P.V. blanks Falcons 29‑0
Boulder Creek 21, South Mountain 20
by Jason Stone

CAVE CREEK – Cactus Shadows’ football schedule became dramatically tougher this fall after the Falcons moved up a division in the 4A Conference. That improved schedule showed itself in full force last week when Paradise Valley handed them a 29‑0 loss.

With the Falcons playing their first game in the Desert Sky Region, Paradise Valley played the role of rude hosts by showing Cactus Shadows that life up a division is going to be tough.

Cactus Shadows (2‑2) was held scoreless for the first time since 2003 despite running back Anthony Stephens’ 137‑yard rushing night.

Paradise Valley (4‑0) racked up 271 yards rushing and rolled to a 15‑0 lead in the first half behind two touchdowns and a field goal.

Cactus Shadows tried to keep it close in the second half, but two long running plays iced the victory for Paradise Valley. The Trojans scored on runs of 52 and 66 in the second half to halt any rally attempt.

The Falcons’ offense struggled to score despite the exploits of Stephens. Cactus Shadows’ longest play of the night went for only 19 yards, and when taking Stephens out of the totals, the team rushed for minus‑6 yards.

Cactus Shadows will try to regroup this week with a road date at Shadow Mountain (2‑2), which comes one week before a special Thursday night game against No. 1‑ranked Saguaro. The game against Saguaro will be broadcast live on Cox‑TV.