Cactus Quarterback Will Galvin found himself scrambling outside the pocket, running from the Desert Edge defense all night long in the Scorpions' 12-0 win.
After the first drive of the game by the Cobras that put them right outside the red zone, the Scorpions’ defense did not allow another possession in their territory until the third quarter. Senior defensive linemen RJ Roberts and Maximus Garcia punished Galvin, rushing him to throw the ball away on multiple possessions.
“We just played to our strengths and we like to get after the quarterback and speed up his timing,” said Desert Edge head coach Marcus Carter. “We let our defensive line do the work.”
The Scorpions also forced three turnovers including two fumbles and an interception from Chaz Clemons on a crucial possession for the Cobras in the fourth quarter.
“I was already confident going into the game that the defense was going to play that sort of game,” said Scorpions’ quarterback Adryan Lara. “They didn’t let them score after all those drives late in the game.”
“We wanted zero points on the board and that’s what we got,” added senior captain and defensive back Steven Ortiz Jr. “They’re the best defensive line in the state because without them, Chaz wouldn’t have the pick and we wouldn’t have stops like we had today.”
Offensively for the Scorpions, they ran into trouble after scoring two touchdowns on the ground. Lara and running back Jeryll Mcintosh both scored rushing touchdowns, including Lara’s 34-yard run on fourth-and-long in the first quarter.
However, the offense struggled to move the ball after Mcintosh’s touchdown. The Scorpions found themselves punting on three straight possessions which kept Cactus in the game.
But when the fourth quarter hit, Lara and the offense settled back in. The Scorpions went on back-to-back drives that took time off the clock. This included multiple long gains for Mcintosh and a big fourth-and-eight where Lara hit junior wide receiver Richard Kuliuk on the sideline.
“We took advantage of those corners being off and we threw those to those short routes,” said Lara. “We really weren’t throwing it short in the first half and made that adjustment which moved the ball downfield.”
“Offense is about execution and we executed when we needed to,” added coach Mark Carter. “Our biggest thing is to score points and we scored enough points to win tonight.”
For the Carter’s, this game was their first time back at Cactus since they were on the coaching staff. Mark Carter was on the staff when they won the state championship in 2010 and his brother Marcus joined him the season after.
“Any win is a big win,” said Marcus Carter, “It’s special to get one here on the other sideline.”
The Scorpions are preparing to bring the same amount of pressure and hustle to their next game against undefeated Ironwood.