra point attempt was good, giving Cactus Shadows the early 7-0 lead with 3:56 remaining in the first quarter.
On the next possession for the Falcons, they were again able to strike fast. Senior Zach Spielman ran the ball in from 15 yards out for a touchdown before another good extra point attempt, making the score 14-0 with 11:52 remaining in the half and turning the temperature up on the Saints.
Later on in the second quarter, the Saints attempted a field goal, but the kick was just wide, keeping things scoreless for NDP.
More trouble ensued for the Saints with just 1:41 remaining before the half, as senior quarterback Hunter Stine’s pass was tipped by his teammate and caught by Tavion Johnson of Cactus Shadows for an interception.
As time was about to expire in the half, the Falcons brought out Masson Meyers, who booted the ball through the uprights for three, extending the lead to 17-0.
After some halftime adjustments, the Saints were finally able to come out and do something in the third quarter. After marching down the field, they capitalized on the drive with a one-yard touchdown from junior Austin Bush. The kick from junior Ryder Ashcraft was good, making it 17-7 with 5:02 left in the third.
To start the fourth quarter, junior Ashton Stych came up with a huge interception for the Saints with 11:43 remaining to play. On the play, former Saint and current Falcon Gunnar Perry got ejected from the game. It was a big blow for the Falcons, as he brought the energy all night.
“[Perry] gave us the spark we needed, no question about it,” Belles said. “His energy was contagious, and he just did a lot of little things right. It was great to have him on the field doing those things.”
The Saints had opportunities in the fourth quarter but ultimately squandered them, as they struggled with the Falcons’ defense all night.
As the clock expired, the Falcons ran on the field and began celebrating, with one player even doing a backflip.
“It feels like Oklahoma beating Texas,” Belles said. “It’s a great feeling. I’m proud of the coaches, proud of the players. Proud of everybody who just stuck it out and said, ‘I know where we are, we’re 2-5, but we’re gonna find a way. We found a way tonight.”
It was a much different vibe on the opposing side of the field, though, as a number of players were visibly upset and disappointed with the outcome.
Each team will have the night to recover before it’s back to the drawing board for their next opponents.
For Cactus Shadows, they’ll prepare to face Chaparral in what will likely be another war.
“Our focus is on Chaparral after tonight,” Belles said. “We’ll be studying them and trying to put together a great game plan against them. They’re a really good football team and they do some nice stuff.”
Meanwhile, NDP will prepare to take on a talented ACP team.
“It’s just a huge game,” Prelock said. “It will be our senior night here, and they have a really good football team... They’re well coached and they’re gonna be ready to go.”
Brittany Bowyer is a Report for America corps member, covering sports for Independent Newsmedia in Arizona. Report for America places talented journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and regions.
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