Notre Dame Prep is 5-0 against Cactus Shadows since October of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Notre Dame Prep Saints will head out on the road to face off against the Cactus Shadows Falcons at 7:00 p.m. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Last Friday, Notre Dame Prep faced Higley in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Notre Dame Prep lost to Higley at home by a decisive 60-42 margin. This was one game where the offenses had no trouble playing at a high level.
Notre Dame Prep's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Noah Trigueros, who rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown on only seven carries, and Cooper Perry who picked up 107 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Trigueros' longest rush was for an incredible 83 yards. Another big playmaker for Notre Dame Prep was Drew Jacobs, who returned a punt for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Cactus Shadows' recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their fourth straight loss. They took a serious blow against American Leadership Academy - Gilbert North, falling 49-21.
Despite the loss, Cactus Shadows saw an underclassman step up: Donivan Dixon rushed for 60 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 216 yards and a touchdown.
Even if they lost, Cactus Shadows' defensive line still kept up the pressure with three sacks. Leading the way was Cole Mayse and his two sacks.
Notre Dame Prep now has a losing record at 3-4. As for Cactus Shadows, their loss was their third straight on the road, which dropped their overall record down to 3-4.
Thursday's match will pit two of the most dominant signal callers against one another: Trigueros and Dixon. Trigueros has put up some stellar numbers this year, and currently owns excellent season averages of 237.4 passing yards and three passing touchdowns per game this season. For his part, Dixon has averaged 181.4 passing yards and a passing touchdowns per game this season.
Everything came up roses for Notre Dame Prep against Cactus Shadows when the teams last played back in November of 2022 as the team secured a 52-6 victory. Will Notre Dame Prep repeat their success, or does Cactus Shadows have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
