Sonnah and the Jaguar secondary make early statement

A 3-1 start got away from Desert View last year and the Jaguars finished with their first losing season since 2018. This year’s young team, along with some veteran players, lean on one another and DVHS is determined to make things different this time around.

The Jaguars are off to a good start. A pair of quarterbacks (one senior and one sophomore) each had touchdown passes. The secondary picked off three passes and brought two of them back for scores. It was a dazzling display of athleticism in the second quarter combining a long pass, a pick-six, and some good old fashioned hard running. By the time the scoreboard clock hit zeroes for the end of the first half, Sunrise Mountain found itself down 30-7.

That impressive first half was more than enough for Desert View to take down the host Mustangs, 38-15, in a 5A non-region battle on Friday night in North Peoria at Sunrise Mountain High.

”The kids work hard,” Desert View head coach Robert Bonillas said. “They listen. They’ve bought into our program, so it’s exciting to see them go out there, run around, and do their jobs.”

The Standouts

Desert View RB Jaylee Abraham

The 5-9, 185-pound sophomore running back moved the chains on the Jaguars’ initial drive, ultimately crossing the goal line for the game’s first points. The Jaguars don’t just settle for seven on their scores, they were four-of-five in two-point conversions with Abraham running in three of them. In addition to offense, Abraham also plays safety on defense. Speed is a big part of his game as he’s been laser-timed at 4.58 in the 40.

Desert View WR Anthony Rodarte

You can’t make a bigger first impact than to get your first varsity touchdown as a freshman. Rodarte one-upped that by picking up his second one later in the same quarter. Those were his only two touches in the first half and both were for scores. He finished his debut with six catches for 91 yards.

Desert View CB Kenny Sonnah

Along with Abraham, Sonnah played on a Jaguar freshman team in 2024 that not only went undefeated, but hung an 80-7 loss on Canyon del Oro. He personifies the Class of ‘28 guys that have fun on the field because he works hard during the week and listens to his coaches. Leading 14-0, Sonnah dropped back and snagged an interception and went untouched for a 45-yard score to make the Jaguars’ lead become unmanageable. He tacked on another pick in the fourth quarter to end a Mustang drive.

Desert View CB/KR Desmond Dowayee

Dowayee announced his presence on the opening kickoff with a long return to the Sunrise Mountain 39-yard line giving the offense a short field (which they converted into a touchdown). The speedy junior also grabbed an interception in the third quarter, which he carried 20 yards into the end zone for the Jaguars’ only second-half scoring.

Sunrise Mountain QB Cade Culley

The 6-3, 200-pound senior got the start for the Mustangs after playing sparingly last year (39 attempts). Culley threw a touchdown pass to Tanner Austin in the second quarter, got subbed out for a little bit in the second half, but returned for the Mustangs’ final drive. It was a nine-play, 46-yard drive that ended with another TD toss to Austin.

Every Play Counts

• On the opening kickoff, Dowayee fielded the ball deep in his own end and brought it back to the Sunrise Mountain 39-yard line. Having a short field certainly helped with any opening-night jitters and Desert View cashed it in for an early 6-0 lead.
• On its first drive, Sunrise Mountain running back/wide receiver Logan Russell fielded a direct snap on fourth-and-three near midfield and converted for the first down.
• In the second quarter, trailing 22-0, Sunrise Mountain used a 39-yard run up the middle by senior Ethan Bogard to reach the red zone. That led to the Mustangs’ first TD of the night.
• Sunrise Mountain committed five penalties for 55 yards in the first half. None was more costly than a face mask on third-and-long. That gave the Jaguars a first down near the red zone and they tacked on another score with just six seconds remaining in the half.
• Culley re-entered the game midway through the fourth quarter and on his first throw, hooked up with Russell for a 27-yard gain. That would be the start of a 4-for-6 drive leading to a touchdown on Sunrise Mountain’s last possession.

Box Score

Jaguars 38, Mustangs 15

DV	6	24	8	0	38
SM	0	7	0	8	15

First Quarter

DV – Jaylee Abraham 6 yard run (pass failed), 7:35

Second Quarter

DV – Anthony Rodarte 39 yard pass from Ryan Vasavilbaso (Abraham run), 10:56
DV – Kenny Sonnah 45 yard interception return (Abraham run), 10:39
SM – Tanner Austin 14 yard pass from Cade Culley (Anthony Bittle kick), 7:06
DV – Rodarte 7 yard pass from Andrew Godoy (Abraham run), 0:06

Third Quarter

DV – Desmond Dowayee 20 yard interception return (Cristian Salgado pass from Vasavilbaso), 5:36

Fourth Quarter

SM – Austin 5 yard pass from Culley (Culley run), 2:58

Team Statistics

	Desert View	Sunrise Mountain
First Downs	14	10
Rushes-Yards	19-92	23-69
Comp-Att-Int	20-29-1	16-30-3
Pass Yards	200	118
Total Yards	292	187
Fumbles lost	1	0
Penalties	9-83	7-65

Individual Statistics

Rushing

Desert View – Abraham 12-68, Romero 5-10, Godoy 1-8, Barcelo 1-6. Sunrise Mountain – Bogard 6-47, Russell 7-25, Hellbusch 1-9, Bittle 3-2, Williams 3-(minus 2), Culley 2-(minus 6), Marks 1-(minus 6).

Passing

Desert View – Vasavilbaso 15-19-0, 138 yards, Godoy 5-10-1, 62 yards. Sunrise Mountain – Culley 13-21-1, 94 yards, Marks 3-8-2, 24 yards, Russell 0-1-0 0 yards.

Receiving

Desert View – Rodarte 6-91, Soto 6-50, Barcelo 4-28, Romero 3-25, Grijalva 1-6. Sunrise Mountain – Austin 6-45, Russell 5-38, Hellbusch 3-21, Woodward 1-12, Bittle 1-2.

Sound Off

Desert View WR Anthony Rodarte on his first touchdown catch: “I saw the way they lined up in that formation. Not to be cocky, but I knew it was going to be there. We set that up pretty well.”

Sunrise Mountain head coach Santiago Maldonado: “I think the lights were a little too bright for us tonight. Desert View played physical football. They just beat us at the point of attack.”

Desert View CB Kenny Sonnah on what makes this team special: “Our heart. Our heart for the game. Our hard work. Working together and trusting each other.”

Desert View head coach Robert Bonillas on next week’s matchup with Sahuaro: “We heard they’re a pretty good team, so we can’t underestimate anybody. You only get 10 games, so you have to prepare for each week.”

Next Week

Desert View (1-0) travels from South Tucson once again. This time, it won’t be as far as the Jaguars go to East Tucson to face Sahuaro (1-0) next Friday. The Cougars may be a 4A team, but they unleashed 563 yards of offense in a 41-3 win at Empire.

Sunrise Mountain (0-1) gets to play at home once again as the Mustangs welcome Ironwood (0-1). The Eagles return mobile QB KhaVontae Paul, and he had a tremendous opener. In a 42-30 loss at Apollo, Paul rushed for 245 yards and five touchdowns. Maldonado said SMHS will have to do a much better job tackling if it wants to break into the win column next Friday.