Football Recap: Royce Vanacore's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Sunnyslope over Cactus

Sunnyslope lost against Cactus back in August of 2024 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Friday. The Vikings took a 52-35 bruising from the Cobras. The Vikings were down 45-21 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.

Several Vikings players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Royce Vanacore, who threw for 328 yards and four TDs while picking up 10.6 yards per attempt. Sunnyslope's leading receiver Ryder Cirone was Vanacore's top target yet again, picking up 129 receiving yards and a pair of scores.

Even if they lost, Sunnyslope's defensive line still kept up the pressure with three sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Anthony Teran, Carsan Churchman, and Elijah Morrison, who each picked up one sack apiece.

Robert Bell was his usual excellent self, picking up 145 receiving yards and one touchdown, while also rushing for 106 yards and one TD for Cactus. Bell really tore up the turf during one magnificent 94-yard run. Another player making a difference was Luke Berlin, who threw for 417 yards and a pair of touchdowns while picking up 14.4 yards per attempt.

This is the second loss in a row for Sunnyslope and nudges their season record down to 3-2. As for Cactus, they pushed their record up to 4-1 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season.

Sunnyslope and Cactus should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps Arizona Rankings. The Vikings will challenge Ironwood at 7:00 p.m. on Friday with a big rank advantage (39 vs. 127). Meanwhile, Cactus (ranked 25th) will meet Apollo (ranked 94th) at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.