Desert Mountain downs Canyon View for 5A state football championship
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Desert Mountain football coach Conrad Hamilton, a former NFL defensive back in his sixth year leading the Scottsdale program, makes a conscious effort not to smile on game days.
That effort came to an end on a chilly Friday night, Dec. 5, at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe as No. 9 Scottsdale Desert Mountain defeated No. 6 Waddell Canyon View, 21-7, in the 5A state high school championship game, securing the first-ever football title for the Wolves.
Hamilton was all smiles afterwards, celebrating with his team and family.
“I just feel very prideful,” Hamilton said. “I’m happy for our community, school, our players and the staff, the parents that put in a lot for their kids to be a part of this program. Our booster people that sacrifice a lot to get us the things we need to be successful on and off the field. Tomorrow, I’ll wake up – I probably won’t be able to sleep tonight because of the exhilaration right now. It’s awesome. Happy for our boys.”
Desert Mountain was led by two passing touchdowns from junior quarterback Grant Garduno, tossing one to sophomore wide receiver Kai Tschen and another to junior tight end Jaden Lindley. Its defense allowed the Jaguars only 88 yards of total offense.
The Wolves started off the game with a 17-play, 87-yard scoring drive that took nearly the entire first quarter. The drive ended with Desert Mountain sophomore running back Easton Conner getting close to the goal-line before fumbling and junior tight end Davian Whitener recovering the ball in the end zone for a touchdown to make it 7-0 with 47 seconds left in the first quarter.
The team was able to work its way through three penalties on the first drive, including two on the first three snaps.
“That’s insane, our longest all season,” Garduno said about the opening drive. “We shot ourselves in the foot in the beginning with penalties. To able to come back shows how gritty our team is. Not how we drew it up, but it gets us seven points.”
The game became a defensive stalemate after that as the two teams punted back-and-forth for most of the second quarter. Desert Mountain’s secondary, led by senior defensive back Ryan McDonough, clamped down on Canyon View’s prolific offense.
Five punts were traded between the two teams.
Canyon View managed to finally break through with 3:12 left in the second quarter as senior quarterback Brady Scott connected with senior wide receiver Brandon Catalan for a 21-yard touchdown to tie it. The Jaguars were gifted a short field after a poor punt from Desert Mountain, followed by an illegal procedure penalty to put the ball at the Wolves’ 19-yard line.
That was the only score of the night for Canyon View and one of the few times the Jaguars entered Desert Mountain territory. Canyon View came into the game averaging 41 points per game in the playoffs. Scott, who was pulled late after suffering a concussion, finished the game 9 of 23 passing for 78 yards and one touchdown.
“We’ll watch it on the film on Monday – that should’ve been an interception,” Hamilton said. “But they're kids. They make mistakes from time to time. But overall, the defense played excellent. They did.”
Desert Mountain broke out of its offensive rut in the third quarter on a long pass from Garduno to Tschen. With the game tied at 7, Garduno hit a sprinting Tschen down the right sideline for a 49-yard touchdown to go up 14-7 with 8:52 left in the third.
It was the longest play of the game for either team.
“I’m so excited for him,” Garduno said. “He has the potential to do it every time. I’m so proud of him for coming down with it in this moment.”
Desert Mountain added to its lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter, with Garduno connecting with Lindley on a 13-yard pass to make it 21-7 with 10:19 remaining in the game to effectively seal it.
Conner finished with 105 yards and 21 carries and was named offensive MVP, while McDonough, with 7 tackles, 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble and recovery, earned defensive MVP. It is the first year that the Arizona Interscholastic Association is awarding MVP honors, which are voted on by media members.
After consecutive 5A semifinal appearances in 2021 and 2022, followed by back-to-back invites to the Open Division playoffs, Desert Mountain (12-3) is finally on top under Hamilton. The roster is young as well, with only 11 seniors.
“He’s turned this program around completely,” Garduno said. “…Before he was here, we were a 3-7, 2-8 team. For him to flip that around and now our first state championship, hopefully more, it feels great.”
A distraught J.R. Alcantar had to be consoled by his family after the game. The Canyon View coach was in tears following the loss.
It was truly a groundbreaking season for Canyon View (11-3). The school hadn’t even won a playoff game before this season. There is momentum building in Waddell.
“We’re young too, we’ll be back here next year,” Alcantar said. “People don’t realize how fast we have changed in one year. I’m proud of the boys. We bring back a lot of these kids. It’s exciting. Future’s bright. ”
Logan Stanley is a sports reporter with The Arizona Republic who primarily focuses on high school, college and Olympic sports. To suggest ideas for human-interest stories and other news, reach out to Stanley at logan.stanley@usatodayco.com or 707-293-7650. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @LSscribe.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Desert Mountain beats Canyon View in 5A for state football title
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