Victoria Heppner is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Shadow Ridge for AZPreps365.com. 

“I think we are ready,” Shadow Ridge freshman Fidencio Salazar said before his first game. “With both teams out there, it’s going to be a dog fight and we’ll see who comes up with the win.”

Salazar’s depiction of a dog fight summed up the effort in Wednesday night's season-opening showdown between Shadow Ridge and Basha's freshman football teams. But Shadow Ridge still has work to do.

Basha topped the Stallions with impressive offense and strong defense in a 50-0 road win.

Both teams put all they had into the game, fighting until the final whistle. Despite the loss, the Stallions showed true passion through their willingness to never give up and their ability to leave it all on the field.

Shadow Ridge did not let the score dictate how it played, and the Stallions demonstrated perseverance by giving their all in every play.

Shadow Ridge's skills shined through despite the fact they were losing. They focused on executing plays.

The Stallions showed off their defensive skills by not allowing the Bears to score on their first two possessions, breaking through to sack Basha's quarterback.

Unfortunately for Shadow Ridge, Basha broke through after it blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown in the first quarter. Basha used the momentum to secure a touchdown on a punt return on its next possession.

Trailing 13-0, the Stallions couldn't answer.

Shadow Ridge started the second quarter with three false-start penalties, and quarterback Iverson Small threw an interception.

Despite the challenges, the Shadow Ridge offensive line protected Small, allowing only one sack. Shadow Ridge coach Justin Hendricks credited the offensive line's success to months of practice.

“We have a lot of talent,” Hendricks said. “We have been preparing for this for months and months it seems like.”

Shadow Ridge executed big plays but couldn't reach the end zone.

In the second quarter, freshman Kawika Kaowili-McLain rushed for 27 yards to give the Stallions a boost. In his first start, Small became more comfortable in the second half when he ran for three first downs and completed multiple passes that temporarily got the offense in gear.

“I’m excited to finally be able to play someone else,” Small said. “We’ve been at it with each other for a couple of months and I’m excited for the new challenge.”

Months of preparation and team scrimmaging had led the Stallions to this moment.

“Mostly I want to see how the team works together,” Salazar said before the game. “We’ve worked summers so long together and have spent months preparing and we are finally able to use it.”

Although the Stallions lost, they gained a sense of what it felt like to work as a team. They host Westwood Wednesday.