Hana Kaufman is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Desert Mountain High School for AZPreps365.com

Desert Mountain, now 4-0, hosted Cactus Friday night in Scottsdale. The game, which was expected to be a battle, ended up in a blowout, with the final score 44-0.

In the 2023 season, the Desert Mountain Wolves beat Cactus 37-13. But Head Coach Conrad Hamilton expected Friday’s game to be more of a challenge. In last week’s game, Cactus beat 6A team O’Connor 41-30. The Wolves prepared for a close game, attacking quickly.

Desert Mountain started the game strong, scoring 10 points in the first quarter, and 24 points in the second, leaving the score at halftime 34-0. 

In the first quarter alone, the Wolves had two interceptions, one by sophomore Braylon Wilkerson and one by senior Elijah Banquil.

Hamilton said, “Braylon Wilkerson started off with a big interception that kind of got us going.”

Following Wilkerson’s interception, Desert Mountain was able to attempt and score a field goal, their first time putting points on the board tonight.

“I just think we just started hot tonight and I think we overwhelmed them with our physical play early, and they never could get on track. That’s just a one game set. We got after them a little bit early and I think it was tough for them to rebound,” said Hamilton.

Cactus had several opportunities close to their end zone, but was not able to deliver. Toward the end of the fourth quarter, Cactus attempted a field goal and missed, leaving their score for the night at zero.

This game was full of excitement and created confidence, both for the players and fans of Desert Mountain. Now that the Wolves are undefeated going into their fifth game of the season next week, some players have started thinking about region games and the playoffs.

“I’m just excited to keep playing and having fun. This season has been so enjoyable so far to play with all my friends and coaches who work so well with us. I’m looking forward to making more impacts, especially as we get into region games,” said Michael Sheldrick. 

Bryce Herges, the quarterback for the Wolves, completed the game with a stellar performance. He made several long passes tonight that placed Desert Mountain in a position to score.

“As a captain, the players look up to me to see how I behave, and what kind of example me and the other captains set,” said Herges.

Desert Mountain made a mark in the first two quarters, creating momentum that would be carried into the second half of the game, despite the team only scoring 10 points.

“We were pleased with the effort in the first half. We wanted to make sure that we didn’t come out flat, but we’re always process driven, so it doesn’t matter what the score is. We were going to come out in the second half and play our best, and not watch the scoreboard, and let the chips fall where they may, executing and trying to improve,” said Hamilton.