Football Game Preview: Cactus Shadows Falcons vs. Chaparral Firebirds + Official Tickets

The Cactus Shadows Falcons will head out to face off against the Chaparral Firebirds at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Cactus Shadows will be strutting in after a win while Chaparral will be coming in after a loss.

Cactus Shadows played in-conference for the first time on Friday and got just the result they were looking for. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Notre Dame Prep 56-27. The result was nothing new for the Falcons, who have now won four contests by 29 points or more so far this season.

Donivan Dixon

Rushing Yards

10/17/25 vs Notre Dame Prep	193
10/10/25 vs Horizon	151
10/03/25 @ Desert Mountain	113
09/26/25 vs Paradise Valley	8
09/19/25 @ Camelback	24
+ 3 more games

Donivan Dixon was his usual excellent self, rushing for 193 yards and one TD on only 12 carries, while also throwing for 249 yards and four touchdowns while completing 76.5% of his passes. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 108.2 rushing yards per game. Alex Dafnis was another key player, gaining 59 total yards and three touchdowns.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Cactus Shadows was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 286 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in October of 2024.

Meanwhile, Chaparral came up short against Desert Mountain on Friday and fell 16-6. The Firebirds have struggled against the Wolves recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.

Chaparral's defeat dropped their record down to 3-5. As for Cactus Shadows, the victory got them back to even at 4-4.

Thursday's game might be decided in the trenches. Cactus Shadows has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 174.5 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Chaparral, though, as they've been averaging only 30.2 rushing yards. How will they fare against such a dominant running game? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.