Great Scott! Late TD pass to Hector gives Jaguars the win
Canyon View and Millennium had some similarities heading into Friday night’s 5A Desert West Region showdown in Goodyear. Both offenses have been at full throttle with each team scoring at least 35 in every win. The Jaguars and host Tigers each have rebounded nicely from 3-7 seasons in 2024, going a combined 13-3 through this year’s first eight weeks.
And they did not disappoint going toe-to-toe all night long. Neither team led by double digits in a game that saw 81 points. There were six lead changes and the score was knotted at 30 after three quarters. With the game tied at 37-37 in the final minute, Canyon View quarterback Brady Scott threw his fifth touchdown pass of the game on a play that had three players with white jerseys open downfield. The ball went through the hands of one receiver and was secured by Jay’mari Hector with just 11 seconds remaining to give the Jaguars the victory.
Another place these teams have been close to one another is in the 5A Conference rankings. Canyon View was at #8 in last week’s listing while Millennium was right there at #9. With a win next week (vs. Tolleson) the Jaguars should earn a top-eight seed which would net them a bye in the first round of the 24-team playoff bracket.
”The way these guys battled back, I was so proud of them,” Canyon View head coach Manny Alcantar said. “The offense kept going. They knew how good they were. That was awesome to be a part of.”
The victory was the first for CVHS over district-rival Millennium in four tries. The schools are separated by just seven miles.
The Standouts
Canyon View QB Brady Scott
The 6-foot, 165-pound senior signal caller has been shouldering the load of much of the Jaguars’ offense all season. In his second year as the starter, he was able to fire off the deep ball. Scott had five completions of 30 or more yards and finished the game 27-of-46 for 345 yards and five touchdown passes. He was also able to use his legs to pick up yards, gaining 58 yards on his 10 runs, including a first down on the final drive to set up the winning score.
Canyon View WR Braylon Anderson
The junior receiver scored on a pair of touchdown passes from Scott. On the first one, he caught a screen and stiff-armed the first would-be tackler before breaking one more tackle on a 12-yard pass play. Later in the half, Anderson was on the receiving end of a 44-yard bomb. Anderson is a two-sport athlete who also sprints and hurdles for the Jaguar track team.
Canyon View RB DJ Sims Jr
The senior running back may be 5-4 and 140 pounds, but he packs a punch and crossed the end zone twice in the second half. In an eight-play drive that featured six runs, Sims ran it to the left for a six-yard TD to put the Jaguars in front 30-23. Later, he caught a delayed screen pass and had enough open running room, and speed, to go 15 yards and tie the game up at 37.
Millennium WR Kadin Johnson
The junior receiver had a big night for the Tigers on a night where their run game wasn’t able to carry them. Johnson caught six passes for 116 yards and three touchdowns. In the first quarter, he was on the receiving end of a long 37-yard pass, which was caught in stride. Johnson caught the team’s second touchdown by getting behind the defense on a wheel route. Later, he went 28 yards on a screen pass to tie the game at 30 late in the third quarter.
Millennium QB Rayden Reibel
Reibel went over 250 passing yards for the fifth time this season. He also equalled his best touchdown performance with four TD throws (plus a 1-yard run). Three times in the first half, Reibel was able to gain first downs running the ball. He finished the night with nine carries for 72 yards. The 6-1, 195-pounder now has 22 touchdown passes on the year.
Every Play Counts
- Brady Scott completed a 12-yard pass to Treydon Baker on fourth down to prolong a drive in the second quarter.
- That drive got down to the 2-yard line, but a holding call backed the ball up to the 12 and the Jaguars had to settle for a field goal.
- Canyon View (leading 23-14) reached the Millennium 24-yard line threatening to boost its lead. But Bishop Monroe recovered a fumble for the Tigers.
- Millennium had just 47 seconds after getting the fumble at its own 25-yard line. They got into position and kicked a field goal as the final seconds ran off the clock to end the half.
- Brady Grizzell (Canyon View) and Elijah Stevens (Millennium) each intercepted passes on consecutive drives in the third quarter.
- With the score tied at 30, the Tigers used misdirection and handed the ball off to Kasaun Rouzan-Franklin, who went 37 yards to the 1-yard line. That set up a go-ahead touchdown.
- With just over three minutes remaining in a tied game (37-37), Millennium forced a three-and-out, but the punt from Canyon View’s Austen Honsa went 56 yards (over the head of the returner) and was downed at the Tigers’ 20-yard line.
- Millennium faced a fourth-and-five at the Canyon View 44-yard line with just over a minute to go. After trying to draw the Jaguars offside, the Tigers called timeout. The offense returned to the field, but a pass fell incomplete giving CVHS a shorter field.
