Desert Edge wins fumble fest, 2nd state title

TEMPE - It was not a 5A football title game people will talk about for years but after being on the wrong side of one of those last year, Desert Edge was more than happy with Friday's result.

Senior linebacker Joshua Hopphaus returned a fumble forced by senior defensive tackle Iyod Selph 78 yards for a touchdown with 34 seconds left the first half to give a stagnant Desert Edge team a 14-0 advantage over #4 seed Cactus at the break.

The Cobras staggered for nine minutes of the third quarter before finding their feet and #7 Desert Edge built its lead to 28-0. Cactus rallied furiously in the final 15 minutes but the hole was too deep and the Scorpions won their second state title 28-19.

"Someone punched it out from behind and it popped right up in front of me," Hopphaus said. "I scored a touchdown earlier this season. This was a blessing, all glory to God. You can't predict something like that happening, so when it happened I was ecstatic.  Plays like that energize the team and my teammates made some phenomenal blocks on that return."

Cactus (10-4) controlled the ball throughout the first half, running 40 offensive plays to Desert Edge's 13. Determined to nullify the Scorpions lethal edge rushers, Cactus ran the ball successfully, rolling up 106 yards on 24 carries.

But the Cobras fumbled four times in the second quarter, losing three in Scorpions territory. And two big plays were the only ones to show on the scoreboard.

"You can't make mistakes. You can't do that in these games," Cactus Coach Brian Belles said. "It was a one-possession game. I felt like we were doing all the right things other than finishing drives. It's very uncharacteristic. But we've got to live with it."

On the third offensive snap, Desert Edge sophomore quarterback Blake Roskopf hit senior receiver Malakai Moala in stride on a skinny post and Moala jetted to complete an 84-yard touchdown.

The school from Goodyear led 7-0 a minute and three seconds into the first quarter of the 5A final at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe.

"Coming from an 0-9 team in Kansas City to a team that wins a state championship, it's just crazy," Moala said. "I was excited because the coverage they were playing, they didn't have a safety over top. It was a very special moment."

Most of the rest of the first quarter was quiet.

Then the turnovers started. A near fumble to end the first half ended up being crucial for a while, then wiped out. Desert Edge (10-4) stood up junior quarterback Antonio Casias and ripped the ball out of his hands and returned it for a touchdown.

After a conference, the officials decided Casias' forward progress was stopped. And a subsequent personal foul penalty against the Scorpions counted, giving the Cobras a first down at its 42.

Cactus drove to the Desert Edge 23 as the first quarter ended. On the first play of the second, the defense forced a fumble and senior linebacker Antonio Parra recovered it at his own 20.

"They were getting rid of the ball quickly and running the ball a little more. They were running the ball on certain downs that we thought they;d be passing the ball. They really did a good job of that," Desert Edge coach Henri MacArthur said. "They didn't let us get into our rhythm or our pass rush."

The Scorpions struck quickly with a 36-yard shot from Roskopf to sophomore receiver Zerek Sidney for 36 yards. But on fourth down Cactus forced a Roskopf fumble and sophomore Donta Sutton recovered at his own 25.

Desert Edge forced two fumbles on the next drive and recovered the second of them.

"They're a really talented team and we knew that going in," Hopphaus said. "The No. 1 way to control a game as a defense is to creat turnovers. We started trying to punch and trying to rip. We were lucky enough to get them out and recover them."

But Sutton read Roskopf and picked off his deep ball on the next snap.

The Cobras neared the red zone in the final minute before Hopphaus' backbreaking fumble return. It was the seventh and most crucial touchdown return for the Scorpions' big play defense.

"That was a big play, being able to go into half on that note. 14-0 is a little bit of a cushion." MacArthur said. "Then I believe we got a stop on the first drive of the second half. "

The knockout punch nearly came in the third quarter. Following a quick three and out, Roskopf took the reins and finished the drive by rudhing for a 25-uard touchdown on fourth down and 21-0.

