It’s become common for Shadow Ridge and Palo Verde’s flag football teams to play close games against each other. Four of the last five meetings between the state’s top teams have been decided by one score.
That wasn’t the case Monday.
Palo Verde, No. 1 in the Review-Journal’s Class 5A rankings, came up with several big plays on offense and got a stellar performance from its defense in a 32-0 road win at No. 2 Shadow Ridge.
“I like how everyone contributed,” Panthers coach Rick Eurich said. “Everybody, our defense played their butts off. The defense holding that team to zero (points), it says something.”
Palo Verde (18-1, 9-0 5A Southern League) defeated Shadow Ridge 18-14 earlier this season in the Mustang Rodeo tournament championship game Jan. 3.
Two of the teams’ three meetings last year were also close. The one that wasn’t was the 5A state title game, where Shadow Ridge rolled to a 19-2 victory to win its third straight championship.
“It’s a really big motivating factor, knowing that we were so close (to the state title) last year and then we lost in kind of an embarrassing way,” Palo Verde senior Alexis Manzo said. “We just want to get back there and prove that we can actually win.”
Manzo did her part Monday. She finished with eight catches for 114 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Her sister Samantha Manzo added 101 rushing yards, including a 64-yard touchdown run, and a 1-yard touchdown pass for the Panthers.
“They’re just special,” Eurich said of the Manzo sisters. “I don’t know if I’ve ever coached a boy or girl that’s been that fun to coach and dedicated to get better.”
Things didn’t go Palo Verde’s way early. Quarterback Yolana Huff threw an interception on the second play from scrimmage. But the Panthers defense came up with a fourth-down stop when the Mustangs (16-3, 8-1) threatened to score.
Alexis Manzo came up with her first touchdown catch on a 15-yard pass from Huff later in the first quarter. Samantha Manzo broke off her touchdown run midway through the second quarter, while Alexis Manzo added a 2-yard touchdown catch before halftime to give Palo Verde a 20-0 lead at the break.
Huff shook off the early interception, completing 17 of her 20 passes for 174 yards and three touchdowns. She threw a 5-yard pass to Alexis Manzo early in the fourth quarter for the Panthers’ final touchdown.
“You need to have a very quick memory or short memory as a quarterback,” Eurich said. “That’s what makes us as a team — we have that this year. We don’t hang our head when we make a mistake and just get back up and go back to work.”
Shadow Ridge was held to 155 yards of total offense. The win puts Palo Verde in the driver’s seat to win the Southern League regular-season title and get the No. 1 seed in the state playoffs. The Panthers still have one more test remaining against No. 3 Desert Oasis on Feb. 3. The Panthers lost to Desert Oasis 33-6 in a tournament Dec. 7.
“One way or the other, we know we’re going to have to face (Shadow Ridge) again, most likely,” Eurich said. “We’d like to win the division. It’s been a goal.”
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.