Losing last year’s 4A state title to Mesquite High School, their second straight season-ending one-point setback to the Wildcats, had been on the mind of seemingly every Cactus Cobra--all the way back to the first day of spring football practice, head coach Joseph Ortiz said.

“In every way, shape or form,” he said. “We’ve been game-planning for these guys every single day.”

Friday, Sept. 3, in the Coaches for Charity Kickoff Classic, Cactus’ returning quarterback and several of his senior playmakers ensured the preparation showed in a 56-6 opening blowout of the Wildcats under Northern Arizona University’s Walkup Skydome.

“I knew that we had this in us, but I didn’t expect it, no,” Cobras quarterback Will Galvan said. “I just wanted to play football how I knew I could play football.

"It’s honestly a blessing to come out here and perform like that.”

The junior was not only the Cobras’ leading rusher with 81 yards and a touchdown, he passed for 140 yards and two more scores, running in the two-point conversion both times, and recovered a fumble to set up yet another touchdown. 

“I feel like I haven’t been a great quarterback; I’ve been more of a running back,” he added. “I’m just trying to better my game, to be honest. Be a better player, all-around.”

After being so overshadowed, in his first two season-ending losses, by National Offensive Player of the Year Ty Thompson that Galvan did not make an all-4A team despite being the West Valley Region's incumbent Offensive Player of the Year, he discovered openings in the Wildcat defense under Northern Arizona University’s Walkup Skydome beginning midway through the second quarter, slipping the football through like quicksilver to big plays.

“That’s why he’s the 4A returning [offensive] underclassman of the year,” Ortiz said. “He made some mistakes, but he’s just so athletic, so fast and so dynamic, he just gives you that extra gear. 

“So if you know where the play is, he’ll get it. It may not be there, but he’s going to make something out of it.”

By no means, though, did Galvan hang more than half a hundred on Mesquite alone. In fact, Mesquite actually scored first, and not until more than four minutes had elapsed in the second quarter.

Thompson’s successor behind center, Gerardo Saenz, hooked up with fellow upperclassman Andrew Morris down their sidelines for a 24-yard connection the Wildcats could not cap with an extra point.

“Their game plan was to take the ball out of our hands, and milk the clock, and they did,” Ortiz said. “We only had 14 plays in the first half.”

Not to mention zero first downs on offense. 

“I think we have a lot more work to do,” he added. “I think we just did average tonight. The sky’s the limit, but we’ve got to get a lot more sound, blocking-wise. 

“Do we have a lot more athletes? Yeah, but that’s not going to win games.”

But Mesquite barely had a chance to celebrate its 6-0 lead before one of those senior athletes, Cactus wide receiver Chris Thomas Jr. took the subsequent kickoff in stride the other way down the Mesquite sidelines. Pursuit by the Wildcats' special teams proved futile, and 75 yards and an extra point later, Cactus had not only responded but took a lead it would never relinquish, 7-6, with 7:42 remaining in the half.

“Chris Thomas taking the kick return to the house changed the whole game,” Ortiz said. “We’re very successful on our special teams, because we focus hard. Everybody put a lot of work into them.”

It doesn’t hurt when another of your athletes is the 4A Defensive Player of the Year, senior linebacker Ata Teutupe. After helping to pin Mesquite inside its own 5-yard-line on the subsequent kickoff, Teutupe picked off an attempted screen by Saenz and nearly muscled the interception into the end zone himself.

Junior Damian Jiles, who could only rush for 12 yards after carving up the Mesquite defense for 123 in the title game, would score the first of his two touchdowns from the 8 two plays later. 

After playing to a scoreless stalemate the first 16 minutes, the Cobras were, after just 16 seconds, leading their nemesis, 13-6.

This time, they would not look back, forcing a three-and-out and another Saenz punt with less than five minutes to play in the half. Galvan would do the rest from the Mesquite 37, reversing his field on the rollout and outrunning the defense to put the Cobras up, 20-6, going into the locker room.

Once Cactus had stopped Mesquite’s final offensive drive of the half, it had the opportunity, by receiving the second-half opening kickoff, to put the Wildcats away. Three plays into the Cobras’ first series at midfield, Galvan did so, finding junior wide receiver Polo Banuelos in a seam in the secondary. Galvan faked the extra point, took a direct snap to sneak in the two-point conversion, and with barely a minute elapsed in the second half, the rout was on at 28-6.

Unlike Cactus’ two previous losses to Mesquite, in which Thompson engineered second-half comebacks down two touchdowns, Galvan would pile on three minutes later with his recovery of a Wildcats fumble at their 3-yard-line.

Two plays later, senior Gabriel Reyes would barrel in for a 35-6 Cactus lead. 

Teutupe and the Cactus defense clamped down, forcing a turnover on downs at the Mesquite 37 before another senior, wideout Joseph Lagafuaina, broke Mesquite’s back--and a couple of tackles--with less than five minutes in the quarter after Galvan found him through the air to go up, 43-6.

His next series ending the third quarter, Galvan stayed in--almost too long. Three plays before the end of the third quarter, his 20-yard rush from the Mesquite 25 took him twice as many yards, from north to south, to get.

It also proved to be his final play of the night. After that run, Galvan tapped out, giving way to Lagafuaina’s younger brother, sophomore backup Braiden Lagafuaina.

“This elevation did that to me,” Galvan said. “I’ve just got to have better conditioning.”

Two plays later, Jiles took it in again to end the quarter up, 50-6.

“Will’s an athlete: He’s gassed, but he’s OK,” Ortiz said. “We pre-condition for games during the season, so we’ve just got to grind and get back in the weight room.

"Not every game we can only play three quarters, so we’ve just got to get our wind back.” 

Braiden Lagafuaina would cap a final, more sustained, Cobra drive in the fourth quarter with a 14-yard fade to Thomas for his second score, mercifully ending the carnage with 1:42 to play.