Shadow Ridge fends off Desert Oasis in flag football showdown
Two of the top Class 5A flag football teams got an early look at one another Tuesday night when Shadow Ridge and Desert Oasis faced off in their season opener.
The Mustangs took the first step in trying to win their fourth straight state title.
Shadow Ridge took control in the second quarter and never looked back on its way to a 25-15 home win over Desert Oasis. The Mustangs have won the past three 5A state titles.
“Getting 1-0 in league and against (Desert Oasis), that means a lot because of the playoffs,” Shadow Ridge coach Matt Nighswonger said. “I know it’s not till February, but we’ve got to worry about seeding already, especially opening up with a team like them. It’s really important, and really glad we got the win against them, and I know we’ll see them again.”
Jaylani Palmer caught touchdown passes of 35, 7 and 17 yards and finished with 96 receiving yards for Shadow Ridge (1-0). Savanna McDow, making her first start at running back, rushed for 142 yards for the Mustangs.
“I wanted to go out strong, and I feel like I gave it everything I could,” McDow said. “The offense did really good. Got to shake out all the first-game jitters, but we came out here strong and gave it everything we got.”
Shadow Ridge’s defense kept Desert Oasis’ dynamic offense quiet most of the night. The Diamondbacks (0-1) were held to 218 total yards. Shadow Ridge had three sacks and added two tackles for loss and an interception.
“I love them being aggressive. I love them going after it,” Nighswonger said of the defense. “We had a pretty good game plan, and they stuck to it. That made a big difference.”
Tyriel Cole’s interception helped Shadow Ridge keep momentum going into halftime. With the Shadow Ridge leading 12-7, Cole intercepted an Akemi Higa pass in Mustangs territory and returned it to the Desert Oasis 17-yard line.
Two plays later, Aubree Davis connected with Palmer for a 17-yard touchdown, and the Mustangs took an 18-9 lead into halftime.
Shadow Ridge extended the lead to 25-9 in the fourth quarter when Davis hit Mariah Stevens-Walden for a 3-yard score.
Desert Oasis cut the deficit to 25-15 on a 2-yard TD pass from Higa to Allie Peralta and successfully converted the ensuing onside kick (a fourth-and-15 conversion) with more than six minutes to play. But the Mustangs came up with a fourth-down stop near midfield and ran the clock out to seal the win.
“This game’s going to fuel us for the rest of the season,” Palmer said. “We know that (Desert Oasis) — we’re going to see them again in the playoffs. It’s just giving us the fuel we need to play confident the rest of the season.”
Higa completed 10 of 21 passes for 116 yards with two touchdown passes and an interception and added 86 rushing yards for Desert Oasis. Davis completed 7 of 12 passes for 78 yards and four touchdown passes for Shadow Ridge.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.