Strong 2nd Half Propels Desert Mountain to 24-15 Win Over Rival Horizon

This article is sponsored by Family Dental Station:

At Family Dental Station, we’re thrilled to provide you with an exceptional and experienced family dentist in Glendale, AZ. With a warm welcome, intriguing vintage fire station decor, and personalized, comfort-focused dental care, we strive to remove the anxiety and monotony of dental work. We’re accepting new patients at our dental office at 5664 West Bell Rd, Glendale, AZ 85308, so call us: 602-978-3500 or visit our website at https://familydentalstation.com/.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Desert Mountain's strong third-quarter performance propelled them into a 24-15 win over rival Horizon in the Family Dental Station Game of the Night.

The game started off with lots of action as both defenses came to play in the first quarter.

Desert Mountain would force a Horizon punt on the first drive of the night.

On the first play of the Wolves' drive, the Huskies' defensive line immediately got through and sacked the quarterback for a safety.

After receiving the free kick following the safety, Horizon junior quarterback Kai Knudson connected with 4-star sophomore running back Dylan Brush on a quick pass that was returned all the way for a 62-yard touchdown.

Brush’s touchdown extended the Horizon lead to 8-0 after the PAT was blocked.

On the kickoff, Desert Mountain immediately responded with a game-changing kickoff return for a touchdown.

Desert Mountain senior wide receiver Iam Mizan was the kickoff returner who cut the Wolves' deficit to 8-7 with around seven minutes remaining in the first quarter.

The kickoff return shifted momentum back toward Desert Mountain as the Wolves looked to build on the big play.

Both teams continued to trade possessions as the first quarter came to an end.

However, Desert Mountain recovered a Horizon fumble late in the quarter, putting themselves in great field position.

The Wolves carried that momentum into the second quarter, moving the ball deep into Horizon territory.

After reaching inside the 3-yard line, Desert Mountain ended up settling for a field goal after an impressive stop by Horizon’s defense.

Senior kicker Logan Blumling converted the field goal to put the Wolves ahead for the first time of the night.

The Wolves led 10-8 with just under nine minutes remaining in the half.

Horizon responded with a long drive that consumed much of the remaining time in the quarter.

Knudson then connected with junior tight end Colton Johnson over the middle for a huge gain, putting them inside the 20-yard line.

Quickly after, on a very similar route, Knudson found Johnson over the middle for a touchdown with just eight seconds remaining in the half.

The touchdown gave Horizon a 15-10 lead heading into halftime.

Desert Mountain started with the ball in the third quarter and looked to regain control.

Desert Mountain senior running back Ryan Cratty had multiple carries that brought the Wolves well inside the 50-yard line.

After a long first drive of the half, senior wide receiver Evan Dowd took the direct snap into the end zone to take the lead back for the Wolves.

The successful PAT extended the Wolves' lead to 17-15 with around seven minutes remaining in the third quarter.

As Horizon looked to respond, Knudson fumbled the ball after a big hit from Blumling that was then recovered by the Wolves well inside the 50-yard line.

The momentum had completely shifted to Desert Mountain’s sideline at this point.

After multiple carries by Cratty brought the Wolves inside the red zone, Dowd took another direct snap into the end zone for his second rushing touchdown of the night.

The successful PAT extended the Wolves' lead to 24-15, with just under four minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Horizon’s offense continued to struggle in the third quarter as Desert Mountain’s defense maintained pressure and prevented the Huskies from cutting into the deficit.

However, late in the third quarter, Horizon junior defensive lineman Barrett Nelson came up with a huge fumble recovery, placing the Huskies right around midfield.

As the fourth quarter began, Horizon attempted to come back, but Desert Mountain’s defense held firm and kept the Huskies off the scoreboard.

Once Desert Mountain received the ball back, they had a long drive that ran the entire clock out to end the game after multiple rushes to Cratty once again.

Desert Mountain did enough to protect their advantage and secure the 24-15 victory.

The Wolves' early start in the third quarter and elite defense throughout the entirety of the second half proved to be the difference.

3-star Boise State cornerback commit Hassan Smith emphasized how the Wolves defense did whatever it took to win in the second half.

“I think our defense came out and responded; we let up 15 points in the first half, and then we came out and shut them down and stopped the run,” Smith mentioned.

“We played our hearts out, we played as a team, and we fixed what we needed to fix. It was a great team win.”

Next up: 8-1 Desert Mountain will face 7-2 Notre Dame Prep for the 5A Northeast Valley region title next week while 7-2 Horizon looks to get back on track on the road against 5-4 Chaparral.