Early scores lift Falcons

Cactus Shadows moves to 2‑0

Cactus Shadows 35, Willow Canyon 14

by Jason Stone

CAVE CREEK – Cactus Shadows’ football opponents are already aware of the Falcons’ prolific offense. But Willow Canyon found out last week that the special teams for CSHS are indeed special as well.

Senior Kyle Watkins took the opening kickoff 81 yards for a touchdown last Friday night to spark the Falcons to 28 first‑half points en route to a 35‑14 win at Surprise’s Willow Canyon.

“That was just a great start and got us all fired up,” said running back Eric Gorraiz, who scored a touchdown rushing and receiving.

Watkins’ touchdown reception came on the Falcons’ first play of the second quarter as he stiff‑armed two players on an 82‑yard ramble to the end zone. In all, the Falcons scored the first three times they had the ball, and responded to Willow Canyon’s first touchdown early in the second quarter with a touchdown of their own.

Cactus Shadows coach Chad DeGrenier said he was happy with the way his team played for the first 2‑1/2 quarters, but was not pleased with the way the team finished.

“It’s frustrating that we didn’t finish the game (strongly),” DeGrenier said. “Pinnacle will destroy us if we finish like that.”

Cactus Shadows and rival Pinnacle will play a day early this week when Cox‑TV’s “Game of the Week” comes to Cave Creek.

“I’m not even worried about being on TV–I’m thinking about playing Pinnacle,” Gorraiz said.

If the Falcons’ offense executes like it did in the beginning part of the Willow Canyon game, Cactus Shadows might be lighting up the scoreboard in prime time.

Already up 7‑0, Cactus Shadows took its first offensive series and drove 53 yards in seven plays to stake a two‑touchdown lead. Watkins started the drive with a 16‑yard reception and Gorraiz ended it with a 13‑yard scoring run with 5:58 left in the opening quarter.

Willow Canyon then went on a 13‑play drive that got the team down to the Falcons’ 22, but Cactus Shadows’ defense got the ball back when it stuffed Wildcats’ quarterback Troy Valdez a yard short on a fourth‑and‑5 attempt.

On the next play for Cactus Shadows, Watkins caught a relatively short pass up the middle and blew past the Willow Canyon defense for a 21‑0 lead for the Falcons.

The teams traded fumbles before the Falcons put together another scoring drive. A fourth‑and‑2 conversion near midfield kept the drive alive, which concluded when quarterback Phillip Aholt swept in untouched from 8 yards out on a keeper.

Willow Canyon picked up its first score in the third quarter when on third‑and‑goal from the 1, Justin Jones fell on a fumble that rolled toward the back corner of the end zone.

Cactus Shadows responded, however, in just two plays as Aholt found Kyle Royer for 56 yards on a screen pass. Gorraiz then scored his second touchdown the next play on a 15‑yard run.

Reach the reporter at jason@thedesertadvocate.com.