Ben Rodziewicz is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Cactus Shadows High School for AZPreps365.com.

 

The Cactus Shadows Falcons took on the Las Vegas Wildcats at 6 p.m. on October 5 in Cave Creek, Arizona, winning the contest 48-34 led by quarterback Donivan Dixon and running back Andrew Muirhead. 

Cactus Shadows entered the game ranked No. 22 in Arizona with Las Vegas ranked No. 17 in Nevada.

The Falcons started with a touchdown run from Muirhead to open with a 7-0 lead. Dixon threw an interception with 3:28 left in the first quarter, and the game tied 7-7. 

With 1:35 left in the second quarter, Coach Chris Dixon elected for his offense to go for the first down on fourth-and-14 but was stopped by the Las Vegas defense. 

Cactus Shadows entered halftime with a 27-20 lead.

After the half, Cactus Shadows began to pull away with Dixon throwing two touchdown passes: one to junior receiver, Alex Dafnis, and the other, a 63-yard throw, to junior receiver, Dillon Aspiras. 

Dixon said he takes accountability for missing some reads. 

“Our pass game still has to get better,” Dixon said. “There’s still reads I'm missing, just little things we’re missing.”

The Falcons ended with a defensive safety in the fourth quarter to bring the score to 48-34 for a 5-1 record overall and 0-1 in regional play. 

With 192 rushing yards on 28 carries and two touchdowns, Muirhead said he credits his teammates for his running success. 

“I give a lot of credit to my offensive line, making sure those holes were open for me,” said the senior. “I just knew I had to make a couple of people miss.” 

Muirhead was named starter after running back, Jake King, went out with an injury.

Dixon ended the game with two interceptions, the most in a game this season. Dixon said he takes accountability for his mistakes and will work on them. 

“I’m definitely going to watch the film tonight, tomorrow morning and see what I missed,” he said postgame. “The little things I could’ve changed to not have those interceptions.” 

Falcons quarterback Dixon has 1,355 passing yards and 666 rushing yards with a total of 24 touchdowns on the season. 

Cactus Shadows competes next at Desert Mountain on Thursday, October 10 at 7 p.m. 

The latest ranking for Cactus Shadows is No. 12 in the 5A conference, and Desert Mountain is ranked No. 2 in 5A and No. 2 in the open division. 

Dixon said he feels good about his team's chances this season in their region.

“I feel like we can run the table this year,” Dixon said.