Tre Heard is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Mesquite High School for AZPreps365.com. 

GILBERT – In a dominant defensive performance and a night highlighted by a young offensive duo, the 6th-seeded Mesquite Wildcats cruised past 11th-seeded St. Mary’s, 20-0, in the opening round of the 4A state flag football playoffs on Wednesday night.

Mesquite (14-1, 5-0) will travel to No. 3-seed Mingus Union (13-1, 5-1) for Saturday’s quarterfinal game at 2 p.m. 

Behind freshman quarterback Alexa Montoya and sophomore wide receiver Norija Anthony, the Wildcats controlled the game from start to finish. This statement win cemented them as one of the tougher teams to beat moving forward. 

From start to finish, Mesquite’s defense set the tone. Though St. Mary’s found some early rhythm with quick passes and option runs, the Wildcats’ defense quickly adjusted. After allowing a couple first downs on the Knights’ opening drive, Mesquite’s defensive unit tightened up and did not look back – allowing just 103 total yards for the game. 

“Defensively, we needed to stop their option,” Mesquite coach Chad Montgomery said. “We struggled the first series a little bit, but after that the girls were all over it and they executed.” 

Mesquite’s pressure forced St. Mary’s quarterback Sophia Leivian into hurried throws and disrupted timing all night. Leivian finished 9-of-19 for 78 yards and one interception, while the Knights’ run game never found any openings to break free. 

With the defense shutting things down, the Wildcats’ offense found just enough rhythm to pull away. Montoya looked well beyond her age in the biggest game of her career thus far. She completed 21 of 35 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns – both to her favorite target of the night, Anthony. 

“Norija is a great player and Alexa is a great player,” Montgomery said. “We normally like to spread the ball around a little…but it was Norija’s night tonight.”

The sophomore wideout finished with seven receptions for 100 yards and two touchdowns, showing off her ability to make some contested grabs downfield. 

Her first score came midway through the second quarter – a 15-yard strike from Montoya that capped off a four play drive and gave Mesquite a 7-0 lead. Her second came late in the third quarter – a 14-yard strike to the back of the end zone on a rollout from Montoya to extend the lead to 17-0 going into the fourth. 

“She [Montoya] knows when to throw it to me…that’s just our connection,” Anthony said. “I know when it’s my time, I don’t force it, I just wait my turn and tonight was my turn.” 

Montoya’s lone mistake, an interception thrown in an attempt to score more points before halftime, didn’t shake her confidence. She responded by leading her team to three scoring drives in the second half, showing composure as a young leader for the Wildcats. 

Despite the loss, St. Mary’s coach remained positive about his young team’s season. 

“It was a good performance, we just ran into a team that was physically a little more skilled than us,” St. Mary’s coach Michael Espinoza said. “This is such a young group I have, so just making the playoffs is a blessing. We did a good job, but watch out next year…we’re gonna make another run again.”