Autumn Young is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Mountain Ridge for AZPreps365.com

GLENDALE — With a three-game win streak on the line, Mountain Ridge football faced off at home against Desert Vista on Friday night, but it was the Thunder who came away with a victory, 41-14. 

On a night where Mountain Ridge was celebrating its homecoming, the Mountain Lions struggled to keep up with Desert Vista as the game went on. Mountain Ridge head coach Andrew Johnson credited Desert Vista for its preparation and pointed out his team’s struggles.

“They did a lot of stuff really well,” Johnson said after the game. “I think we just have to prepare ourselves and practice a little bit better and condition ourselves a little bit better for these long games.” 

Both teams were even throughout most of the first quarter but it was Desert Vista that struck first. A 20-yard pass from quarterback Ethan Camrud to wide receiver Jaeden Williams put the Thunder on top with two minutes left in the first quarter. 

Mountain Ridge was able to respond early in the second quarter with a 5-yard pass from senior quarterback Amar Sutkovic to tight end Layne Scarbrough. The Mountain Lions went on to attempt the two-point conversion and were successful. 

With the score, Mountain Ridge had some momentum back on its side. But Desert Vista marched down the field and quickly scored another touchdown, this time a 4-yard rush from running back Kevin Wooten Jr. 

Desert Vista extended the lead again with 45 seconds left in the second quarter, when Camrud found Williams again on a 74-yard touchdown pass. The extra point failed, putting Desert Vista ahead 20-8. 

Both Mountain Ridge coaches and players placed an emphasis on being prepared in the coming games, and that in this game, they were simply worn out. 

“I feel like, just conditioning-wise, we shut down,” offensive lineman Bryson Olney said. “A lot of people got out in the first and second quarter and it really just left us vulnerable.” 

Coming out of halftime, Desert Vista got the ball again, and promptly went down the field with another long touchdown, this time to wide receiver Miles Dawson. 

Mountain Ridge was able to come back with another touchdown of its own, but time was running against it. The two-point attempt was unsuccessful, putting the Mountain Lions behind 27-14. 

Desert Vista scored two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter to seal the victory for the Thunder. 

“I felt like we battled and we got to a point where we got exhausted,” Johnson said. “I just felt like that got the best of us and we just didn’t prepare ourselves at a high level to be in shape for these long games and we kind of wore out late.” 

Junior tight end Ace Rizzo finished with 48 rushing yards and 36 receiving yards, but also emphasized his team’s lack of preparation. 

Next week, the Lions will have an equally tough matchup on their hands as they travel to Liberty High School to face off against the No. 2-ranked Liberty Lions in a regional matchup. 

“We just have to prepare better throughout the week and just come out here and execute more,” Rizzo said. “I feel like it was more the preparation aspect that led to the loss of this game.”