GameNight Breakdown: Defense holds when Thunder need it most

Desert Vista's defense had held up all night long, stonewalling the talented and speedy attack that is the Chandler Wolves' offense.

So when the Thunder needed its defense the most Friday night -- clinging to a one point lead with 2:45 to play as Chandler prepared to attempt a two-point conversion that would give the Wolves a lead; and again with just over a minute left on the game's final drive -- it was fitting that Desert Vista held tough, and held the lead, winning 21-20.

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• Kennard, injured in win, has no bone damage; MRI still pending

"With all the speed and all the athletes that Chandler has, I'm really proud that our defense was able to bottle these guys up like we said we needed to do," said DV coach Dan Hinds. "We knew they were going to get theirs, but, you know what? Our defense did a great job."

DV (2-1) was ahead 21-7 late in the fourth quarter before Wolves' quarterback Kyle Yount connected with wideout Caleve DeBoskie on a 19-yard score to cut it to 21-14. Following a failed onside kick, the Thunder botched a handoff and couldn't corral the ensuing fumble, which Chandler's Tim Buron returned for a score to cut it to 21-20.

DV's Spencer Chase was flagged for offsides before the point-after attempt, moving the ball to the 1-yard-line. It was then that Chandler coach Jim Ewan called a timeout and lined his squad up to go for two.

The Wolves spread out its receiving corps, but before the play could develop, Desert Vista's Devon Kennard and Jesse Clark met Chandler quarterback Kyle Yount in the backfield and brought him down.

"That's a coach's call," Hinds said of Ewan's decision to go for two points, "and I'll tell you what, I've got to hand it to him, he was going for the win. When you do that, you either win or you lose. Once again, our defense stepped up."

But Chandler (2-1) would get one last breathe.

The Wolves attempt at an onside kick barely went two yards, causing Chandler players to give up on the play. But Clark alertly fell on the live ball, giving DV possession.

The Thunder would, however, go three-and-out, and punt -- to make matters worse, Kennard injured his knee on the drive. The Wolves now had the ball at the 20 with just over one minute to play.

On the first play of the drive, Yount dropped back, looked to his right and fired. In stepped DV's Anders Battle for his first career interception, allowing the Thunder to kneel on the ball and seal the game.

"It didn't look good at the end there," said DV safety Cole Pembroke, "but I'm so happy right now. That was a tough fought game by both teams."

Tied 7-7 at the half, Desert Vista came out and scored on its second and third drives of the third quarter -- a 6-yard pass from quarterback Cody Sokol to Casey Bolena, their second touchdown on the night, and a 19-yard run from Kennard -- to take the 21-7 lead.

Sokol, a junior, finished 10-of-18 for 153 yards with the two touchdowns and two interceptions in his second career start. Bolena had six catches for 74 yards and the two scores.

"Cody's putting the ball on the money," Bolena said. "He's really progressing through these games, and he's getting us wins."

DV's second score came after Pembroke timed Yount's throw perfectly and stepped in front of it for an interception.

"I just saw him scrambling out, and I saw the guy open, so I just jumped the route," Pembroke said.

Chandler's offense, which entered the game averaging a Class 5A-I best 50 points and 472.5 yards per game, was limited to 309 yards, including only 47 on the ground.

The Thunder defense also forced four turnovers, including three interceptions.

"The (defensive) line did awesome, (defensive backs) did good coverage-wise and we had some long balls that were close," Pembroke said, "but overall it was just an awesome, really good effort by the defense."