As Cactus Shadows prepares for Friday's football game, and their first game of 2020 in black jerseys, there is more to look forward to than just a change of clothing.
"When I got here we bought a set of black uniforms and they only come out when they get a home playoff game," said coach Michael Hudnutt. "To get a No. 4 seed and another game in our stadium is a big deal."
The Falcons are set to take on No. 5 Campo Verde in the 5A playoffs, in what constitutes the team's first postseason appearance since 2017 and a chance for its first win since the 2009-10 campaign. Leading the charge is a group of roughly 30 seniors, the largest class Hudnutt has had in his tenure with the Falcons.
Many of the seniors grew up playing youth football together, just waiting for their turn to start at the varsity level and let their chemistry help achieve wins. A few transfers have strengthened an already-talented group, too. Senior quarterback Jaden White said it 'hasn't always been like that.'
Hudnutt knew the 2020 Falcons would be a quality team on paper. But COVID-19 precautions halted practices over the summer and delayed the start of the season. And even as the majority of the AIA started football games on Oct. 2, Cactus Shadows did not hit the game field until two weeks later.
A team with plenty of potential feared it might not get to test it out on Friday nights.
“The excitement was there with this group, and then of course COVID comes and slaps you in the face. But the kids did a great job of fighting through that and our staff made sure we did everything day-by-day so that we get this chance," Hudnutt said.
“Once the first two games got canceled, and then our next two games got canceled, we were kind of sketched out about whether we were going to have a season or not. And then now we’re just thankful to have gotten the six games and now we’re in the playoffs," added White.
What followed, though, was a four-game winning streak. The Falcons won most of them in blowouts, with only one coming by a single-digit margin in a 21-12 victory over playoff-bound Verrado.
When they could finally hit the field, things simply clicked.
"I could tell that it was a good group and we had a chance to do some good things. And then once official practices and game came and we saw we could get a home playoff game it felt like something special," said senior linebacker Hafeez Ahmed-Momoh, who leads the Falcons with 56 total tackles. (17 for loss)
In order for the special season to continue, Cactus Shadows must get past No. 5 Campo Verde, a playoff regular that reached the conference championship game in 2019. If the Falcons play up to the level of early in the season, they believe they have a shot at victory.
And, while the focus is on Friday's game, a playoff experience means more for a growing program - Hudnutt said the Falcons have similarly-high numbers for their junior class - than just a one-off experience wearing the black jerseys.
"This is the second time they get worn, and we’d like to make that a yearly tradition," Hudnutt said. "We can build off that tradition moving forward.”
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