Football Recap: Cactus Shadows Takes a Loss + How To Watch

It's hard to turn regular season success into postseason wins, a fact Cactus Shadows can now relate to. They were just a hair shy of victory on Friday and fell 35-34 to the Arizona College Prep Knights. The Falcons' defeat signaled the end of their four-game winning streak.

Donivan Dixon

Passing Touchdowns

11/07/25 vs Tucson High Magnet School	5
10/30/25 vs Tucson High Magnet School	5
09/26/25 vs Paradise Valley	5
09/19/25 @ Camelback	5
10/17/25 vs Notre Dame Prep	4
+ 5 more games

When it comes to explaining why Cactus Shadows lost, don't look at Donivan Dixon. Despite the final result, he threw for 299 yards and three TDs, and also rushed for 90 yards. Dixon has become a key player for the Falcons: the team is 6-2 when he posts at least three passing touchdowns, but 1-3 otherwise. Brock Cashin was in the mix as well, providing Cactus Shadows with two touchdowns.

Cactus Shadows didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Colin Godfrey, Ryker Krank, and Max Wilson picked up one apiece. Godfrey got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.

Arizona College Prep's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Evan Heinrich, who threw for 250 yards and three TDs on only 15 passes, and also rushed for 31 yards and one score. That's the most rushing yards Heinrich has posted since back in November of 2024. Another player making a difference was Max Sasso, who gained 97 total yards and two touchdowns.

Cactus Shadows' loss dropped their record down to 7-5. As for Arizona College Prep, their victory bumped their record up to 9-2.

Cactus Shadows does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Arizona College Prep, they will face off against ALA - Gilbert North at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams might be coming in a bit winded given these two teams combined for 842 yards in their previous games.