Desert Mountain avenges Oct 24 loss to Horizon to advance to first 5A title game in school history

History was made on Friday night as the Desert Mountain Wolves defeated region rival Horizon 20-17 in the 5A semifinals. 

In October, the teams faced off, which was a 35-22 Horizon win, but when it mattered most, the Wolves got their revenge. 

From the jump, Desert Mountain would showcase what game plan they were bringing to the table. 

Their opening drive was nearly six minutes, which included a majority of plays being on the ground.

Desert Mountain was able to put up points on their first drive as well, as junior kicker Koen Broadley nailed a 36-yard field goal. 

After losing to Horizon earlier in the year, Desert Mountain knew it had to get a fast start this time around.

“We lost to them (Horizon) in the regular season, and that burned a hole in us,” Broadley said. “I’m just happy we came out for revenge.” 

The Wolves' defense would then not allow Horizon to do much of anything, and kept giving their offense the ball back.

Desert Mountain got the ball back after their defense made another stop early in the second quarter.

They would then go on to have one of the best drives of their season.

It was a 9:16-minute drive that included four third-down conversions. 

Leading the charge was the Wolves junior quarterback Grant Garduno and sophomore running back Easton Conner, who kept moving the chains. 

Ultimately, the drive was capped off by Conner running into the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown to give Desert Mountain a 10-point lead. 

With only around three minutes left in the first half, the Huskies made sure to get on the board. 

They marched down the field behind the arm of their senior quarterback, Carter Puma, who eventually led his team into field goal range. 

Star senior kicker Palmer Podwika was able to hit a 23-yard field goal to get Horizon on the board. 

The next score didn’t come until late in the third quarter when Horizon was able to tie the game up. 

Horizon was able to compile one of their best drives of the game, and it capped off with Puma finding junior wide receiver James Klopfenstein for a 30-yard touchdown. 

Wasting no time, Desert Mountain reclaimed its lead. 

Running like a freight train was Conner, who was able to keep the drive alive and make big-time plays on the ground. 

Conner was the one to find the end zone again for his team as he scampered in for a 3-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter. 

With their backs against the wall, Horizon was aggressive on their next drive. 

The drive consisted of a fourth-down conversion in their own territory that was made by Klopfenstein, who made a crucial catch. 

The Huskies were then able to get near the goaline and tie the game back up once again. 

Tying the game for Horizon was their senior running back, Bodie Zamarano, who scored a 3-yard rushing touchdown. 

With 3:47 left in the game, Desert Mountain had to put together a game-winning drive. 

They’ve been in similar situations before this season, but failed to pull it out; but not this time. 

“We’ve been there before, like Notre Dame Prep, we were in the same situation,” Garduno said. “It feels really good to be prepared for a big game.” 

Prepared is exactly what they were as Garduno and Conner helped their offense march down the field and get in field goal range to win the game. 

Making it look easy was Broadley, who hit a 23-yard field goal to win the game for Desert Mountain and advance them to the 5A championship game. 

“I was just thinking about my team and the work and effort we put into the season,” Broadley said in regard to what his thoughts were before making the kick. “It means a lot to this team that I was able to do my job and put it through the uprights.” 

Desert Mountain will now play in its first-ever state championship game as a program. Head coach Conrad Hamilton is glad his team got over the hump.

“Our kids compete their tails off. So this isn’t really a surprise to us,” Hamilton said. “We’re just glad we got over the hump and are playing in the championship.”

Next up: Desert Mountain will face Canyon View next Friday for the 5A title. Horizon's season comes to an end.