When Norris Vaughan is excited he can’t contain himself, words flow from his mouth that maybe shouldn’t, and his smile reaches a new level.

Mountain Pointe reverted back to basics by utilizing a strong rushing attack that carried the Pride to a quarterfinal victory over Scottsdale Desert Mountain 45-14 on Friday night.

The scenario to open the second half could not have been set up much better for Desert Vista.

If Desert Vista’s traditional Senior Walk on Friday would have replicated the Thunder’s first-round win over Basha it would have been a little herky jerky instead of the methodical take-it-all-in process it is meant to be.

Yuma Cibola earned an automatic berth into the Division l playoffs by finishing third in its section despite being outside of the final 16 in the seeding.

Desert Vista coach Dan Hinds liked what he saw and not just because his Thunder thoroughly dominated Chandler in the season finale at Austin Field.

Sometimes overcoming adversity can be the best thing to happen to a team.

While Mountain Pointe offense has been setting records the last few weeks, the defense continued its usual level of dominance.

If the saying "defense wins championships" is true then Desert Vista took a step forward as it goes for a second straight Division l state championship.

Desert Vista built a 31-0 halftime cushion and then emptied its bench in the second half in a 54-17 victory over Mesquite on Friday night.

The Kofa team bus pulled into the Mountain Pointe parking lot around 3 p.m. Friday afternoon.

Junior Jalen Brown has been starting for Mountain Pointe for three years.

Media outlets have prepared obituaries for famous people getting up in age so when the time comes a few simple blanks can be filled in and the obit can be released in a timely fashion.

The turn of events bordered on the ridiculous.

From a cracked skull to cracking open the record books.

The scene probably should have been chaotic, but if the Mountain Pointe football team has proven anything in this coronary of a season, it is the Pride have an ability to keep still in flinching moments.

After winning the Division l state championship Desert Vista knew it was not going to be able to sneak up on anybody this year.

A rough week led to an uneven performance for Desert Vista on Friday night at Westwood.

SIERRA VISTA — A 3 1/2-hour drive to play a game can lead to all sorts of issues, for a football team, most notably fatigue following the long trip, uncertainty about the distant locale and fears of not taking seriously an opponent it beat handily the year before.

When Mountain Pointe knocked off Hamilton, head coach Norris Vaughan did a few shoulder blocks during the celebration with defensive coordinator Jeff Decker, who is a well-built but average sized man.

A week later the student body stayed put, the Mountain Pointe starters spent most of the second half enjoying a 2-0 start and the Pride treated the school’s second hall of fame class to a laugher over Mesa.

Ryan Sheehan repeated the mantra over and over again.

MESA - After Desert Vista had two huge games on the big stage - the Cardinals’ University of Phoenix Stadium - a letdown might have been in the offing.

MESA - After Desert Vista had two huge games on the big stage - the Cardinals’ University of Phoenix Stadium - a letdown might have been in the offing.

GLENDALE - The last time Desert Vista walked on the field at the University of Phoenix Stadium, the Thunder played a nearly perfect game.