Walker Smith is an Arizona State Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to Cover Cesar Chavez High School for AZPreps365.com

LAVEEN-- The senior ceremony was the only play that went according to plan for the Cesar Chavez football team during its 45-7 loss to Desert Vista at home on Friday night. From injuries to ejections to unlucky plays, nothing went right for the Champions in its last home game of the regular season. 

With starting quarterback Jorge Beltran sidelined due to an injured knee, sophomore Jeramiah Uriarte was thrust into battle. Uriarte was making his first varsity start after playing the second half of last week’s contest against Basha.

“I felt nervous for my first start,” Uriarte said. “I tried my hardest today, but it didn’t go so well.”

Desert Vista did not give the sophomore quarterback anything to work with throughout. Uriarte completed only seven out of 24 passes for 87 yards and one touchdown that came on the Champions’ last drive to junior receiver Jose Rivera from six yards out.

Senior Damien Scott running the ball the play before their only touchdown. (Walker Smith/AZPreps365)Desert Vista started by running the ball on nine of its first 10 plays, shoving the pigskin into the endzone on a seven-yard rushing touchdown by sophomore Christian Clark with 7:11 left in the first quarter. 

After Cesar Chavez punted on its next drive, Clark punished the Champions by finding the endzone again from 18 yards out with 1:05 left in the first quarter.

Desert Vista was a well-oiled machine with its two-headed monster in the backfield. Quarterback Braxton Thomas and running back Christian Clark rushed for a combined 286 yards and five touchdowns. 

“They had a big load at quarterback,” said Cesar Chavez coach William Chipley. “It’s frustrating because we’re talking and showing adjustments and the kids are dialed into what they’re seeing. They just have some bigger bodies down there. Sometimes it doesn’t matter what we say or coach up. If you have bigger kids than us you’ll be able to grind out some yards.”

Cesar Chavez couldn’t get anything to go its way all night. With the Thunder already leading 14-0, punter Geovany Parra fumbled a snap and gifted Desert Vista a possession. The Champions also fell victim to an onside kick that bounced off sophomore Tremarion Thomas’s chest late in the second quarter, which led to a 25-yard touchdown by Thomas.

Along with fluke plays, Cesar Chavez players dropped like flies. Defensive linemen Marzhon Hooks was ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct after shoving a Desert Vista player with under a minute left in the first half. No one else was ejected during the incident.

Running back Deven Highsmith left the game late with a head injury. Wide receivers Kezion Dia-Johnson, Myseth Currie, and Christopher Madden also left the game for a period due to injury as well.

“That’s my biggest concern right now, the safety of the players,” Chipley said. “They’re so young, but we gotta play them. We can’t come out here and just forfeit a game. They’ll get the experience from it and we’ll be better.”

Cesar Chavez falls to 5-4 four and 0-3 in the region. The Champions travel to Mesa Mountain View to close out the regular season next week to battle the Toros.