Treffen Rexius is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover North Canyon High School for AZPreps365.com

CAVE CREEK, Ariz. — The North Canyon Rattlers fell silent in their home debut, dropping a 20-0 loss to the Notre Dame Prep Saints on Sept. 18 in Cave Creek.

Before kickoff, head coach Steven Edinborough set the tone. “This is a new season, a fresh start, just go out there and perform," he said. "We teach attitude, toughness and effort in everything that we do.”

The Rattlers entered the game 1-0 after a shutout victory on the road against the Copper Canyon Aztecs.

“It worked out," Edinborough said. "Our defense was pretty much on point, holding up that zero is what we wanted to do. We trusted what we were coached, and they went out and performed."

But things didn’t go as planned against the Saints. Turnovers proved costly, and multiple interceptions spoiled promising drives and swung momentum in Notre Dame’s favor.

“It’s my first time out. I tried not to throw many interceptions, but as you can see, that did not happen. We need to have more fun and not get down on ourselves while staying positive,” said North Canyon’s starting quarterback, Jocelyn Thompson.

Both teams’ opening drives stalled at each other’s 48-yard line, but North Canyon missed a chance to seize control when Thompson's pass slipped through a receiver's hands on third down. 

Notre Dame capitalized with a double-pass trick-play completion and a series of methodical gains from quarterback Lydia Gray, who capped the drive with a 9-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead.

North Canyon stalled, punting from its own 18-yard line but made a defensive stand by tackling the Saints behind the line of scrimmage. The Rattlers regained possession at their own 38 and found new life with a 27-yard completion from Thompson to wideout Alexis Kraft, moving into opposing territory.

But just as the drive picked up steam, Gray grabbed a momentum-swinging interception.

“Everything we preach is that the ball is life," Edinborough said. "We gotta control what we can control, and that is taking care of the football."

After Gray missed on first down, she dazzled the crowd with a 52-yard touchdown run to put the Saints up 13-0 with 5 minutes left in the half. Hoping to spark momentum from their own 24, the Rattlers fired another incompletion.

The drive unraveled when Thompson threw another interception, giving the Saints the ball at the 24. Gray completed a 4-yard pass on first down, but the Rattlers were stunned when defensive pass interference was called, moving the ball to the 11.

Gray then hit senior running back Alie Nguyen on an 11-yard screen pass for a touchdown, stretching the Saints’ lead to 20-0 at halftime.

The second half featured a flurry of punts and interceptions before lightning in the area forced Edinborough to call the game, sealing a statement shutout win for Notre Dame.

With conference play looming and offensive issues spotlighted, the setback raises questions about whether the Rattlers can establish their run-heavy offense and protect the ball.

Assistant coach Jonathan Ramos praised his team’s second-half effort despite a slow start.

“We shut them out in the second half, but there are still things that need to be worked on moving forward,” Ramos said.

Notre Dame Prep improved to 1-0 with the road win, while North Canyon dropped to 1-1. Both teams now turn their attention to upcoming matchups with the Paradise Valley Trojans.

“We are looking forward to a district rival,” Ramos said. “We are always excited for that game. Just the energy for our quarterbacks to step up and be back in their Game 1 forms.”