The Mesa Jackrabbits found success on both sides of the ball Friday to beat the Dobson Mustangs 37-29 in a Class 6A East Valley Region rivalry on Mesa’s Senior Night

Mesa senior Marcus Taylor had five touchdowns in Friday night’s win. He and senior quarterback Nate Hanna linked for four touchdowns through the air, and Taylor had an electric 65-yard punt return that flipped the momentum in Mesa’s favor for the rest of the game.

“My team believed in me,” Taylor said. “I believed in my team. I thought I could do what I did tonight and coach believed in me, so I did it, and we were scoring.”

Mesa’s Kris Jackson left the game early in the second quarter due to hamstring tightness and finished with 21 yards, keeping him at 1,812 this season. But the Jackrabbits did not need their senior running back as Hanna and Taylor provided most of the offense with 179 yards on their connections.

“Both just did a great job with stepping up and making great plays,” Mesa assistant coach Junior Taylor said. “Especially when Dobson filled the box with eight guys, and they were daring us to throw. Marcus and Nate were able to connect several times and it helps us a lot.”

The Jackrabbits defense stepped up big-time and shut out the Mustangs in the second and third quarter. They intercepted Dobson quarterback Nicolas Saro three times, and sophomore Sili Fonoti returned one of them for a touchdown by.

“We were just prepared to do whatever we need to do to win,” Junior Taylor said. “We got a touchdown from special teams, and we also got one on defense. All those things helped us tonight.”

The defense also brought the pressure and compiled four sacks. Mesa managed to win the turnover battle, and it was vital to the team’s success.

“No matter what happens, they keep fighting,” Hanna said about his defense. “They’ve got that mentality to seek and destroy. Obviously, when they get those turnovers, it’s a big momentum swing. It boosts the offense just as much as them.”

Mustangs junior quarterback Nicolas Saro finished with two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. However, his three interceptions were costly.

“We’ve turned the ball over all year,” Dobson coach Peter Wahlheim said. “We are just not good enough to overcome turnovers right now. Have to take care of the ball.”

Dobson junior Issic Gomez was everywhere Friday night. He was rushing, receiving and returning for the Mustangs and tallied a touchdown reception.

“He plays his tail off every day,” Wahlheim said. “He works and plays his butt off. If we had 11 of him, we’d be OK.”

Mesa had big shoes to fill after Jackson left the game with his injury. Junior running back Vili Pulotu stepped in and had a solid game.

“Marcus Taylor had a huge game,” Junior Taylor said. “But we also were able to run the ball efficiently in the second half with Vili. We are proud of him. It’s hard to get a lot of carries when you’re playing behind No. 5 (Jackson). It’s great to watch him go out there and run hard and physical.”

Both Mesa and Dobson will finish their season Friday with East Valley matchups. Mesa (4-6, 2-2 in East Valley) will travel to Mountain View and Dobson (3-6, 0-4) hosts Skyline.