Sunrise Mountain Bounces Back with Dominant Win Over Willow Canyon

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Peoria, Ariz. -- On Friday night, the Sunrise Mountain Mustangs rolled past the Willow Canyon Wildcats 42-8.

After losing last week to Yuma Catholic, the Mustangs made sure to get back on track.

Sunrise Mountain head coach Santiago Maldonado said last week left a bad taste in their mouths.

“It was hard for those kids to lose that way, ” Maldonado said. “It left a bad taste in our mouths.”

On the opening drive of the contest, the Mustangs would gain some early momentum to get the bad taste from last week's loss out of their mouths.

Sunrise Mountain 2028 athlete Ryder Hellbusch got his team a great field positon after returning the opening kickoff back near midfield.

For the remainder of the drive, the Mustangs kept getting Hellbusch the ball, whether it was on the ground or through the air.

Then, only three minutes into the game, Hellbusch capped off the drive by scampering into the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown.

Willow Canyon never found a rhythm of their own on the offensive side and kept having to punt the ball away.

On the opposite side of the ball, the Mustangs' defense came away with a huge takeaway.

In a great heads-up play, 2028 linebacker Preston Carney tipped the ball in the air and 2028 defensive back Kayden Anderson dove for an interception.

After a strong opening drive, Sunrise Mountain's offense struggled to recapture another methodical drive.

The Mustangs dealt with a handful of penalties in the first half that ended up killing multiple drives.

They also had a turnover of their own near the goal line in the middle of the second quarter.

The Wildcats forced a fumble, and 2027 defensive end Devar Allen fell on the ball to give the ball back to the offense.

For Willow Canyon, though, they could not capitalize on the turnover and had to punt the ball away.

After stalling on their previous drives, the Mustangs started to put it back together to end the first half.

The message to the team was to calm down and get back to how they play their brand of football.

“We just told them to calm down,” Maldonado said. “Told them to do their thing and let's do this together.”

Getting the offense rolling again, Hellbusch was able to score a 2-yard rushing touchdown.

With only a minute left in the half, the Mustangs got the ball back one last time and added to their lead.

2029 quarterback Hudson Calapp connected with 2027 wide receiver Tanner Austin for a completion.

After catching the ball, Austin would do the rest and dance his way in for an 18-yard score.

Sunrise Mountain led 21-0 at halftime.

Similar to the first half, the Mustangs dominated on both sides of the ball in the second half.

On the first play of the second half, Sunrise Mountain came away with their second interception of the game.

Snagging the interception was Sunrise Mountain 2027 linebacker Will Egger.

Sunrise Mountain proceeded to march down the field and continue to add to their lead.

Not only was Austin a threat in the passing game, but he was also able to get a touchdown on the ground.

Austin was able to punch in a touchdown from two yards out to give the Mustangs a commanding 28-0 lead halfway through the third quarter.

Fast forward to late in the third quarter, and the Wildcats were finally able to put points on the board.

2027 quarterback Tate Callan lobbed a pass in the corner of the end zone to 2027 tight end Cameron Caldwell for a 5-yard touchdown.

With three quarters down, Sunrise Mountain led 28-8.

Rounding out the game, the Mustangs added on two more touchdowns to ice the game.

Scoring his third and final rushing touchdown of the game, Hellbusch scored an 8-yard touchdown.

Even though he is mostly known for his ability as a wide receiver, Hellbusch said he is a very versatile player.

“I would just say I am a very versatile player,” Hellbusch said. “I can play anywhere. But I have to give it up to my offensive line. They blocked their hearts out for me tonight.”

Then, for the final score of the contest, it saw a big man get involved.

Sunrise Mountain 2027 defensive lineman Gavin Cosley kept it himself on a wildcat to score a 1-yard touchdown.

Last week, the Mustangs lost a tough game to Yuma Catholic; this week they responded.

After the win versus Willow Canyon, Sunrise Mountain now moves to 4-3 on the year and 1-1 in region play.

For Sunrise Mountain, it’s now about stacking their wins as they look to get back in the playoffs for the first time since 2021.

“We’re here to win out,” Austin said. “Week by week, we’re just going to take it one game at a time. I’m ready to get back to the playoffs.”

Next up: 4-3 Sunrise Mountain looks to keep it rolling when they face 0-7 West Point. 5-2 Willow Canyon looks to get back in the win column when they take on 5-2 Cactus.