Another game, another big win

Cactus Shadows improves to 4‑0 with massive blowout of Cortez
Cactus Shadows 42, Cortez 6
by Jason Stone

CAVE CREEK – For the Cactus Shadows football team, the second halves of its first four games have been mere formalities.

For the fourth straight week Sept. 15, the Falcons ended any doubt of the outcome by halftime as they jumped on Cortez 42‑6 to begin the season 4‑0.

Cactus Shadows sprinted to a 42‑0 lead at the break and only allowed a final‑second touchdown to spoil a try for a second straight shutout after blanking rival Pinnacle last week.

“We’re feeling pretty good, but we still need to get a couple of more wins before I’ll feel great,” coach Chad DeGrenier said.

Cactus Shadows, which is ranked No. 1 in the latest The Desert Advocate 4A‑Division II poll and second in playoff power points, scored early and often against Cortez, granting DeGrenier the luxury of pulling all of his starters at halftime.

The Falcons scored four touchdowns over a five‑minute span between the end of the first quarter and beginning of the second.

Quarterback Phillip Aholt had another solid game, tossing three touchdowns and 220 yards on 10‑of‑19 passing before leaving at halftime. The Falcons ended up with 358 total yards and amassed 16 first downs, while begrudging Cortez a measly four.

Eric Gorraiz, who has been a threat running and receiving, opened the scoring with a little more than five minutes gone in the game when he took in a 68‑yard pass from Aholt.

Less than three minutes later, Aholt found Kyle Foley on a 9‑yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 14‑0. That advantage grew to 21‑0 with 2:11 left in the first quarter when wide receiver Kyle Watkins rushed the ball in from 15 yards.

Gorraiz picked up a 15‑yard touchdown run of his own a minute into the second quarter, and Kyle Royer caught a 5‑yard scoring pass less than a minute later to extend the lead to 35‑0.

Aholt rounded out the scoring for Cactus Shadows with a 4‑yard touchdown sneak with 6:08 left in the half.

The Falcons attempted only two passes in the second half, and the only drama was whether the defense could sustain a second straight shutout. Cortez was held scoreless until Thomas Grey broke off a 59‑yard touchdown run with one second remaining. It broke a scoreless streak of seven quarters for the Cactus Shadows defense.

A trip to Scottsdale’s Coronado (2‑1) is up next for the Falcons. The Dons are the first team with a winning record to face the Falcons this year, and Coronado beat Cactus Shadows 32‑27 last year in Cave Creek.

“They’re good, tough and quick,” DeGrenier said. “We’ve got our work cut out for us.”

In last year’s game, Coronado racked up 350 rushing yards and return with the same backfield.

“We need to stop the running game,” DeGrenier said. “It will be a good measuring stick for our defense. I think this week and next week against Higley will definitely be two big tests for us.”

Reach the reporter at jason@thedesertadvocate.com.