Peoria wide receiver David Rojas returned the first kickoff of the rivalry game for 40 yards.

Cactus' defense made their mark in the contest almost immediately. After the 41-yard return, senior linebacker Jordan Marrufo jumped senior quarterback Dominic Kramer’s pass for an interception on the first play from scrimmage.

The tone set early by the Cobras continued throughout the game, as they went on to beat Peoria 48-14 on Sept. 19 at Peoria.

“I thought our kids were ready to play tonight,” Cactus Coach Brian Belles said. “I think we executed. We got to clean up some penalties, but I thought our defense flew around.”

Peoria running backs Cristian Zarate and Javon Bell, who had averaged 175 yards per game, were held to 98.

Although Bell was able to make a few big plays, Zarate was stifled by the Cobras defense.

“We knew they were going to run the ball to (Bell) up the middle,” Belles said.

After Peoria’s star junior wide receiver Dontay Tyson Jr. hauled in a 39-yard pass for the Panthers on their second drive of the game, the Cactus defense forced four-straight three-and-outs.

The Cobras offense scored on all four drives, giving them a 35-6 lead at half. The Panther’s offense ran a total of six plays across the 50-yard line in the half.

“The defense plays their butt off every single time we are on the field,” said senior quarterback Luke Berlin. “They are always out there flying around.”

Senior wide receiver Robert Bell Jr. took a pair of outside runs for touchdowns during the second quarter, the first coming from 20-yards out and then a 25-yard scamper.

Bell now has three receiving, three rushing and two kickoff returns for touchdowns this season.

Berlin was on point as well, completing 13 of 24 passes for 257 yards. He threw two touchdowns and rushed for one.

“Any time you play a team like Cactus, they’re going to expose some of the weaknesses that you have,” Peoria Coach Jason Golden said.

Peoria had a 10 play, 65 yard scoring drive coming out of the half on a rush from Zarate at 1:16 in the third quarter, converting the two point play into a 35-14 score.

Cactus went on to score two more touchdowns in a forceful offensive showing with 280 passing yards and 285 rushing yards.

The two leading receivers for the game, Robert Bell and Jahvon Clemens, had seven catches for 108 yards and a touchdown and four catches for 107 yards, respectively.

“We have a lot of skill and a lot of speed,” Belles said. “Bell is a stud, but we have other guys that got some love tonight too. Jahvon Clemens stepped up for us and had some big catches.”

One bright spot for Peoria was their special teams. The unit blocked two extra point attempts, one in the second quarter and one in the fourth.

The Panthers finished with 136 total kickoff return yards. Rojas led the way with four returns for 98 yards and a long of 40 yards.

“Game one we realized that we weren’t doing those things on special teams,” Golden said. “We have some speed in our back area. It gives us the ball at the 45 or the 50 (yard line), which is always nice to start the possession.”

Clemens caught the opening score of the contest on a 21-yard strike on fourth-and-11.

Cactus (3-1) will travel to Phoenix Sunnyslope (3-1) Sept. 26, while Peoria (1-3) will try to bounce back hosting San Tan Valley Poston Butte (0-4). Each game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

“Every week there’s an opponent that’s pretty good,” Belles said. “We are up for the challenge.”