#2 Mesquite Dominates #1 Coconino to Remain Undefeated

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GILBERT, Ariz. – Mesquite continued its undefeated start to the girls' flag football season Tuesday night.

In their first game since being ranked #2 in the AIA powerpoint rankings, a strong second half propelled the Wildcats to a 28-0 home victory over the #1 Coconino Panthers.

The game started off slow from the jump, as neither team managed to find the end zone in the first quarter.

Early in the first quarter, Mesquite junior athlete Norija Anthony came up with a contested catch to move them inside the 50-yard line.

However, Coconino was able to hold the Wildcats on fourth down, causing a turnover on downs.

Immediately after getting the ball back, Coconino sophomore quarterback Claire Monsman was taking advantage of the opportunity with her legs.

Monsman's mobility helped the Panthers move down the field, but they weren't able to convert it into points at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter was very similar, as the first points weren’t scored until there was less than a minute remaining in the first half.

The defenses continued to limit scoring opportunities and trade offensive possessions until the last drive of the second half.

After trading interceptions on back-to-back plays, Mesquite sophomore quarterback Alexa Montoya threw a deep ball to the back of the end zone for a touchdown.

The touchdown was caught by Anthony, who also happened to get the interception.

The touchdown gave Mesquite a 7-0 lead with less than a minute remaining, which they would carry into halftime.

Mesquite came out of halftime with their foot on the gas, building on the momentum from its late first-half touchdown.

The Wildcats quickly held the Panthers to a punt and were able to capitalize on their first drive of the second half.

On a quick crosser, Montoya connected with Anthony for her second touchdown of the night from about five yards out.

Mesquite continued to apply pressure early in the fourth quarter, adding another touchdown to increase its advantage to 21-0.

Montoya connected on her third passing touchdown of the night with senior running back Getsemanii Lugo.

With just over 10 minutes remaining in the game, the PAT gave the Wildcats a 21-0 lead.

With a three-touchdown lead, Mesquite continued to control the game in the fourth quarter, keeping the Panthers from finding the end zone and protecting its shutout.

The Wildcats added one final touchdown about halfway through the fourth quarter, increasing the lead to 28-0.

After using her legs all night, Montoya rushed in from about 10 yards out to score a touchdown of her own.

Montoya finished with three touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown, while Anthony caught two receiving touchdowns and an interception.

The connection between Montoya and Anthony helped spark the Wildcats’ offense that struggled in the first half.

“We started a little slow, but they started to get all hype, and then we got a little irritated, and then we started playing our ball,” Anthony mentioned following the great game.

Next up: 7-0 Mesquite will prepare for another home game against 1-5 Tempe. 8-1 Coconino looks to bounce back when they face 4-2 Prescott.