The Saguaro Sabercats defeated the Desert Edge Scorpions by a final score of 38-21, continuing their win streak.

Before the game, Saguaro honored former equipment manager and coach, Mike “Tug” Garcia, who passed away in September of 2013. After a moment of silence, a few players and coaches, as well as Garcia’s family, let go of the balloons that they were holding in honor of Garcia.

“He was the heart and soul of this community, not just the football program, but really the school as a whole,” said Saguaro head coach Jason Mohns, “He was a really good man, and when we lost him it hurt. He is sorely missed and we vowed when we lost him that we would keep his memory alive.”

The Sabercats got off to a slow start against Desert Edge, but rallied behind their defense. After falling victim to a turnover on downs, Nate Polk, a senior safety for Saguaro, picked off Desert Edge’s freshman quarterback, Adryan Lara, and gave Saguaro the momentum swing that they needed.

After the interception the Sabercats worked their way deep into Scorpion territory but were forced to settle for a field goal.

Desert Edge then failed to counter on the offensive side of the ball, but Cliffonte Mcdowell, a sophomore defensive back, picked off Saguaro’s sophomore quarterback, Frank Schafroth, with just over six minutes left in the first half and ran it 64 yards for a touchdown.

“Our defense was lights out,” said Desert Edge head coach Jose Lucero. “Last week they got challenged against Peoria. This week we really challenged them and we are really proud of how they competed.”

Schafroth got the start for the Sabercats after junior quarterback Tyler Beverett went down with an injury last week. In his first start this season Schafroth completed 11 of his 22 passes for a total of 153 yards, but two of his incompletions were interceptions. Schafroth also added a rushing touchdown to his night.

The interception was the only points the Scorpions put up in the first half. On the next drive, Saguaro meticulously made their way down the field and punched home a nine-yard touchdown thanks to running back Connor Soelle, taking back the lead with a 10-7 scoreline.

The Scorpions failed to counter again, after Polk got his second interception of the game, giving the Sabercats the ball with just under three minutes remaining in the first half. Thanks to great starting field position, the Sabercats capitalized on the turnover after Schafroth ran it into the end zone from three yards out.

 The score was 17-7 at the half.

The third quarter started with a bang after a 63-yard touchdown run from Soelle, boosting the Sabercats to a 24-7 lead.

Desert Edge refused to go away, putting together a long drive down the field and capping it off with a touchdown run from three yards out. Lineman Nassir Sims got the carry for the Scorpions on the touchdown that brought them within 10 of Saguaro.

However, Saguaro was able to counter as the Sabercats have done all season. After a pair of false starts to start the drive, the Sabercats bounced back with a 52-yard run halfway through the third quarter from Israel Benjamin, the junior running back.

Benjamin totaled 154 yards on 26 carries and added two touchdowns.

“We knew this was going to be a big game,” said Benjamin. “This was our first premier 4A game, and we have seen Desert Edge play some tough teams. With them coming off of a Hail Mary win last week we knew they would be confident, and it was time for us to establish how we plan on dominating the division.”

The scoring continued in the third quarter with a last second touchdown pass from Lara to once again bring the game back to within 10 points. However, that was the last time that the Scorpions were able to score on the Sabercats.

Benjamin added his second touchdown with just under four minutes left in the game to secure the 38-21 win.  The win moved Saguaro to 6-1 with a five game win streak.