Corona del Sol showed an early ability to bounce back,  but not much more than that as the Aztecs fell to Desert Ridge 21-7 in a Class 6A Central Region game Friday at Corona del Sol.

On its second possession of the game, Desert Ridge landed the first punch on Corona del Sol. The Jaguars’ senior running back Lucas Wright broke through the middle of the Aztecs’ defense for a 38-yard gain. A play later, junior Koby Hathcock rushed 19 yards down the field on a designed trick play setting up a 1-yard touchdown run by Wright: 7-0 Jaguars.

However, that lead was short lived as Corona del Sol wide receiver Ricky Pearsall returned the ensuing kickoff back 97 yards for an Aztecs’ touchdown to even the score at 7 apiece.

“I think we can beat a lot of these teams,” Corona del Sol senior quarterback Ryan Helt said. “A lot of people just can’t guard Ricky because he’s just so athletic.”

Despite the instantaneous momentum shift, that was the only offensive production the Aztecs mustered.

Desert Ridge put together a solid defensive effort against a Corona del Sol team that has struggled to find its identity over the past two seasons under coach Jon Becktold. After putting up more than 100 rushing yards last week in a 35-22 losing effort to Boulder Creek, the Aztecs managed only 31 of those against the Jaguars, with Pearsall contributing 19 of those in the final 30 seconds of play.

The passing game wasn’t much better. Helt went 8 for 24 for 43 yards in the loss. He was also sacked four times for a total loss of 30 yards as the Corona del Sol offensive line seemingly was unable to match the physicality of the Jaguars’ defense.

“It’s just an effort thing at this point,” Helt said. “We have the skills to beat a lot of these teams and we’re just not putting our heart out into it. Nobody just wants to come out and play. That’s what happened tonight.”

Becktold was short in his reaction to the loss.

“I’ve got nothing to say today,” he said.

Contrarily, the Aztecs’ defense looked formidable throughout the contest. They put constant pressure on the Jaguars’ passing game, causing sophomore quarterback Austin Kolb (who started the game in place of senior Cooper Schmidt, who was injured at the beginning of the season) to go for a measly 9-for-20 completion rate for 113 yards and an interception.

“We were just trying to do our job,” Corona del Sol senior defensive end Enoch Johnson said. “Just keeping it contained, pushing it inside.”

The Aztecs’ defense also forced a fumble recovered by senior defensive end Jaron Reval in the third quarter inside the Jaguars’ 30-yard line. However, the offense could not produce points on the board yet again after allowing Helt to be sacked and subsequently missing a 44-yard field goal.

Where Desert Ridge (3-2, 1-0 region) found most of its success was on the ground. The Jaguars pulled away in the second half primarily due to their run-first offensive scheme – which produced all three touchdowns.

Overall, it was an ugly night for Desert Ridge as it accumulated 12 penalties costing it 120 yards on the night. In the end, it did not matter in terms of the win column, but it will have to clean up its play as it prepares for Chandler next week.

As for the Aztecs (1-4, 0-1), everyone has one goal in mind as they seek their second win of the season at Westview next week.

“Lower the (opponent’s) score,” Johnson said.