TUCSON — Desert View’s historic run came to an emotional end Friday night, as the Jaguars fell 36–28 to Canyon View in a back-and-forth 5A quarterfinal match-up on their home field.
For the first time all season, Desert View, unbeaten at 11–0, found itself in a scoreless grind early. Both defenses held strong through the first quarter, and momentum finally shifted when Canyon View quarterback Brady Scott floated a ball into the end zone… and sophomore star Jaylee Abraham snatched it away for an interception.
But the Desert View Jaguars dug themselves into a 10–0 hole halfway through the second. Desert View responded the only way it knows how: by putting the ball in Abraham’s hands. Quarterback Ryan Vasavilbaso dropped a deep pass to Abraham, who shrugged off a pair of defenders and sprinted in for Desert View’s first touchdown of the night.
Canyon View answered quickly, with Scott keeping it himself to push the lead to 17–7. Abraham nearly punched in another long scoring run on the next drive, ruled just short, but finished the job a few plays later to make it 17–14.
A tense moment came just before halftime when Desert View sophomore Marco Morando went down after a hard hit on defense. He was helped off the field to a standing ovation, raising his hand to the crowd as teammates gathered around. The moment fueled Desert View’s energy coming out of the break.
Abraham opened the second half by powering in his third touchdown…and he wasn’t done yet. The sophomore phenom kept Desert View within striking distance all night, showcasing the same explosiveness that carried the team through its undefeated regular season.
Desert View finally got their first lead of the night 28-24, but Canyon View responded right away with a punt return touchdown making it 31-28.
In the end, Canyon View’s balanced offense proved too much. Despite Abraham’s four-touchdown performance, Desert View couldn’t complete the comeback, falling 36–28 as the clock ran out on a remarkable season.
The Jaguars finish 11–1, their deepest playoff push in years, led by a sophomore class that has the southside believing this is only the beginning.
