Football Recap: Mesquite Starts off Right with Win over Desert Sunrise

Mesquite had to travel to play their first game of the season, but the final result was worth the trip. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 43-40 victory over the Desert Sunrise Golden Hawks on Thursday. The win continues a trend for the Wildcats in their matchups with the Golden Hawks: they've now won three in a row.

Parker Kaczmarek

Rushing Touchdowns (Career)

08/28/25 @ Desert Sunrise	3
11/08/24 @ Desert Sunrise	2
11/01/24 vs Arizona College Prep	1
10/04/24 @ Combs	1
09/27/24 @ Maricopa	1

Mesquite was led to victory by Parker Kaczmarek and Tallen Curry-Smith. Kaczmarek gained 218 total yards and four touchdowns, while Curry-Smith rushed for 136 yards and a pair of TDs on only 15 carries. The dominant performance also gave Kaczmarek a new career-high in rushing touchdowns (three).

Desert Sunrise lost despite a true team effort on offense. The best among them was Aime Lamour, who picked up 92 receiving yards and one touchdown, and also rushed for 45 yards and one score. He also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, making three total tackles and defending two passes in addition to snagging an interception which he returned one-yard for a touchdown. Another signal caller making a difference was Kyle Sherwood, who threw for 231 yards and three TDs.

Coming up, Mesquite will be defending their home field for the first time this season when they go up against Marcos de Niza at 7:00 p.m. on the 5th. The two teams might be coming in a bit winded given these two teams combined for 944 yards in their previous games. As for Desert Sunrise, they are headed away from home for the first time to square off against Sahuarita at 7:00 p.m. on the 5th.