By Zach Alvira
Head of Content
For over a year, Desert Edge reflected on what could have been after its last trip to Mountain America Stadium.
The Scorpions rallied against Higley, forcing overtime and came just inches away from winning the 5A state title. But a holding call kept them out of the end zone and ultimately, away from the trophy.
Turmoil followed the team, leading to the resignation of co-head coaches Mark and Marcus Carter and what many believed to be the start of the downfall of the Desert Edge program. But Henri MacArthur, a longtime assistant stepped in. Players and the rest of the coaching staff bought in.
They didn't listen to the outside noise and instead only focused on themselves. It paid off in dividends Friday night, as the Scorpions captured their first state title since 2015, beating rival Cactus 28-19.
"It feels amazing, I'm just happy for the kids," MacArthur said. "They've earned it, they've worked hard. I'm glad they got to see the fruits of their labor."
Desert Edge got going early.
On the Scorpions' opening drive, sophomore quarterback Blake Roskops connected with wideout Malakai Moala for an 85-yard touchdown. It was the second play of the game for the Scorpions, and just the first throw for the young quarterback.
He admitted he didn't have many nerves entering the state title bout. To him and his teammates, they approached it like it was any other game. But MacArthur said it set the tone for the rest of the game, something Roskopf had done since stepping into the starting role in Week 6 of the season.
Before Roskopf took over at quarterback, Desert Edge's offense struggled. The Scorpions couldn't sustain drives, leading to a 1-3 start to the season. But Roskopf turned things around. Elijah Sherbin-Fox, who previously started at quarterback, took the change in stride and found his niche on the defensive side of the ball as a pass rusher and athlete on offense.
He was a difference maker, and more importantly a team player. Especially for Roskopf.
"[Sherbin-Fox] is a great athlete. If you get him the ball he's going to make a play," said Roskopf, who finished 9-of-14 for 256 yards and two total touchdowns. "I feel like our offense is very explosive. We were just waiting for a little spark."
The early touchdown gave way to six straight drives with turnovers by both teams. Fumble after fumble followed by an interception from Roskopf created a sloppily played game in the first half. Neither team could sustain offensive drives, as they would cough up the ball several plays in and deep in opponent territory.
There were six total fumbles in the first half alone. Four of them went to the other team. Roskopf's interception was the fifth turnover of the half.
But with turnovers comes opportunities for a defense. Joshua Hopphaus, Desert Edge's talented senior linebacker, made that clear in the second quarter when he scooped up his second fumble recovery and returned it 78 yards for a touchdown. It gave Desert Edge some cushion heading into the half, something MacArthur said his team needed.
"That was a big play being able to go into the half on that note," MacArthur said. "It was a little bit of a cushion. I think we came out and got a stop on the first drive in the second half. It was big."
Roskopf extended Desert Edge's lead in the third quarter with a 25-yard run up the middle. Almost 7 minutes of game time later, he connected with Sherbin-Fox on a screen. Sherbin-Fox did the rest, breaking multiple tackles on his way to a 74-yard touchdown.
Desert Edge was on cruise control from there. At least, so it seemed.
Cactus started to rally, scoring its first touchdown of the game just before the third quarter ended thanks to a 3-yard run by Tristan Varga. Varga scored again in the fourth as he was on the receiving end of a 5-yard pass from quarterback Antonio Casias.
The Cobras cut into Desert Edge's lead but had their point-after attempt blocked. Late in the fourth, the Cobras scored once more. Tayejion Player punched it in from 3 yards out. But again, the PAT was blocked, ending Cactus' chance at a miraculous comeback.
Cactus' final drive down two scores began with over 2 minutes remaining and a chance. However, time was quickly taken away by back-to-back sacks from Desert Edge defensive end Jerry Washington. The senior, who signed with San Diego State on Wednesday, knew he had to come up big for his team in the moment.
Even though the Cobras scored, the time that came off the clock from his two sacks made a comeback impossible.
"I was getting frustrated because I was getting double teamed all night," Washington said. "I told my team I was going to come out in the second half and destroy stuff. We kept the energy, the whole defense, and we succeeded."
MacArthur stopped shot of taking credit for what Desert Edge was able to accomplish this season. The Scorpions were counted out, written off and picked to lose by many in the first round of the playoffs.
But they had a championship pedigree all along, it just took time for it to emerge. Luckily, it did at the right time.
"The kids are the ones who put in the work," MacArthur said. "I'm happy for Desert Edge and the community."
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