Desert Edge sophomore quarterback Blake Roskopf (#7) and senior wide receiver Malakai Moala (#11) leap to celebrate Roskopf's 25-yard touchdown run in the third quarter of the 5A title game Dec. 6 in Tempe. After a succesful extra point, Desert Edge led Cactus 21-0. (Courtesy Ed Russell Photography/For West Valley Preps)

It was time for the player Roskopf replaced at quarterback, senior defensive end/wide receiver Elijah Sherbin-Fox, to take center stage. First, Sherbin-Fox recovered Cactus' fourth lost fumble of the night at his 28.

A penalty knocked the Scorpions back after they picked up a first down. Then Roskopf tossed a middle screen to Sherbin-Fox,  who broke a tackle, spun and dashed to the sideline, picking up a convoy for a 74-yard touchdown reception.

"Elijah came on at the end of the year and gave us a great pass rush for sure," MacArthur said.

Desert Edge led 28-0 with 2:56 left in the third quarter. Then the Cobras sprung to life and started to hang on to the ball.

They drove 80 yards on 11 plays to break the shutout. Senior tight end/defensive end Tristan Varga reprised his role as Wildcat quarterback and burrowed in for a three-yard touchdown.

He scored with five seconds left in the quarter and Desert Edge led 28-7 after three.

The defense forced a fairy quick punt and Casias found running roo. He scrambled for 15 yards, A personal foul on a Scorpion defender after a third down stop set up fourth and 4 from the 5.

Casias bought some time and connected with Varga in the back corner of the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown with 5:23 left in the game. Texas A&M-bound senior cornerback Jamar Beal-Goines blocked the extra point to keep the score at 28-13.

"We're all super close and at this point we don't even have to try. We're all having fun together," Beal-Goines said. "This is a bond we'll never forget for the rest of our lives. We'll always be close. No one believed in us, but us."

As the time ticked down, the Cobras went on a commendalble 88-yard drive.  Casias scampered for 28 yards.

Senior defensive end Jerry Washington sacked Casias on two straight plays for 13 yards lost total. But Casias connected with junior receiver Julian Moncivaiz for 18 and an offsides penalty on fourth down kept the drive alive.

"It's been amazing. EJ is an amazing pass rusher. Basically, if you put me on the opposite side, we're both forcing the QB to go inside. Now way they can get outside of us. It's just a beautiful duo," Washington said.

Senior defensive end/running back Talon Staggs gained 10 yards in the red zone. That set up senior running back Tayejion Player's three yard scoring run with 43 seconds left.

"They never quit. Our kids don't do that. I'm proud of them, regardless of what the outcome was tonight. We battled and just came up short," Belles said.

Senior cornerback William Rodgers blocked this extra point and Desert Edge could celebrate its first football title since 2015.

The Scorpions nearly erased a 42-13 deficit to Gilbert Higley in the final 16 minutes of last year's 5A title game. Senior DeShawn Warner scored what looked like the winning two-point conversion, but a controversial holding call and incomplete 13-yard, two-point pass gave Higley a 42-41 win.

Desert Edge believed it would be back here Dec. 6 but no one could have predicted its bath. Former co-coaches Mark and Marcus Carter resigned in April after a recruiting violation led to a one-yard probation on the program.

Eight-year assistant MacArthur took over as head coach. Desert Edge started 1-3, won five straight but lost to Verrado to drop to the 7 seed. In the playoffs, the Scorpions left no doubt.

"Starting out 1-3 with people not believing in us and ranking us the #14 team in 5A and stuff like that, coming back from that just showed the mental toughness of the kids," MacArthur said. "It's huge. It's a great step in the right direction for this program. And we want to build from here. This is just the beginning and the sky's the limit. We've got a really good young team that got to experience this."

#WestValleyPreps
5A state title
Final
#7 @DEdgeFootball (10-4) 28
#4 @CHSCobraFB (10-4) 19

Cactus fought to the end. 3-yard TD @TayejionP with 43 seconds left. But @willrodgers_MTS blocks THIS XP to clinch it. Some scraps late but no fights postgame. Congratulations Scorpions pic.twitter.com/L7A6DOt781

— Richard Smith (@RsmithYWV) December 7, 2024