Estela Anahi Jaramillo is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Cortez High School for AZPreps365.com.

Despite Mountainside’s junior running back Daniel Gregg's combined total of 111 rushing and receiving yards, the Wolves still fell, 28-8, against Cortez Friday night. 

Gregg led the Wolves' offense, playing running back and quarterback throughout the game. Mountainside’s 182 rushing and receiving yards were not enough to overcome the Colts’ defense. 

The Colts compiled 259 total rushing and receiving yards. Cortez’s Michael Anthony, senior running back, matched Gregg with 111 rushing and receiving yards combined. He said his teammates helped make holes for him to make those key plays throughout the game. 

Cortez coach Daniel Hopper credited the Colts' defense for allowing just one touchdown. 

“We got the dogfight that I was worried was going to happen,” Hopper said. “We came out a little bit flat, struggled a little. But luckily, we were able to get some breaks and scores, and defense won the game for us tonight.”

Cortez entered the matchup off a bye week, which helped the team prepare for  Mountainside. Anthony said the Colts struggled in their past games, and the bye week gave the team a chance to regroup. 

“There is a difference after the bye week because we have really been working hard,” Anthony said. “From the past weeks, we were struggling, but once that bye week came, we improved some stuff, and we showed it on the field, and we came out with a dub today.”

Gregg put the pressure on in the first quarter, rushing for 46 yards overall. However, errors from his team turned over the possession to the Colts. Anthony scored on a 25-yard run with 45 seconds left in the first quarter.

Sophomore quarterback Jamerrius Anthony connected to his brother Michael Anthony for an 18-yard rush, putting the Colts in another position to score in the second quarter. 

Jamerrius Anthony then connected with wide receiver John Favier  on a 13-yard touchdown pass with 4:30 on the clock for the Colts, who led 14-0 at halftime. 

Although the Colts led in the second quarter, the team questioned their character as they struggled through errors and calls. Hopper said the football program's core values pushed the team to strive through the game's tribulations.  

“We focus on program core values of desire, devotion, and discipline, and I think those have paid off for us the last three years,” Hopper said. “And holding true to that across the board at every one of our possessions – whether it's special teams, offense or defense.”

The third quarter remained scoreless for both teams as they struggled with errors. Although Michael Anthony had 58 rushing yards in the second half, his fumble at the beginning of the third quarter allowed Mountainside to recover. 

Michael Anthony kicked off the fourth quarter by scoring on a 5-yard run. The Cortez defense prevented Mountainside from making any runs at the beginning of the quarter. 

Wolves coach Chris Duane said Cortez’s team is physical, and that his team struggled to match it in the first half. 

“We had a few missed assignments and a few missed tackles,” Duane said. “In the second half, I felt we came out with a slightly more aggressive nature, gave the quarterback a little bit more time, although not much, and we just connected on some deep passes.” 

Gregg switched positions to quarterback in the fourth quarter, when he anxiously tried to match his teammates for a touchdown but fell short. 

Overall, Gregg threw for 40 yards during the game as quarterback. In the fourth quarter, he threw three incomplete passes and was sacked twice. The Colts' defense prevented whatever advantage Mountainside could have near the end of the game.

With six minutes left in the game, Michael Anthony scored a 36-yard touchdown. Not far after the Colts’ third touchdown, freshman middle linebacker Davion Woods ended Mountainside’s hopes with an interception. 

“My coaches always told me to drop back to a zone deep enough to read the quarterback's eyes,” Woods said. “So I was just watching the quarterback and saw someone coming through my zone. So I just followed him, and the ball just ended up in my hands.”

Mountainside scored its only touchdown with one minute on the clock as Tyler Fry scored on a  35-yard run, which was followed by a two-point conversion. 

Cortez (2-10, 0-1) will host Camp Verde (3-3, 2-1) at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Mountainside (4-3, 1-3) will host  Greyhills Academy (0-6, 0-4) at 7 p.m. on Oct. 17.