John Busker is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Desert Edge High School for AZPreps365.com.

GOODYEAR - Twin brothers Mark and Marcus Carter had plenty to celebrate on Friday. Their school, the Desert Edge Scorpions won its first-round 5A playoff game by a score of 43-7 in a rematch with the Canyon View Jaguars (7-4). 

Having won the first matchup in September, 34-6, the twins, who also happen to be the Goodyear-based high school's co-coaches, entered the postseason confident. With Mark leading the offense and Marcus commanding the defense, the two siblings have crafted a team that they believe can win a 5A state title.

“Our expectations are to win the whole thing,” said Marcus Carter. “It’s an honor to be a part of this precious tourney, but if you're not going into it to win a ring, then why are you here?”

There is a reason for their confidence, of course. The Scorpions produced a number of individuals who excelled within the Desert West region this season. Their quarterback, Adryan Lara, was named 5A Desert West Offensive Player of the Year. One of their cornerbacks, Breshaun Brown, won Defensive Player of the Year. Not to mention that the Scorpions also have their region’s Player of the Year, defensive end Maxwell Sawyer. Topping off the bounty of awards, the Carter brothers were named Coaches of the Year for a team that entered the postseason with a 7-2 record.

 Desert Edge struck first on a touchdown from running back Christopher Cordero. The defense then forced Canyon View to punt from its own 26-yard-line with a little more than three minutes remaining in the first quarter. The Jaguar punt was badly shanked, actually coming to rest six yards behind the line of scrimmage. The Scorpions, already ahead 7-0, ran off the field celebrating, knowing their next drive was going to start in the red zone. 

The play, however, was not over. A Jaguar player scooped up the ball and ran it 80 yards to the end zone. The officials deliberated, then ruled that because the ball bounced behind the line of scrimmage, it was a live ball, and the touchdown stood. After a questionable call, the game was tied at seven.

The ensuing kickoff restored order for the Scorpions. Aundre Gibson caught the ball at the 10-yard-line, ran straight upfield, made a Canyon View defender miss, and kept on running until he reached paydirt. After the extra point, the Scorpions regained their seven-point lead, 14-7.

“It builds confidence,” said Marcus Carter. “This year we’ve been practicing really hard on special teams because we want to win at every phase of the game, and we definitely won on special teams tonight.”

“It gave us another spark,” added Mark Carter. “Not to say we were down, but we were puzzled. For him to just run that back it was like ‘Yeah, okay, we’re right back at it.’”

Christopher Cordero celebrates his second touchdown (John Busker/AZPreps365)

From that point forward it was all Scorpions. A touchdown pass on a wide-receiver screen to Fabian Lopez made it 20-7 at halftime, as the extra point hit the upright.

In the second half the Scorpions did not take their foot off the gas. The offense scored 17 points on its three drives. The first touchdown came off a 21-yard fade route to the back right corner of the end zone from the quarterback, Lara, to receiver Vinny Mansfield.

“I knew I was throwing it the whole way,” said Lara. “I think my guy is better than their guy. I might be biased but I’m gonna just throw it up and give him a shot.”

Overall, the offense used a very balanced attack. Lara finished 16 of 23 for 191 yards and threw two touchdowns, while his running back, Cordero, had 19 carries for 171 yards and picked up two touchdowns on the ground.

“We pride ourselves on being balanced,” said Mark Carter. “Having a quarterback like Adryan you want to throw the ball a lot, but when guys are dropping eight [defenders] against you, it’s really tough so we gotta soften them up a little bit.”

Both co-head coaches approach the game with an aggressive mindset. Mark rarely ever calls for the punt team (the Scorpions punted once Friday) and Marcus sends heavy pressure at the opposing quarterback all game long. The brothers believe their go-for-broke style works well for them, as they can rely on each other if something goes wrong on their side of the ball.

“I’m a different play-caller with a defense like that,” said Mark Carter. “I can run the ball on third down because I know I’m going for it on fourth, and it messes with teams because with a quarterback like Adryan they think we’re probably gonna throw, and then we’ll hand the ball off. We can be down in our own territory and we’re going for it.”

The defense added a cherry on top to its shut-out performance in the game. On the first drive of the second half, cornerback Cameron Foster picked off a high pass and ran it back for a touchdown. In total, the defense forced two turnovers on the night, the other coming from a Sawyer strip-sack late in the fourth that cemented the Jaguars' (7-4) defeat.

“We were locked in,” said Marcus Carter. “Scheming all week, being locked in all week, having the best corners in the state, having the Defensive Player of the Year and the Player of the Year. In November and December, you gotta play defense and run the football and our defense takes pride in giving my brother back the ball.”

Desert Edge advances in the 5A state playoffs. The Scorpions will host Tucson Desert View High School next Friday in the quarterfinals.