It could have backfired.

When a coach puts the onus on one of his units to go and win the game that kind of pressure can make that huddle tight and pressure filled.

Or - as was the case Friday night with Desert Edge’s defense – it can free up the players to wreak havoc and change the game. When Scorpions coach Henri MacArthur circled his defensive unit together in the early moments of the second half, he told them it’s up to them to fly around and make it happen.

It wasn’t much later that the Scorpions defense overwhelmed AlA-Gilbert North’s offense to win 29-7 in a 5A non-region matchup featuring two programs expected to play deep into the postseason.

A safety and defensive score took a five-point game in a matter of four minutes of game time and turned it into a two-score game but felt much more insurmountable.

“I’m a defensive coach,” said MacArther, who was Desert Edge’s secondary coach before taking over prior to the 2024 season. “I told the guys someone had to make a play. We were playing solid defense, but no one was making plays.

“Once we took the lead, I told the defense this is what we want. We play defense at Desert Edge for moments like this. We can win this game 12-7. We have to keep (the score) right here.”

The Scorpions (4-0) took the lead 12-7 on its first drive of the second half when junior wide receiver Aiden Honeywood made a great catch and went out of bounds at the 3 before quarterback Blake Roskopf scored on a sneak.

Then the Desert Edge defense responded to MacArthur’s challenge with the help of some miscues by the Eagles (3-1) as the ensuing kickoff was downed at 7-yard line when the knee of the returner inadvertently touched on the turf.

“We made a bunch of mistakes back-to-back in the second half,” Eagles coach Ty Detmer said. “We didn’t play our best, but (Desert Edge) had a lot to do with that. It was a good test for us to see where we are and what we need to do to get better.”

The bad field position was the impetus to the flurry of plays by the Desert Edge defense.

The kickoff return miscue led to a safety when senior leader Antonio Parra split the gap on a blitz and was immediately in ALA-GN quarterback Ben Livingston’s face as he dropped back into the end zone. The junior got rid of the ball but with no receiver in vicinity, he was flagged for intentional grounding while in the end zone, which is a safety.

“I play this game on instinct, and I saw the opening,” Parra said. “I was on him really quick, and he got rid of it. I take risks, and it works out 90 percent of time. We need something big to happen. Coach asked for us turn it up and we did.”

The Desert Edge defense continued to announce its presence with authority as Carmen Hamiel came off the edge for a sack and forced a fumble. Senior Cayvon Clemons scooped it up and returned it 18 yards for the touchdown to push it to 22-7.

The Scorpions had  a fumble recovery (which led to the first touchdown just before halftime), six sacks, the safety and didn’t allow a score over the last three-and-half quarters. The Eagles went 80 yards and had six first downs on the first drive of the game, and totaled five first downs and 73 yards the rest of the way.

Sophomore Jelanie George and junior Yahzeen Zion – who are 6-foot-5 and 6-foot-4, respectively – and Parra created the pressure while the defensive backfield broke up passes and harassed the Patriots receivers into frustration.

“We feed off that energy,” Zion said. “Once we get it going, we all want to make plays, and we push each other to make it happen. The huddles are loud, and we don’t want it to stop.”

Senior wide receiver Travion Dixson took a slant and went 23 yards for the final score to make it clear the Scorpions, who played without several starters, are a top team in 5A.

Desert Edge has won three straight road game, and the Scorpions are feeling good about where they as the mid-point of the season nears.

“We know who we are,” Parra said. “We have a lot talented players, but when we play as a team, I’ll take us against anyone. We are one of the best defenses in the state, the best in 5A and are offense that can make plays. We’ll be tough to beat.”