Desert Edge stops losing streak by skin of teeth in Goodyear

By Richard Smith
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Desert Edge had to push through the pain and the penalties to end its two-game losing streak in a heated rivalry game Oct. 2.

The game with district foe Canyon View was the definition of gritty, but not pretty as the flags flew and mistakes piled up. The Scorpions lost the lead in the fourth quarter of a game where they missed several opportunities to take control.

Trailing with eight minutes left, the home team turned to its new power back, Notre Dame Prep transfer Nate Jones. His four-yard touchdown gave Desert Edge (4-2, 1-0 region) a 21-17 lead with 4:22 remaining and freshman cornerback Nehemiah Greer broke up the Jaguars' fourth down pass in the end zone to seal the victory

"I was proud of our fight. I wasn't proud of the fact that we kind of created our own obstacles  and injuries within the fight. But I was proud of how we stayed in the fight and moved on to the next play and fought every play," Desert Edge Coach Henri MacArthur said.

Early in the second quarter the Scorpions looked poised to pull away. Senior quarterback Blake Roskopf connected with junior receiver Jhaheem Brown on a wheel route for a 41-yard touchdown in the final minute of the first quarter.

The same duo produced a 50-yard pass to start the next drive. Two plays later, Jones lunged in from the one to score and the home team was up 14-0.

Canyon View (5-1, 0-1) could not move the ball against the Desert Edge defense. A punt of -1 yards by junior Braden Krammer gave the Jaguars the ball in the red zone.

Three plays and -2 yards later, Canyon View settled for senior Austin Honsa's 34-yard field goal. He doinked it off the right upright.

"I think we got back on track defensively," MacArthur said. "Like seven starters came back. We were down and out last week. There was a point in the game last week where — obviously Nate Jones didn't play — Yahzeen (Zion) was out, Jalanie (George) was out, Mikyal (Davis), Nekhi (Lambeth), Jaylen  (Easterling-Flores) and Treyvon Woods were out. It was something extreme. But no excuses. We have to do a better job and I feel like this was a step in the right direction."

Canyon View senior defensive tackle Andres Fierros sprained his ankle and missed most of the final three quarters. Postgame, Alcantar said this is not expected to be a long-term injury.

After Jones' first touchdown, senior Warren Jackson returned the ensuing kickoff 48 yards. The offense stalled, but Honsa hit a 47-yard field goal with room to spare.

Senior Josh Carter recovered a bad snap fumbled by Roskopf at the Jaguars 42. A defensive holding penalty gave the visitors a first down but Sacks by junior linebacker Kye Wells and Jones ended the drive.

"You've got to give hats off to those guys for what they did. We didn't capitalize on our takeaways and their mistakes. You can't do that against a good team like that," Canyon View Coach J.R. Alcantar said.

A 14-3 halftime score seemed likely until senior cornerback Mikyal Davis muffed a punt inside is 20 with less than a minute left. Junior long snapper Nolan Alcantar recovered at the Desert Edge 12.

Two plays later, junior quarterback Titan Jacobs hit senior wide receiver Braylon Anderson on a crossing pattern for a 12-yard touchdown. Canyon View had hope at the half, trailing 14-10.

Both teams short circuited in a nondescript third quarter that quickly gave way to a dramatic fourth.

Penalties plagued the Scorpions as an unsportsmanlike conduct call and a roughing the passer flag late in the third moved the Jaguars into Desert Edge territory to start the fourth.

Early in the final frame, Jacobs found Anderson for 25 and a fourth down conversion. The teams traded penalties, as Canyon View had 12 men on the field and Desert Edge held downfield on a pass.

Wells added another sack. After an offsides penalty on fourth down and eight, Desert Edge stopped a pass on fourth and three.

But Carter snagged a deflected Roskopf pass on the next snap and returned the interception to the Scorpions' 22. Jacobs fell down for a sack and Davis broke up a pass in the end zone.

It was a rough night for the Canyon View quarterback, who finished 10-29 for 94 yards passing. However, Jacobs escaped the pocket on third down, avoided a couple tacklers and scrambled for a 22-yard touchdown.

Suddenly, the Jaguars led 17-14 with 7:56 remaining.

"He did a heck of a job  to scramble and make plays and extend plays. It shows you he's growing," Alcantar said.

Staring at a three-game losing streak, Desert Edge relied on Jones to run inside. He rumbled for 28 on third down and two at the 28, then 14 more on the next play.

He converted another third down with an 11-yard run, then bulled his way for one on third and one at the 5. Jones spun off a tackler for the go-ahead score on the next play.

"This was a playoff game for us. We needed this win. WHatever it took, that's what we were going to do," MacArthur said. "Nate is a leader all the time. I'm not surprised he came out here and led tonight."

Jackson's 38-yard kickoff return set up the visitors at the 45. A pass interference brought the ball across midfield. Anderson caught a seven-yard pass on fourth and five.

His 17-yard reception brought the Jaguars into the red zone with about a minute left after a delay of game penalty.

The offense stalled, including allowing a third down sack. On fourth and 12 from the 18, Greer defected Jacobs' pass for senior Jay'Mari Hector in the corner of the end zone.

The teams did not go through the handshake line after the game. Canyon View pulled its players from the handshake line as Desert Edge lined up, starting an argument between the coaching staffs.

MacArthur declined to comment postgame.

"It's not worth fighting and arguing. I'm going to keep my boys safe. I'm not worried about them. I'm worried about my boys. If I don't want to shake hands because I think it's a safety issue, it's a safety issue for me," Alcantar said. "I'm not saying that they were going to come after us. I just know how my boys could react, so I'm going to protect both sides."

Richard Smith
Senior News Editor | Glendale & West Valley Preps

rsmith@iniusa.org

Richard Smith has been with Independent Newsmedia since 2016, and worked at a Sun City-based news outfit covering the Northwest Valley for 22 consecutive years.

An NAU alum and lifelong Arizona resident, Richard began as a copy editor and page designer at Surprise Today and the Daily News-Sun, then rekindled his love of sports writing by taking the reins on West Valley Preps in 2008.

For most of the mid-2010s he was the Surprise editor and West Valley Preps reporter. Now he’s the West Valley Preps Editor and Surprise Associate Editor.

As COVID restrictions slowly lift, Richard is cautiously optimistic he will visit book stores, football fields and gyms again this fall.