Andrew Lwowski is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Desert Vista High School for AZPreps365.com

PHOENIX -- The ninth-seeded Casteel Colts stole the thunder and upset the eighth-seeded Desert Vista Thunder, 38-29, on Friday night. The Thunder looked to make a splash in the 6A playoffs after going winless in 2020, but ultimately fell short in the first round.

On the game's opening drive, Desert Vista drove deep into Casteel territory, but penalties and a missed 38-yard field goal left the Thunder without any points. The Colts then put together a drive of their own and cashed in on a 34-yard field goal to take an early 3-0 lead.

On the ensuing drive, a Colt defender intercepted Thunder quarterback Braxton Thomas. Casteel cashed in on a six-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Landon Jury to receiver Bear Tenney to take a 10-0 lead at the half.

The first half was a low scoring, defensive battle as neither team could sustain substantial drives. That changed in the second half. Desert Vista had been a second-half team throughout the season, gaining momentum by generating turnovers on special teams when the team needed it most. “I thought it was going to be a defensive battle kind of what it was like in the first half,” said head coach Ty Wisdom. “I thought the first team to 21 was going to win the game.”

After the Colts jumped ahead 17-0 early in the third quarter, the Thunder found a spark, scoring two touchdowns just one minute apart. First, Thomas connected with freshman receiver Rylon Dillard for a 56-yard touchdown on a busted coverage in the Colts secondary. On the ensuing kickoff, the Thunder special teams made their impact, recovering a fumble in Colts territory. Thomas found the endzone on a six-yard rushing touchdown a few plays later. 

Suddenly the hosts were within a field goal, 17-14.

“We make that third phase of the game very important,” said special teams coordinator Jason Luft. “We work on special teams a lot. We talk about making a difference, either getting a turnover or setting up a score, that’s what we want to do and we’ve done a pretty good job of that all year long.”

Momentum was starting to swing in favor of the Thunder, but on their following offensive possession, the ball found the turf on a mix-up on the exchange between Thomas and running back Devon Grubbs. The Colts recovered the fumble.

Casteel cashed in again from five yards out and just as quickly as the momentum came, it vanished. After a Desert Vista punt, Casteel broke off a 47-yard rushing touchdown to take a 31-14 lead early in the fourth quarter.

“Their O-line was big and their center drove the holes open,” junior linebacker Antonio Delgado said of the Colts offensive success. “I did what I had to contain it, but we just have to come more downhill next year.”

Junior quarterback Jackson Akins replaced Thomas midway through the fourth quarter, and led the Thunder on a drive capped off by a one-yard rushing touchdown. The defense couldn’t stop the bleeding, however, as Casteel punched in another score from 17 yards out to shut the door.

“We knew this wasn’t going to be an easy game,” Grubbs said. “We knew this was going to be a dog fight from the beginning. We really relied on our run offense -- our run strength. It worked at times, but it just wasn’t in-sync so we couldn’t break the big runs we wanted.”

Grubbs finished his final game for the Thunder with 90 yards off 10 carries.

On month ago, the Thunder were 2-4 and on the verge of missing the postseason. They rallied, first beating Higley in an epic 17-point comeback, 38-37, on October 22nd. Three weeks later Desert Vista outlasted Ahwatukee rival Mountain Pointe in an overtime thriller, 28-21, propelling them to the eight seed with home-field advantage.

“I just wanted them (the seniors) to have the best year they could possibly have,” Wisdom said of a group that will lose 26 seniors to graduation. “I hope that when they look back on it, they had an enjoyable senior year. The wins and losses – yes, they’re great -- but at the end of the day I want these kids to have a great experience and come out a better person. That's why I love this game, it's hard, it's a grind, but it's one of those things that if you stick with it, it's very rewarding to where it prepares you for every aspect of life.”

 

From failing to win a game in 2020 to a 5-5 regular season and hosting a playoff game in 2021, the Thunder football program is headed in the right direction under Wisdom.