Logan Stanley is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Red Mountain High School for AZPreps365.com

MESA – This year was supposed to be a pivotal season for Red Mountain senior wide receiver Ja’kobi Lane, who recently committed to the University of Southern California and is regarded as one of the top football players in the state of Arizona. But after only 39 yards in the first two games, Lane was struggling to get open while facing defenses that were loading up to stop him.

Those struggles came to an end on Friday night at Jim Jones Field in Mesa as Red Mountain defeated visiting Desert Ridge, 35-25, fueled by two spectacular second-quarter touchdowns from Lane.

The game got off to a rough start for the Mountain Lions, with senior quarterback Carter Crispin and Lane fumbling the exchange on the very first play of offense. The Jaguars recovered the fumble, but were held to a 23-yard field goal by junior kicker Rylen Thomson to make it 3-0 with 9:55 remaining in the first quarter.

Another fumble happened on the ensuing drive for Red Mountain. Two running play attempts had resulted in two fumbles. The offense was sputtering to start the game, but the defense held firm and kept the Desert Ridge offense from the end zone. After one quarter of play, Desert Ridge held a 3-0 lead.

Then, Lane put his stamp on the game with two signature catches.

On 3rd and goal at the 7:53 mark in the second quarter and in need of a score, Crispin floated a pass high into the left corner of the end zone. At first, the pass looked like it may sail over Lane’s hands, but the USC commit used all of his 6-foot-5-inch frame to come down and secure the ball.

“We have a heavy formation,” Lane said. “We only have one play that’s designed for it to be a pass. It’s called 92. From the moment it got called, I was like, ‘Alright. It’s a touchdown. I’m just gonna levitate over this dude and go get it.’ Carter threw it perfectly. It was just a matter of going up and getting it. I knew I could do that.”

USC commit WR Ja’kobi Lane making his presence felt with this nifty 3-yard TD catch from Crispin. #azpreps365 #azfb

Red Mountain 7, Desert Ridge 3 | 7:53, 1Q. pic.twitter.com/IGsPZHupCD

— Logan Stanley (@LSscribe) September 17, 2022

Following his first touchdown of the season, Lane turned, stopped and stared into the crowd with his hands tucked into his chest – almost as if to intimate that he was announcing his arrival for the season.

“I definitely felt the juice,” Lane said. “I wanted to spin the ball – but coach [Kyle] Enders would have gotten real mad at me, so I didn’t do it."

After the two teams exchanged drives and with the ball back in the hands of the Jaguars, senior strong safety Elijah Albee recovered a fumble to put the Mountain Lions in their opponents’ territory. 

On 1st and 10 from the Desert Ridge 15-yard line with 2:15 left in the second quarter, Crispin pump-faked the defender to create a bit of separation before launching the ball into nearly the same exact spot as the first touchdown from Lane – and again, the result was the same.

“I know he’s going to be open. That’s what you know about Ja’kobi,” Crispin said. “He’s going to be in the right spot at the right time. He’s always going to be the one to make the play. It’s nice having him out there knowing I can count on him. It definitely makes me comfortable. Just knowing that I can go back to him whenever I need to is good for me. It’s a lot of help out there.”

Lane hauls in another ridiculous TD catch, this one a 15-yard pass from Crispin. Lane is starting to take over this game.

Red Mountain 14, Desert Ridge 3 | 2:15, 2Q. #azpreps365 #azfb pic.twitter.com/wR71dm9HM6

— Logan Stanley (@LSscribe) September 17, 2022

For the game, Lane finished with six receptions for 36 yards and two touchdowns. While the stat line may not be gaudy, the impact of Lane’s play was clearly imprinted on the game as a whole. 

Coming off a loss at Sandra Day O’Connor and following a tough week of practice, Enders was looking to his star wide receiver to make his presence known.

It was only a five-minute stretch of actual game time, but that was all Lane needed to put his stamp on the contest.

“Athletically-gifted, there’s not a better player in the state,” Enders said. “He’s a freak. And you saw it tonight with some of those incredible catches. Those are ridiculous.”