By Brittany Bowyer
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GLENDALE — Arcadia ran away with a big win on Thursday evening over Deer Valley, defeating the Skyhawks 45-9 on the road. After a bumpy start against Bradshaw Mountain to begin the season, the Titans have completely turned things around. With their sights set on finishing what they started last season, Arcadia is trending in the right direction if they want to once again play for a championship.

“We’ve gotten better in the last fcw weeks,” Arcadia Head Coach BJ Pasquel said. “I like how we’ve been practicing in the last three weeks.”

“We’re looking pretty good on both sides of the ball,” Junior defensive back Jordan Barnes said. “Everything that involves effort, we’ve just been doing amazing at these last couple weeks comparted to week one against Bradshaw Mountain.”

One of Arcadia’s only blunders was on the opening drive of the game. As they were progressing down the field, the Titans fumbled the ball and it was recovered by Deer Valley. Defense had an answer, though, as the Skyhawks were immediately picked off by senior linebacker Joseph Hala. From there, Arcadia was able to score first on a 34-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Carter Lampe to senior wide receiver Konnor Kammes. The kick by sophomore Nolan Hubbell was good, making the score 7-0 with 8:45 remaining in the first quarter.

On Arcadia’s following possession, it only took one snap to get the ball from the Titans’ 20-yard-line to the end zone. Lampe was able to find junior wide receiver Marques McClelland, who caught the ball and took it all the way to the red zone, where he fumbled it. Barnes was right there when the ball popped out, scooping it up and taking it across the line for a touchdown. Hubbell’s kick was good, making the score 14-0 with 4:57 left in the first quarter.

“He’s just a smart kid,” Pasquel said about Barnes. “He’s shifty, he’s where he’s supposed to be, he’s got great hands.”

Deer Valley’s following possession would result in a quick three-and-out. After punting the ball away, Arcadia took over at its own 26. Three explosive plays highlighted the drive, as the Titans quickly found themselves in the red zone once again. Unable to convert on third down, Arcadia settled for a field goal, extending the lead to 17-0 with 11:59 left in the second quarter.

After punting the ball back and forth, Deer Valley was able to score on a pass from senior Gavin Youngker to senior wide receiver Dylan Rudolph. The extra point attempt bounced off the left upright and rolled back onto the field, making the score 17-6 with just around 3:30 remaining before the half.

“Give them credit, they kind of milked the clock on a couple drives,” Pasquel said.

Arcadia was able to tack on one more touchdown before the half. Lampe was able to find Barnes for a 25-yard touchdown pass. Once again, Hubbell’s kick was good, extending the lead to 24-6 with 1:20 left to play before half.

Coming back out of the locker room, Deer Valley got the ball to start things off. Eating away at the clock, the Skyhawks were able to slowly but surely move the ball down the field. A huge sack by junior defensive end Greyson Stauff would bring up a third and long, which the Skyhawks failed to convert on. They ultimately settled for a field goal, which cut the lead to 24-9 with 5:28 remaining in the third quarter.

The Titans’ offense continued rolling when they got back onto the field. After big gains from senior running back Malakai Wilder, Arcadia capped off the drive with another pass from Lampe to Barnes. The kick was once again good, making the score 31-9 with 2:25 remaining in the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Arcadia got the ball back and immediately was able to score. This time, Lampe found senior tight end Chase Whittemore for a touchdown on the first snap of the drive. Hubbell’s kick was again good, making it 38-9 with 10:47 remaining.

Deer Valley made a push to get the ball into the end zone, reaching the ten-yard-line before eventually turning the ball over on downs with 7:37 remaining.

Arcadia took over possession of the ball and on the drive’s initial snap, Wilder was able to break tackles to take the ball 90 yards for a touchdown. With 7:19 left to play, Arcadia had extended the lead to 44-9. The extra point from Hubbell would make it 45-9.

Deer Valley’s final possession would be a quick three-and-out before the Titans were able to run the remainder of the clock out.

Following the win over Deer Valley, Arcadia now sits a 3-1 on the season. The Titans now prepare to face ALA-West Foothills next week, which should be a much more evenly-matched opponent.

“It’s gonna get tougher,” Pasquel said. “Our kids know that. Next week it’s going to be a more physical game with ALA and we’ll be ready to go.”

“For me, and I’m probably speaking for some of these other guys, I’m just looking for this competition to push us into playoffs,” Barnes said. “The ultimate goal is a state championship. We lost there last year. This year, we’ve got a lot of younger guys stepping up and I think we’re just trying to make that run into the playoffs. These next couple games are definitely going to prepare us for what we need to do in the playoffs, and to make a deep run in the playoffs, too.”

Overall, Pasquel said he likes where the team is at and how they’ve been playing.

“We’re getting contributions from a lot of guys,” Pasquel said.

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.