The scoreboard operators at Gilbert Mesquite High got a bit of rest on Friday night (Sept. 2).

There wasn’t much to do in a game that ended 8-7, with Mesquite defeating Mesa Red Mountain.

The low score didn’t mean the game was boring. Sure, there were penalties, interceptions, dropped passes and the like, but that’s what is great about high school football – you just never know what is going to happen.

A tip of the helmet goes to Mesquite backup quarterback Ryan Diedrick, who played the second half after a concussion sent starter Steven Bevan to the sideline. Bevan also is the team’s punter, and the No. 2 man, Karai Keil, came up with a key first down in the fourth quarter on a fake punt.

And there was senior running back Anthony Lopez, who rushed for 130 yards. Nearly half of that, as well as a 10-yard pass reception, came on the fourth-quarter drive that produced the go-ahead touchdown, on an 8-yard pass from Diedrick to running back Steven Ittaihua with 4:33 left in the game.

Lopez plays much bigger than his 6-foot, 205-pound roster listing, and he has deceptive speed. He also rushed for more than 100 yards in a season-opening win over Gilbert Highland.

Matt Gracey has done a nice job thus far in his first year leading the Mesquite program. In the talent-rich southeast Valley, there always seems to be room for one more good team.

Things also are looking bright for Red Mountain, in its second year of Ron Wisneiwski’s tenure. The Mountain Lions figure to be right in the thick of the race in Division I, Section III.

Mason Thorman continues to develop into a good leader at quarterback. He has two fine passing targets in Aeron Carr and Marcus Brantley, and the offensive line has potential despite the yardage drought against Mesquite.

Juan Zuniga came up with a couple of big plays, including a 56-yard interception return for Red Mountain’s only touchdown. He is listed as a linebacker but his body type says safety.

More from the Week 2 retrospective . . .

*Phoenix Brophy Prep continues to be on a path toward a successful crescendo . . . junior Tyler Bruggman appears to be healed after an ankle injury put him out last year. He will be the first to tell you that he is nothing without his offensive line, and the Broncos have a reputation for developing crisp-blocking big men.

Brophy earned a 45-33 win over Anthem Boulder Creek, and Boulder Creek quarterback Trevor Bonifasi had a big game, running for four touchdowns.

*The odds were with Round Valley and new coach Marcus Bell as they invaded Bell’s former playing territory in St. Johns. St. Johns had lost to Class 3A champion Show Low in Week 1, but emotion carried the Redskins to an 18-8 victory. St. Johns’ Mike Morgan can coach a little, and he showed his former star a thing or two – “Now look here, sonny.’’

*Must have been a wild one at Scottsdale Desert Mountain. Mesa Dobson’s T.J. Thomas scored three touchdowns, including the game-winner of a 31-30 overtime triumph. Dobson’s program appears to have been resurrected, and watch out for coach Tony Tabor’s Desert Mountain team.