Dobson scored two late fourth-quarter touchdowns, but ultimately fell short 37-29 in their hopes of a comeback against Mesa.

Dobson (3-6, 0-4 Class 6A East Valley Region) was down by as much as 23 points going into the fourth quarter when it was able to manage a late comeback that brought the Mustangs within eight point.

“We did a lot of good things tonight, but we got to play four quarters,” Dobson coach Pete Wahlheim said. “I thought we played three good quarters of football we just took the third quarter off you know, got to play four quarters.”

The Mustangs’ offense was able to drive the field behind running back Issic Gomez, who had 17 carries for 73 yards also contributing in the passing game with six catches for 83 yards and one touchdown out of the slot, but a few drives ended short due to three interceptions, including one for a touchdown.

“We’ve turned the ball over all year, so we’ve talked them,” Wahlheim said. “We’ve got to take care of the ball, and we’re just not good enough to overcome turnovers right now. Got to take care of the ball.” An early second-half surge gave Mesa the cushion it needed to ride out the rest of the game, allowing the Jackrabbits to rest a couple of starters.

Wide Receiver Marcus Taylor had a field day against the Mustangs’ secondary with eight catches for 177 yards and four touchdowns, while adding a special team score with a 55-yard punt return for a touchdown.  

“I was seeing openings for me and my quarterback (Nata Hanna),” Taylor said. “I brought him back to the bench, talked to coach JT (Junior Taylor). I said, “Coach, this is what’s there.’ We tried it and it worked. He had faith in me, and we did what we did. Scored five.”

After a sluggish first half for the Jackrabbits’ offense, Hanna threw three passes, converting all for touchdowns to Marcus Taylor.

“I think as a team we all kind of came out flat,” Hanna said. “We had a good talk in the locker room. We got everyone pumped, and we came out with a different attitude, and we came out with that dog mentality.”

Mesa improved to 4-6  on the season, including 2-2 in the region.