Gridiron Five: Canyon View strengthens playoff seed hopes with dominant 2nd half

For the first 22 minutes of Canyon View’s home game against Raymond S. Kellis on Friday night in Waddell, pretty much anything that could go wrong for the Jaguars, did.

The starting quarterback was lost to injury (ankle) on the game’s first play and did not return.  Canyon View threw two interceptions, lost a fumble on offense, and lost another one on a punt return – all in the first quarter.  Kellis completed a pass to the sideline where the cornerback was looking for a pick and it turned into an uncontested 63-yard touchdown to give the Cougars a 22-6 lead with just two minutes remaining in the half.  The visitors from Glendale had more than 200 yards passing at that point.

Canyon View (6-1, #10 in 5A) got one score back before halftime to close the gap to 22-13.  And after that, the switch turned on and the machine started.  The Jaguars were unstoppable, scoring on seven consecutive possessions (six TDs) all while shutting down the Cougars’ offense en route to a 58-22 victory.

Jaguars’ Head Coach Manny Alcantar said the team had a bad week of practice following their first defeat of the season last Friday to Desert Edge.

“We just talked about how the week looked and if we didn’t fix it, we knew what the outcome was,” Alcantar said.  “Either you step up or not, and that’s what the boys did.  They stepped up.”

Kellis (3-4, #32 in 5A) gave Canyon View all it could handle in the first half.  However, the Cougars were outscored 45-0 after the break.

5 players that stood out

Canyon View QB Jake Spickler

Prior to Friday night, Spickler had thrown just 13 varsity passes for Canyon View in 1.5 seasons.  He started his high school career at Verrado and transferred to CVHS after his sophomore year.  After a rocky beginning, Spickler settled in.  He fired a deep pass to Regie Borges to get the Jaguars on the board after falling behind 14-0.  Already with three TD passes, Spickler was looking for more in the fourth quarter and scrambled, but this time saw a hole created by his offensive line.  He turned that into a 34-yard touchdown run.  Alcantar said Spickler has been leading the scout team against the 1’s on defense daily in practice.  Going back to Spickler’s sophomore year at Verrado, he led the JV team to an 8-1 record and accounted for 52 total touchdowns in the run-and-shoot offense.  With the return date of starter Titan Jacobs uncertain (week-to-week), Spickler will be expected to lead the Jaguars through the Desert West Region slate.

Canyon View DL Tiki Teeples

The 6-4, 275-pound Utah commit had six tackles and helped disrupt what Kellis was trying to do in the second half, particularly in the run game.  Of the 34 rushing plays that Kellis called, 20 of them resulted in a gain of 2 or fewer yards.  Teeples is physical, versatile, and shows athleticism.  He finished with six tackles in the game.  While he didn’t get a sack in this one, a pair of his teammates (Malachi Peterson and Aiden Hernandez) were able to register takedowns.  Teeples has eight sacks on the season and 22.5 for his career.  With his size, he can stay active through contact and is also able to move laterally.  Both of those things will pay off when he’s playing in the Big 12 in Salt Lake City.

Canyon View RB Charge Young

With the Jaguars’ offense needing a jolt after the first quarter (52 total yards), Young came in and gave it a . . . “Charge”.  He ripped off a run for 33 yards on his first attempt and his next carry went around the left side for 17 yards and a TD in the final minute of the half to give Canyon View some momentum.  Young (pictured at the top of the article) was in on the Jaguar second-half onslaught as he had a 47-yard scoring burst in the third quarter for his second touchdown.  Just a sophomore, Young had only 24 total carries through Canyon View’s first six games.  On Friday, he had 11 and showed he’s another skill-position weapon in the Jaguars’ arsenal with 137 yards (103 more than his previous season-best).  Young can find holes and has breakaway speed once he gets through them.  Certainly one to watch over the next two-plus seasons.

Canyon View S Keegan McCarthy

A three-year starter, McCarthy is one of the veterans on the Jaguars hungry to go on another deep playoff run.  The 6-2. 190-pound Western Michigan commit had a big game on defense with two interceptions, a forced fumble, and 11 tackles (seven solo).  The picks were his first two of the season giving McCarthy 11 for his CVHS career.  McCarthy was a First Team All-Region player last year and is on his way to proving it again.  Aside from football, McCarthy qualified for State last spring in both the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles.  He also sports a 3.63 GPA.

Kellis WR Michael Porter Jr.

Porter was quarterback Broden Lermon’s top target to go to in this one.  The 5-9, 200-pound senior caught five passes for 125 yards and helped set up the Cougars’ second touchdown with a 43-yard reception.  Later, he had another play that went for 51 yards.  Porter is leading RSKHS in both yardage and TD receptions this season.

5 (non-scoring) plays that made a difference

• On the first play from scrimmage, Canyon View quarterback Titan Jacobs pitched the ball to Jay’Mari Hector and then went out for a pass.  It was caught (for minus-2 yards), but Jacobs remained on the ground with an ankle injury and had to be carried off the field.  He did not return and the Jaguars had to go to backup Jake Spickler just seconds into the game.
• On its second series, Canyon View started at its own 7-yard line.  The Jaguars completed a pass, but the ball was fumbled and senior Benjamin Cordova recovered it for Kellis.  That gave the Cougars the ball in great field position at the CVHS 20-yard line and Kellis capitalized on it for the game’s first points.
• Leading 14-6 in the second quarter, Kellis gambled and went for it on fourth-and-three from its own 32-yard line.  Brodee Lermon completed a pass to Michael Porter Jr. for six yards and the first down.  Moments later, the Cougars turned that earlier gamble into points with another touchdown.
• Leading 22-20 in the third quarter, Kellis fumbled deep in its own end.  Junior Luke Marty recovered the fumble at the RSKHS 11-yard line to put Canyon View in point-blank range.  The Jaguars cashed that in and never looked back.
• Trailing 44-22 in the fourth quarter, Kellis threw an pass that was intercepted by Keegan McCarthy (his second).  Canyon View turned that into more points with another touchdown.