- In Canyon View’s final drive, Scott gained a first down on a 10-yard run to get to the 30. No time out was called (they had one remaining). The Jaguars simply lined back up and the final touchdown pass was launched.
Box Score
Jaguars 44, Tigers 37
| CV | 13 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 44 |
| MIL | 7 | 10 | 13 | 7 | 37 |
First Quarter
CV – Michael Callejas 42 yard pass from Brady Scott (kick failed), 7:45
Mill – Kadin Johnson 37 yard pass from Rayden Reibel (Daniel Meadows kick), 7:20
CV – Braylon Anderson 12 yard pass from Scott (Austen Honsa kick), 4:16
Second Quarter
Mill – Johnson 34 yard pass from Reibel (Meadows kick), 10:06
CV – Anderson 44 yard pass from Scott (Honsa kick), 8:30
CV – Honsa 30 yard FG, 2:17
Mill – Meadows 27 yard FG, 0:00
Third Quarter
Mill – Isaiah Rodriguez 34 yard pass from Reibel (kick blocked), 6:39
CV – DJ Sims Jr 6 yard run (Honsa kick), 4:15
Mill – Johnson 28 yard pass from Reibel (Meadows kick), 0:56
Fourth Quarter
Mill – Reibel 1 yard run (Meadows kick), 9:54
CV – Sims 15 yard pass from Scott (Honsa kick), 8:23
CV – Jay’mari Hector 30 yard pass from Scott (Honsa kick), 0:11
Team Statistics
| Canyon View | Millennium | |
| First Downs | 14 | 17 |
| Rushes-Yards | 26-146 | 29-195 |
| Comp-Att-Int | 27-46-1 | 18-31-2 |
| Pass Yards | 345 | 260 |
| Total Yards | 491 | 455 |
| Fumbles Lost | 1 | 1 |
| Penalties | 11-106 | 6-54 |
Rushing
Canyon View – Sims 20-88, Scott 6-58. Millennium – Bryant 19-86, Reibel 9-72, Rouzan-Franklin 1-37.
Passing
Canyon View – Scott 27-46-1, 345 yards. Millennium – Reibel 18-31-2, 260 yards.
Receiving
Canyon View – Catalan 8-88, Anderson 5-70, Callejas 5-64, Hector 2-59, Sims Jr – 4-45, Baker 3-19. Millennium – Johnson 6-116, Rodriguez 3-64, Routan-Franklin 4-41, Bryant 2-23, Schwartz 2-8, Davison 1-8.
Sound Off
Canyon View WR Braylon Anderson on how his relationship with QB Brady Scott has continued to grow: “Even just throughout this season, it’s gotten a lot stronger. All the receivers have worked a lot over the summer because we knew we were going to have to be special this year.”
Millennium head coach Lamar Early: “I’m proud of my boys tonight. It was a hard-fought game. Hats off to Canyon View. We knew it was going to be what it was. And it was.”
Canyon View QB Brady Scott on how running a no-huddle helped with the final drive: “We do a lot of tempo in practice. We’re already used to it. We already do all of the crowd noise. We’re used to all the situations.”
Canyon View head coach Manny Alcantar on what the play of the offense says about his coordinator and the staff: “Our staff works so hard. We’ve got Fisch (offensive coordinator James Fischer) who’s been an OC for a little bit. Coach (Jordan) Champion, who’s been around the block. Coach (Ron) Baker has coached his son to national records. Coach (Derek) Underwood, who’s by far, one of the best strength coaches. If you guys have not been able to see what we’ve been able to do with this team in one year, it’s incredible. I’m so proud of those guys for doing what they’ve done.”
Next Week
Canyon View (7-2 overall, 3-1 5A Desert West Region) wraps up its regular season next Thursday at home against Tolleson (6-3, 1-3). The Wolverines started the season with six straight wins, but have allowed 158 points over the past three weeks. Verrado lit up the defense for over 60 in a 62-38 win on Friday night. This is the sixth varsity season for the Jaguars and eight wins would be a new program record.
Millennium (7-2, 3-1) will stay in Goodyear, but travel to top-ranked and defending 5A champion Desert Edge (9-0, 4-0) next Friday. The Scorpions would take the region with a victory. The Tigers need a win plus a CV loss to Tolleson. A three-way tie would be broken by the team ranking highest in the final AIA power point rankings. Desert Edge was tested by Canyon View on Oct. 3 (a 29-21 win), but has destroyed its last three opponents. A 60-14 win over Kellis Friday night made the composite total at 162-28 in that span. The Tigers’ last eight-win regular season came in 2019.
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