Friday was a good night for the high school football community in Ahwatukee as both Desert Vista and neighboring rival Mountain Pointe respectively rolled to easy wins to open the 6A playoffs in the south Valley.
The third-seeded Thunder had no problem with 14th-seed Chaparral, starting fast and never looking back en route to a 40-14 win over the Firebirds.
The story of the night for DV was junior running back Colby Humphrey who took his first carry 80 yards for a score, streaking down the Thunder sideline before the Firebirds’ defense even broke a sweat.
With star quarterback Jack Miller out with an injury, first-year head coach Brent Barnes turned to freshman Brayten Silbor who showed flashes but couldn’t keep up with Humphrey and Desert Vista’s offense who looked unstoppable at times.
The task will be much tougher in the quarterfinals against sixth-seed and 2017 state runner-up Perry.
Just a few miles northeast the Mountain Pointe Pride also raced out to an early lead and left no doubt blowing out Jon Kitna’s Brophy Broncos 40-7.
The star was once again dual-threat senior quarterback Nick Wallerstedt who consistently beat BCP with his arm and his legs accounting for six total touchdowns.
“He’s just able to make that big throw,” Mountain Pointe head coach Rich Wellbrock said afterwards. “He’s gotten better as the year has progressed. He made some really good throws [Friday]. That’s exciting to see him continue to progress.”
Now the Pride will turn their attention to top-seeded Chandler and try to pull the upset of over the defending 6A champions on the road next week.