5 key stats

• Canyon View turned the ball over four times in the first quarter – but Kellis was only able to convert those into six points.
• With 6:40 remaining in the third quarter, Canyon View trailed 22-13.  With 6:40 remaining in the fourth quarter, Canyon View led 58-22.  That means the Jaguars outscored Kellis 45-0 over 12 minutes of football.
• Canyon View rushed for 213 yards in the second half.
• In the first half, Kellis’ Brodee Lermon passed for 216 yards.
• After 93 yards of total penalties in the first half, the second half was pretty clean with just 25 penalty yards.

Jaguars 58, Cougars 22

RSKHS. . . . 6  16    0    0 – 22
CVHS. . . . .  0  13  28 17 – 58

First Quarter

KEL: Demetrius Scheller 11 yard pass from Brodee Lermon (pass failed), 5:32, 0-6

Second Quarter

KEL: Scheller 4 yard run (Michael Porter Jr. pass from Lermon), 11:17, 0-14
CV: Regie Borges 42 yard pass from Jake Spickler (kick blocked), 9:39, 6-14
KEL: Cashton Robinson 63 yard pass from Lermon (Shyel Timsina pass from Lermon), 2:31, 6-22
CV: Charge Young 17 yard run (Austin Honsa kick), 1:02, 13-22

Third Quarter

CV: Jubie Pitre 14 yard pass from Spickler (Honsa kick), 6:35, 20-22
CV: Brandon Arroyo 5 yard run (Honsa kick), 5:01, 27-22
CV: Young 47 yard run (Honsa kick), 2:46, 34-22
CV: Warren Jackson 39 yard pass from Spickler (Honsa kick), 1:01, 41-22

Fourth Quarter

CV: Honsa 41 yard FG, 9:46, 44-22
CV: Arroyo 29 yard run (Honsa kick), 8:55, 51-22
CV: Spickler 34 yard run (Honsa kick), 6:46, 58-22

Team Statistics

First Downs – KEL: 9, CV: 14.  Rushes-Yards – KEL: 34-47, CV: 27-306.  Comp-Att-Int – KEL: 13-40-2, CV: 10-25-2.  Passing Yards – KEL: 246, CV: 165.  Total Yards – KEL: 293, CV: 471.  Fumbles Lost – KEL: 1, CV: 3.  Penalties-Yards – KEL: 8-63, CV: 7-55.

Individual Leaders

Passing – KEL: Lermon 13-40-2, 246 yards, CV: Spickler 9-24-2, 167 yards.
Rushing – KEL: Beltran 18-42, Scheller 12-24, CV: Young 11-137, Arroyo 8-92, Spickler 6-60.
Receiving – KEL: Porter Jr. 5-125, Robinson 3-85, CV: Borges 1-42, Jackson 1-39.

5 people I talked to after the game

Canyon View RB Charge Young on making an impact as a sophomore: “The O-line was doing a good job.  This was my first game as a starter and I just wanted to make the most of it.”

Kellis Head Coach Chris Miranda: “We came out ready to go.  We knew Canyon View has weapons and we had to take advantage of situations.  In the first half, we executed well.  They’re good defensively and they stepped it up.”

Canyon View DL Tiki Teeples on the play of the defense as a whole: “It was shaky the first half.  We played solid and did exactly what we knew we could do.  We’ve been confident all season.  Our whole motto is FTJ – Finish the Job.  If that doesn’t make you hungry, I don’t know what does.”

Canyon View QB Jake Spickler on how he felt coming into the game for the second play: “I was very ready.  As the backup QB, you have to always be on your feet, even if it’s the first play.”

Canyon View Head Coach Manny Alcantar on the importance of continuing to win and get a bye: “I think it’s very important.  (Head) Coach (Brett) Davis at Verrado (next week’s opponent) puts up ungodly numbers through the air.  We’ve got to play better than we did today.  Next week is a rivalry week.”

Next week

Canyon View (6-1 overall, 1-1 5A Desert West Region) will play the second of three straight home games against Verrado (3-4, 0-2).  The Vipers are coming off back-to-back losses against the other contenders in the region – Millennium and Desert Edge.  DEHS walloped Verrado 49-17 on Friday.  Verrado will bring its 44-Shoot offense into Waddell.  Last year, CVHS shut it down during a 49-13 win.  At #10 prior to Friday night’s game, Canyon View may need to win out to secure a top-eight seed and avoid having to play in the first round (and earn a much-needed week of rest).  Just as a reminder, last season, Canyon View was the #6 seed, had the bye, and advanced all the way to the 5A title game.

It doesn’t get any easier for Kellis (3-4, 1-1).  The Cougars get to play at home next Friday, but it will be against Millennium (7-0, 2-0).  The Tigers are led by running back D’Mari Bryant, who has rushed for 1,271 yards and 17 touchdowns this season.  The senior is averaging an absurd 16 yards per carry and has eclipsed 130 yards in every game for MHS.  Kellis has shown improvement this year as the Cougars were just 1-9 a season ago.  The team saw how well it can play against a very good squad in the first half.  It’s a matter of bottling that effort up and reproducing it to get to the next level.  It will be interesting to see next season how the realignment works out and if any combination of Desert Edge, Millennium, and Canyon View get sent up to 6A (and off of the Cougars’ schedule in 2027).