Hosting the Green Valley Gators for homecoming weekend, the Desert Pines Jaguars looked to establish themselves as the team to beat in the 5A Desert League but the game didn’t fall their way.
With Eddie Sandoval leading the way at quarterback, the Jaguars opened the game with immediate success moving the ball with ease. Looking dominant early, they would cap the first drive with a 47-yard Jovantae Barnes sprint to the end zone for an early 7-0 lead.
The Gators looked to answer on the ensuing drive pushing the ball into Desert Pines territory but a missed field goal would leave them down by a score. Both defensive units would come alive from there limiting offensive success with the Jags coming up with the first turnover on an interception by former Gator Tyree Beasley.
Taking over in Gator territory, it didn’t take many plays before Sandoval used a fake handoff to find open space to get to the end zone giving Desert Pines a 14-0 halftime lead.
In the second half, the Gators chose to use a heavy dose of running back Jaylin McKnight to move down field. With McKnight allowing the Gators to control the clock and rack up positive yards, they quickly got back in the contest.
Quarterback Josiah Vitale capped the Gators first drive with a touchdown pass to Alfredo Rodriguez before the Gators added a game tying score on a short run by Josiah Edwards tying the game at 14 all to enter the fourth quarter.
The Gators would lose McKnight to injury but they found momentum on their side with the defense making life tough for the Jaguar offense. The Vitale-Rodriguez connection would work again on another big play that would see several missed tackles that put Green Valley in the lead 21-14.
The Jags would threaten again on the next two drives with several impressive running plays but neither would see them enter the endzone as the Gators walked away with a key win in the run for the playoffs.
The Gators moved to 5-1 on the season, controlling their own destiny in the quest to earn one of the top two seeds.
The Jaguars moved to 3-2 on the season, likely falling to the third or fourth seed that would send them on the road versus Bishop Gorman, Arbor View or Foothill.
