Football Game Preview: Desert Mountain Wolves vs. Chaparral Firebirds + How To Watch

Desert Mountain and Chaparral are an even 4-4 against one another since September of 2016, but not for long. The Wolves will be playing in front of their home fans against the Firebirds at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Desert Mountain knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 31 points or more in their past five games -- so hopefully Chaparral likes a good challenge.

Desert Mountain is headed into the contest after thoroughly thrashing Ironwood Ridge: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Wolves blew the Nighthawks out of the water with a 43-3 final score. With the Wolves ahead 31-3 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.

Grant Garduno

Rushing Yards (Career)

10/10/25 @ Ironwood Ridge	50
09/27/24 @ Campo Verde	16
10/03/25 vs Cactus Shadows	15
09/11/25 vs Mountain View	13
09/26/25 @ Kellis	12

Easton Conner and Grant Garduno were among the main playmakers for Desert Mountain as the former gained 131 total yards and the latter threw for 146 yards and two TDs. The dominant performance also gave Garduno a new career-high in rushing yards (50).

Desert Mountain didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Braylon Wilkerson and Davian Whitener. Whitener got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.

Meanwhile, Chaparral and Notre Dame Prep finished up on equal footing with a 21-21 tie on Monday.

Desert Mountain's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 6-1. The road victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 49.0 points over those games. Chaparral's draw makes their record 3-3-1 this season.

Desert Mountain was able to grind out a solid win over Chaparral in their previous meeting back in September of 2024, winning 18-7. Do the Wolves have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Firebirds turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.