Dominant Defense Lifts #9 Canyon View Past #8 ACP
The Canyon View Jaguars traveled across the valley to take down the Arizona College Prep Knights 17-10 in the second round of the 5A playoffs.
Head coach JR Alcantar said this 2026 group loves each other and that they play for each other, which is the reason they were able to come away with the win.
“They’re great, they love each other,” Alcantar said about his team. “When you love one another, you don’t play for yourself; you play for one another.”
Even though Canyon View would win the game, ACP started with positive momentum as the Knights scored on their opening possession.
ACP moved the ball well to begin the drive; however, penalties would be what hurt them in the long run and it forced them to settle for a field goal.
2027 kicker Reid Martinelli made the kick, drilling a 47-yard field goal to put up the first points of the night.
For Canyon View, they would be able to march down the field on their second drive after going three-and-out on their opening possession.
Late in the first quarter, Canyon View was able to break into the end zone for their first lead of the night.
2028 quarterback Titan Jacobs fired a pass in the middle of the field to 2027 athlete Amr Hassan for a 32-yard score.
Even with two minutes left in the first quarter, the Knights wasted no time getting down the field before the end of the first quarter.
ACP relied on 2027 running back J’Cory Horne throughout the drive, as he had multiple big rushes to move the chains.
Capping off the drive, 2027 quarterback Gunnar Schmidt threw a quick slant pass to 2027 wide receiver Dalton Speaks for a 10-yard touchdown.
After an eventful first 12 minutes of the game, ACP led 10-7.
Even though their offense looked elite in the first quarter, Canyon View’s defensive unit came to play for the next three quarters.
Midway through the second quarter, 3-star Western Michigan defensive back commit Keegan McCarthy snagged an interception that flipped the momentum.
Not only was the interception impressive, but McCarthy proceeded to weave through tackles and returned the takeaway all the way to ACP’s 20-yard line.
Taking full advantage of the golden field positon, Canyon View scored off the turnover and took back the lead.
2028 running back Brandon Arroyo punched his way up the middle for a 2-yard scamper to give the Jaguars a 14-10 lead heading into halftime.
For a majority of the second half, both defenses came to play and didn’t allow either side to gain any positive momentum to put together a scoring drive.
Late in the third quarter, however, the Jaguars were able to get into field goal range to extend their lead.
Rounding out the quarter, 2027 kicker Austin Honsa drilled a 35-yard field goal to give the Jaguars a 17-10 lead heading into the fourth and final quarter.
With one quarter remaining and the season on the line for both programs, it would be Canyon View that prevailed.
While ACP had multiple possessions to tie the game up, the defensive line for Canyon View made life difficult and got numerous sacks.
One of the key defensive linemen for the Jaguars is NAU commit Andy Fierros, who made his presence felt.
Fierros said the entire mentality, not just in this game but for the whole season, has to be finish the job.
“Our whole motto is FTJ, finish the job,” Fierros said. “Just finish the job no matter what.”
Canyon View would finish the job against ACP to keep their season alive.
ACP had the ball with two minutes left in the game and one last shot to tie/win the game.
Ultimately, Canyon View 2027 defensive back Josh Carter made one of the biggest plays of the season when he came down with a remarkable catch for an interception to seal the game.
Carter, the younger brother of Georgia Tech EDGE Noah Carter, said that as a defensive back, he always has to go for the ball.
“I’m a DB, so it’s see ball, get ball,” Carter said. “That’s really it.”
Following the huge interception, the Jaguars were able to run out the remaining clock and win 17-10 over ACP.
Now headed to the number one seed Desert Mountain next week, it will be a 2025 5A title rematch.
“To be the best, you have to beat the best,” Alcantar said. “Desert Mountain is still the best; they beat us. We gotta get it back.”
Comments