Desert Mountain dominates Cactus Shadows in Region Opener

In what was an anticipated 5A Northeast Valley region game between the Desert Mountain Wolves and the Cactus Shadows Falcons turned out to be a one-sided game for the majority of it. Desert Mountain defended its home turf with a 49-20 win over Cactus Shadows. 

The Wolves' defense got it started early as they were able to get a takeaway on Cactus Shadows' first drive. 

The senior defensive back Kaika Solomon was the one to come down with the interception.

Wasting no time, Desert Mountain made it to the red zone and was able to cap off the drive with a touchdown. The touchdown was a reverse run play to freshman wide receiver Kai Hasenyager for 14 yards.

The Wolves couldn’t have gotten off to a better start, as they got another interception. It was Solomon making the play again, having two picks in two drives for the senior. 

Knowing how good their opponent was, Solomon and his team knew they had to bring the energy from the start.

“We all knew what we came for, what we came to play for; we knew it was a big game,” Solomon said. “They (Cactus Shadows) have a good quarterback, but our defense just shut them out.” 

After another interception by Solomon, the Wolves' offense made sure to get back in the end zone. Sophomore running back Easton Conner was able to run it up the middle for a 3-yard touchdown. 

Not going down without a fight, Cactus Shadows was able to respond on their third drive of the game.

Their first big play of the game was when senior quarterback Donivan Dixon was able to find senior wide receiver Trey Peck for a 40-yard gain. 

The next play, Dixon kept it himself and maneuvered his way into the endzone for a 35-yard touchdown.

At the beginning of the second quarter, Desert Mountain kept the pressure up on the defensive side as junior linebacker Christian McComber was able to recover a fumble and give his team a position at the 50-yard line. 

Once again, the Wolves' rushing attack continued to be impressive as they barreled their way down the field, and Conner was able to get his second rushing touchdown of the night. 

The Falcons once again were able to get down the field and cut down the Desert Mountain lead.

Two big plays were made by junior wide receiver Zach Spielman, who had two catches for 64 yards. 

Then Dixon again kept it himself and ran into the endzone for a 5-yard touchdown. 

Cactus Shadows had great momentum in the second quarter as they got their first takeaway of the game, as freshman defensive back Colin Godfrey got an interception.

The momentum didn’t last long, though, as only 40 seconds later, Desert Mountain’s defense got yet another interception. 

The interception this time was caught by junior defensive back Hassan Smith, who made a diving catch to grab it. 

Desert Mountain’s head coach, Conrad Hamilton, made it a priority to have a solid defensive game plan going against one of the best players in Arizona in Dixon. 

“I think he's one of the best high school offensive players (Donivan Dixon) in the state of Arizona this year,” Hamilton said. “Our plan was to try to bottom up, put a spy on him, change the looks, coverages, all that stuff, and get after him.” 

The game plan proved to be a success as they got a plethora of turnovers and big stops. 

Ensuring their lead, Desert Mountain tacked on two more touchdowns before the end of the first half.

The first one was when junior quarterback Grant Garduno found junior wide receiver Evan Dowd for a 20-yard touchdown. 

The second one was when Garduno found freshman wide receiver Kai Hasenyager in the middle of the field for a 28-yard touchdown. 

While the defense had a great performance for Desert Mountain, the offense had to capitalize on all the opportunities, and Garduno was pleased with how his whole team performed. 

“It started with our defense getting those two picks was a great start,” Garduno said. “Then our offense capitalized, we had really good playcalling, and we executed.”

In the second half, Desert Mountain kept opposing their will on the ground, as their first drive was methodical with multiple big running plays from Conner. 

For the sixth time of the night, they found the endzone; this time it was junior running back Ryan Cratty using his speed to score a 15-yard touchdown. 

The Wolves saved their best drive for their last in the fourth quarter. 

Desert Mountain’s defense got a stop on 4th and goal and once again gave their offense the ball back.

The Wolves put together a 99-yard drive that included a healthy balance of running and passing. 

The drive was concluded with a third touchdown pass by Garduno, who found junior wide receiver Isaiah Justice for a 24-yard touchdown. 

After losing to Arizona College Prep in week two, Desert Mountain has had a dominant stretch to make it a serious contender in 5A.

“That was just an eye opener that we want to win and compete against the very best,” Hamilton said in regards to their loss against Arizona College Prep. “We’ve got to give our best effort; nothing is going to be handed to us, that’s the key.”

Next up: 5-1 Desert Mountain will take on 1-5 Ironwood Ridge. 3-3 Cactus Shadows will face 5-1 Horizon.