On Saturday night I joined several members of TeamAZV out at Cactus High and watched 5A Desert Edge secure a 12-0 victory over the team that they were one play away from meeting in last year's 4A title game.
Here are my notes from the action that I witnessed:
-Cactus Defensive Coordinator Brian Belles deserves a lot of credit for his game plan here. While Cactus was clearly overmatched, the way his defense attacked Adryan Lara, while still being disciplined against the run, and pressing the WRs, frustrated the Scorpions all night long. Desert Edge might have won the game, but the overall tone after the final whistle was one of frustration amongst the offensive skill position players. Tovia Vito was able to get two sacks, while Ethan Price, Ata Teutupe, Riley Davies and Justin Holmes traded off getting consistent pressure.
-The officiating wasn't perfect on Saturday. Cactus was able to stonewall Desert Edge on the goal line on a possession that the Scorpions never should have had. An official inadvertently blew a fumble dead that Cris Contreras picked up and walked into the end zone. It should have been a defensive score for Desert Edge, and instead became one of the ore impressive defensive efforts for Cactus on the night.
-Adryan Lara didn't have his best game as a passer, but he showcased his mobility by repeatedly escaping the pass rush, and turning in the most impressive run of the night on a 33-yard TD that fooled the entire Cobras defense. When Lara has a clean pocket, he's deadly, but in this game he showed a tendency to take his eyes out of the potential downfield play and focus on eluding defenders- which resulted in a surprising long pass of 14-yards on the night.
-I loved the run blocking of the big OL led by Gavin Broscious and newcomer Jayden Ahboah. One thing that might help wake up Desert Edge's offense would be to have a bit of a speed burst in the backfield along with powerful runner Jeryll McIntosh. I wouldn't be surprised to see someone like Andrew Patterson get a few carries or sweeps from time to time to mix things up and give the Scorpions a change of pace.
-Cactus QB Will Galvan is someone we've written about, who is coming into his own as a leader. He needs help though. On several occasions Saturday night, Galvan was forced by interior pressure to scramble to the outside, and his receivers failed to make the effort to create space between themselves and their defenders for him to try and make a play. The Cobra wideouts need to know that Galvan is trying to keep the plays alive, and match his energy.
-Steven Ortiz came into the game with interceptions in two consecutive games, and so Cactus did the smart thing and just stayed away from him altogether. Ortiz needs to know that there's going to be games like this where he's not involved in much of the action, and make sure that he can stay focused on pumping his teammates up. I felt like he did a decent job of that on Saturday night.
-Finally, Desert Edge DL RJ Roberts was the player of the game by a mile. His relentless play, power, and athleticism kept Cactus from ever having a comfortable pocket. In a low energy game in which it seemed at times to have the feel of a scrimmage or walk-through for both sides, Roberts was playing a million miles an hour and delivering punishing tackles. After the game when several Desert Edge players looked dejected by their offensive struggles, Roberts made sure his team knew that a win was a win.
