Desert Edge Handles Rival Cactus 21-6 in Regular-Season Renewal
Goodyear, Arizona — 2023 Season
Desert Edge got the better of longtime rival Cactus in their 2023 regular-season meeting, winning 21-6 in a result that snapped a three-game losing streak in the series for the Scorpions. The win was part of an up-and-down rivalry between the two West Valley programs, one that Desert Edge holds a narrow 5-4 edge in overall.
The 15-point margin gave Desert Edge some momentum heading into the back half of its 2023 schedule, even though the season would ultimately end in heartbreak — a one-point loss to Higley in the 5A championship game a few weeks later. Still, the win over Cactus was a building block in a season that established Desert Edge as one of the top programs in the 5A classification.
The rivalry would only grow in significance the following year, when Desert Edge and Cactus met again — this time with a state championship on the line, a rematch that Desert Edge won to finally break through for its first title.
For a series as tightly contested as Desert Edge-Cactus, the 2023 regular-season meeting was a preview of the higher-stakes rematch still to come.