GLENDALE - After a 6-0 start, Desert Edge looks every bit like the defending state champions. With Blake Roskopf, the four-star quarterback recruit in his second year at Desert Edge, and one of the top-ranked defenses in Arizona, the scorpions are on the quest for another deep playoff run.

Desert Edge won against Desert West Rival Canyon View 29-21 in a tightly contested game in which they trailed by five points going into half, but then put up 20 points in the second half with sophomore running back Byron Brandon catching a touchdown pass from Roskopf to pad the lead in the fourth quarter.

 

Byron Brandon goes into the endzone on a 6-yard pass from quarterback Blake Roskopf to pad the Desert Edge lead. (Austin Gibbs photo/AZPreps365)Although they are 6-0, head coach Henri MacArthur and his team are always looking for ways to improve.

“It’s a great feeling,” said Roskopf, on being 6-0, “but there’s a lot of mistakes here tonight that we got to fix and just build off of because if we play like that in the playoffs, it’s not going to be good for us.”

“We’ve been elite defensively this year from every statistical standpoint,” said MacArthur, “but we’ve bailed some teams out with some penalties and misalignments at key times that have led to scores.”

The Scorpions’ defense has only allowed 68 points through 6 games in the season, sacking the quarterback 20 times and forcing 11 turnovers (7 interceptions and 4 fumbles).

Antonio Para, senior defensive back for the Scorpions, said that one play that identified the team's defense was the scoop and score against ALA Gilbert North.

“I feel like that really changed the momentum of the game. That’s the first thing that stands out to me as a really big defensive play," said Para.

Camren Hamiel, senior DB, said a defining moment for the defense was the performance against Cienega, which Desert Edge won 26-0, and the second half against Canyon View, when the Scorpions won 29-21. 

“After we had one bad drive, we shut it all down,” said Hamiel.

Hamiel also discussed the closeness of the group and how that plays into the Friday Night Lights.

“We’re all super close. I feel like we all follow each other’s footsteps, and nobody goes off the rails, and we stay connected, and that helps us by trusting each other on the field,” said Hamiel. “Everybody leads in our own way, and we all set the tone.”

The praise was high for Scorpions Head Coach MacArthur on his leadership and what he has done to take care of the team.

Roskopf said, “It’s a great relationship; he took me in when I first got here, and it’s been like that ever since.”

MacArthur won the 5A state championship in his first year as head coach, and now his team is off to a 6-0 start in his second season.

Para said, “He really gives me a lot of opportunities to shine and really get me out there in terms of recruiting and all that, as well as a lot of work in the off-season that has helped me grow as a player for sure.”

Along with leading his team to a state championship last year, MacArthur has a 16-4 record in the regular season.

Desert Edge has four more games in the regular season before the playoffs start on November 7th, 2025.

Three of the four games for the Scorpions will be played at home, starting with the Verrado Vipers (4-2) on Oct. 10, 2025, followed by the undefeated Tolleson Wolverines (6-0) on Oct. 17. The Scorpions will then head on the road to face the Kellis Cougars (1-5) on Oct. 24, before finishing the season at home against the Millenium Tigers (5-1) on Halloween night.

MacArthur likes to keep the focus on one week at a time. “We really focus week to week,” said MacArthur. We don’t really focus too much on the record or where we were last week. Every week is a new week, and we have to attack it to go 1-0.”