The Chaparral Firebirds won their first game of the season, breezing to a 34-17 home win Friday against Desert Mountain.

Powered by their special teams and the emergence of cornerback Beau Kelly, the Firebirds pulled away from a pestering Wolves offense for the much-needed victory.

Their run began in the first quarter when quarterback Grayson Barry converted a 4th-and-28 into a touchdown, finished by 6-foot-4 wideout Robby Kriske. Head coach Thomas Lewis called the conversion a “huge play.”

Soon after, running back Marqui Johnson broke a 53-yard run, propelling the Firebirds to a 14-3 lead.

Then, as Desert Mountain looked to chip away at the deficit, Johnston Hunter recovered a blocked field goal, giving the ball back to Chaparral during a key moment in the game.

As for Chaparral’s defense, which allowed 86 points in its first two games, it had its best outing to date. Another Desert Mountain drive was stopped by linebacker Parker Walton, who picked off a hard thrown ball.

“I told all the boys if we get this we’ll start rolling,” Walton said. “We just rode on that momentum.”

But the Wolves didn’t go away easily.

A Joshua Walker touchdown catch made it 14-10.

Going into the second half with a small lead, Walton said Lewis told the team to “hang in there and play football.”

It didn’t take senior Beau Kelly long to fulfill his coach’s goal, running a kickoff back for 46 yards. His night got better when he returned a punt 90 yards, fooling the entire defense with a clever run.

“I got pretty lucky,” Kelly said. “I just took it to the house.”

Lewis complimented his coaching staff for the great performnce by Chaparral’s special teams.

“The initial emphasis was to come out and make sure all special teams were going to be better, and that’s what they did this week,” Lewis said.

The offense also did its part.

Heading into the final minutes of the third quarter, Barry took off running down the right sideline for a 68-yard touchdown.

In the fourth quarter, Desert Mountain (0-3) tried to stop the bleeding when junior running back Nick Hill capped a two-play drive with 67-yard touchdown run. But the Firebirds (1-2) promptly answered back, advancing the lead to 34-17 after a Deavon Crawford touchdown from one yard out.

“Cross-town rivals,” said Lewis after the game. “Most of these kids grew up with each other. It’s huge for next year’s incoming freshman as well.”

For outgoing seniors like Kelly, the moment was also sweet.

“It’s awesome,” Kelly said. “Great environment. I love winning with my teammates.”