Erik Ruby
ASU Student Journalist

Chandler continues dominance in Arizona as Wolves cruise past Mesa

August 31, 2018 by Erik Ruby, Arizona State University


The Wolves warm up before their 62-0 victory against Mesa Friday night. (Photo by Erik Ruby/AZPreps365)

After suffering a Week 1 loss to California’s nationally third-ranked Corona Centennial, Chandler  looked to pounce on its competition back home and establish its spot as the best team in Arizona. And pounce the Wolves did.

The Wolves ran through Boulder Creek 49-21 in Week 2. They then turned their focus to continuing their dominance against Mesa Friday night.

Chandler took care of business at home with a 62-0 victory. The Wolves (2-1) struck early and often scoring a touchdown on their first three possessions of the game.

The mood on the Chandler sideline was never stiff. Players danced to music. They were ready. 

Chandler, decked out in blue uniforms and white numbers, not only talked the talk, but walked the walk.

Despite the confidence exuding from the players on the sideline before kickoff, middle linebacker Zach Bowers said the Wolves never get complacent.

“We have the same mindset week in or week out no matter the opponent,” Bowers said. “[We] treat every game like a championship game.”

The starters made their impact immediately as Chandler led Mesa 20-0 at the end of the first quarter and 48-0 at the half.

With the game already in control, coach Shaun Aguano’s Wolves started to get some reps in with the second and third string players.

But according to outside linebacker and defensive end Tate Romney, the starters still have a role to play when the bench is in the game.

“We got to keep the seconds and the thirds going, we got to keep the enthusiasm,” Romney said. “That way we carry the momentum and finish strong.”

Even with the backup players in, Mesa still had no way of getting any momentum going.

The Jackrabbits couldn’t avoid a possession without a penalty. False starts, holding and illegal substitution penalties suffocated Mesa’s small chance of hanging on. They barely sniffed a first down all game.

Even with a large lead, Chandler continued to dominate, refusing to take its foot off the gas. The Wolves played with fire, passion and intensity for all four quarters.

Aguano said one of the reasons his team was playing with a chip on its shoulder was the oss to Corona Centennial.  

"We got humbled that first game,” Aguano said. “We have enough talent to be there in the end, but we have to keep working week by week.”

With back-to-back, in-state wins by a large margin, the Wolves will travel to Nevada next week and play Las Vegas’s Faith Lutheran l as part of the Polynesian Football Classic.