Zach Mott
ASU Student Journalist

Rattlers shaken in disappointing loss to Lee Williams

September 18, 2021 by Zach Mott, Arizona State University


Devean Santos of Lee Williams looks to pull away late in the fourth quarter. (Zach Mott/AZpreps365.com)

The North Canyon football team took a 55-30 loss at the hands of the Lee Williams Volunteers on Friday night. The Rattlers kept it close in the first half and moved the ball effectively, but fell short in the second half, when they were outscored by 17 points. 

With Brock Biley combining for over 200 yards through the air and on the ground to go along with three touchdowns, the Rattlers were certainly hoping for a better outcome than the one they got. The Rattlers got started with an Amari Harris 52-yard touchdown pass to Evan Cappello. Harris had shown off an impressive deep ball in practice and with the Rattlers willing to let him loose, he showed the Volunteers what he was capable of. 

The Volunteers struck back with two field goals, tying the game. Biley then pulled off a ferocious 62-yard touchdown run to start his career night off on the right foot. 

“My line, they were doing it all for me, they were just blocking left and right,” said Biley. 

Biley credited the offensive line for his huge performance on Friday night. He was also productive in the receiving game, scoring on a 10-yard pass from Harris midway through the fourth quarter. Biley had by far the best game of his high school career. 

North Canyon coach Adam Beene agreed, saying, “He’s a winner tonight, regardless of the score.” 

Volunteers quarterback Devean Santos stole the show from Biley and the Rattlers’ offense. Santos scored four touchdowns on the ground and added a touchdown through the air. Thomas Doxtader had an incredible game as well. The freshman receiver caught two touchdowns and, playing strong safety on defense, also came up with a key interception of Harris in the fourth quarter. 

Defensively, the Rattlers had a poor second half, according to Beene. They allowed 35 points and the game began to unravel with their offense unable to keep up. 

“We had some alignment issues and had some tackling issues,” Beene said.

Beene credited the opposing quarterback Santos as the key reason why the Rattlers lost tonight, but also didn’t shy away from putting some blame on his own team. The Rattlers will look to work on those fundamentals this week in practice and moving forward. 

Rattlers senior Izzy Durgin and Biley will continue to dominate their team’s gameplan, but it’s each other’s success that matters most to them. 

Biley said of Durgin, “We do everything together and just go out there and play for each other every play,” Biley said. 

Added Durgin, “It’s been real fun (to see him succeed). I remember when he was a freshman and now he’s a senior and he’s going crazy.” 

The two senior leaders certainly love competing on the field but competing for each other also seems to be a key goal for the rushing duo. Biley and Durgin also both talked about how it’s been important for them to be leaders to some of the younger guys and with success on the field comes the mentorship off it. 

The Rattlers will look to pull back to .500 with a matchup on the road against the Dobson Mustangs next Friday night.