In a game that will be remembered in Cactus Shadows lore, the Falcons on Friday night defeated the Sunnyside Blue Devils 17-14 at Cactus Shadows Football Field.

With the game interrupted by an hour-long lightning delay, the Falcons stared at a seven-point deficit with 6:55 left in the third quarter.

But they battled back. After a 27-yard field goal from jack-of-all-trades Logan Foster late in the third quarter, freshman quarterback Donivan Dixon rolled right and found junior wide receiver Beau Garvey for an 18-yard touchdown in the fourth.

"We've been battle tested early," Cactus Shadows coach Chris Dixon said. "Tonight I felt like some of this battle testing actually worked and we figured out ourselves and some guys we've been trying to challenge stepped up to the plate at the perfect time." 

The victory was Dixon's first as head coach at Cactus Shadows.

"Give the boys credit, man, they did this,'' he said. "They took on the challenge and accepted it and took care of it."

This was a slugfest. Sunnyside punched in the first touchdown on a rushing score, but Cactus Shadows responded quickly. Dixon hit Foster on a slant route and Foster beat his man and ran untouched 77 yards to tie the game, 7-7.

After a scoreless second quarter, Sunnyside scored on its opening drive in the third quarter to retake the lead, 14-7. Lightning then caused the game to be delayed.

However, that didn't stop Cactus Shadows from responding once the game continued. Noah Brouse returned the ensuing kickoff 81 yards to set up Foster's 27-yard field goal to cut the deficit to four, followed by the winning touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.

"I would say we've been through so much that I think they were prepared for it," Dixon said. "I think what we did was we fed off the energy."

The energy Dixon is talking about is the fans. Despite the lightning delay dwindling a raucous home section, the Falcons rose to the challenge and responded to the fans who stuck it out.

"The fans did a great job of cheering," Dixon said. "We had a full house before the lightning, we still had a quarter of the house when the lightning came back and when we played and we won the game."

Cactus Shadows also rallied behind a great defensive performance. On its last two defensive drives, the Falcons forced and recovered a fumble and then forced a turnover on downs, sealing the victory.

The Falcons (1-1) don't have it easier next week, as they travel to Horizon to play the 31st-ranked Huskies, who are coming off of a 48-21 loss against Notre Dame Prep. But with this win, Cactus Shadows looks primed to face anybody.

"It takes a village to raise a child,'' Dixon said. "I mean, our village was huge tonight. This is why we're building Shadows Nation."