Casteel Crushes Desert Vista to Snap 5-Game Skid

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QUEEN CREEK, Ariz. – Casteel overwhelmed Desert Vista from the opening kickoff, scoring four touchdowns in the first quarter and pulling away for a 52-3 victory on Friday night.

The Colts established control early, using a productive rushing attack and creating big plays through the air to build a 28-0 lead after the first quarter.

Desert Vista started with the ball but was quickly stopped by the Colts' defense and forced to punt.

Casteel opened the game with a great drive, scoring a 4-yard rushing touchdown by senior quarterback Tee Smith, who helped set the tone for the Colts offense.

The touchdown gave Casteel a 7-0 lead with about nine minutes remaining in the quarter.

Desert Vista struggled to find consistency offensively on its next possession, punting the ball back to Casteel.

The Colts took advantage of the opportunity once again, quickly moving inside the red zone before adding another rushing touchdown to extend their lead to 14-0.

Sophomore running back Makai Mallory was the touchdown scorer.

Casteel continued to find success on both sides of the ball, quickly stopping the Thunder on their drives and using their ground game to move the chains and create scoring opportunities.

With just under three minutes remaining in the quarter, junior running back Rylan Irwin bounced off defenders to find his way into the end zone.

Desert Vista continued to struggle to sustain drives, quickly going three-and-out almost every possession.

Late in the first quarter, the Colts were able to move their way down the field once again.

As the clock expired, Smith connected with senior athlete Troy Jauregui on an incredible cross-body throw to put the Colts ahead 28-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Casteel carried its momentum into the second quarter, continuing to control the game on both sides of the ball.

Desert Vista could not create any offensive opportunities, continuously punting the ball back to the Colts.

The Colts, on the other hand, still managed to add to their advantage before halftime.

Casteel sophomore kicker Jax Demmelmaier converted a field goal to extend the lead to 31-0 in favor of the Colts.

Casteel entered halftime with a 31-point lead over Desert Vista.

The Colts picked up where they left off after halftime, opening the third quarter with another scoring drive.

Starting the drive off hot, 3-star NAU wide receiver commit RJ Gory took a jet sweep that set his offense up right before the 20-yard line.

Smith finished off the possession with a 3-yard rushing touchdown to extend Casteel’s lead to 38-0.

The Colts did not let off, quickly holding the Thunder again and creating another scoring drive later in the third quarter.

With just under five minutes remaining, Gory took a similar jet sweep play into the end zone, increasing the lead to 45-0.

Casteel continued its offensive dominance later in the quarter when Smith connected with Gory on a 12-yard touchdown pass.

The Colts scored three touchdowns to finish the third quarter with an impressive 52-0 lead.

As the fourth quarter came around, Desert Vista attempted to respond after Desert Vista senior edge rusher Kahlell Gurule recovered a fumble inside Casteel’s territory.

However, the Colts defense would not let Desert Vista enter the end zone no matter the circumstance.

The Thunder would have to settle for a field goal.

Desert Vista senior kicker Marshall Carpenter’s field goal was successful, adding the Thunder’s first and only points of the night.

Desert Vista’s field goal cut the deficit to 52-3, but the entire game belonged to the Colts.

Smith led Casteel’s offensive effort with touchdowns as both a runner and passer, while Gory contributed two touchdowns himself.

“We’ve been blessed with new transfers; I’ve been really thankful for that,” Smith mentioned following the game. “New lineman, new receivers, everywhere.”

Casteel head coach Joe Bushman says the team is ready to close out the second half of the season strong and get back into the playoffs.

“I think our guys are pretty hungry; we’ve had a lot of close games early against some really good competition,” Bushman said. “We know we have a good football team, but our big thing is we want to rewrite our second chapter, and if we do a good job in the second chapter, we get a third in the postseason.”

Next up: Casteel will try to keep the momentum going at home next week against 1-5 ALA Queen Creek. 4-2 Desert Vista looks to turn things around back at home against the 2-4 Queen Creek Bulldogs.