Heatley's 97-yard TD ignites Panthers

KamBrenn Heatley touched the ball once Thursday night.

The Palo Verde senior made the most of it.

Heatley returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown after Arbor View’s only touchdown to help the second-ranked Panthers gain a 14-7 home victory over the Aggies in the Northwest League opener for both teams.

“He’s special,” Palo Verde coach Darwin Rost said of Heatley, who played for Desert Oasis last year. “He’s run the ball hard ever since he stepped on our campus.”

Arbor View had taken a 7-0 lead on a 5-yard run by Donnie Gaskin with 10:25 left in the first half. The TD was set up by a 63-yard run by Roderick Eason, and the Aggies appeared to have the momentum.

It didn’t last, nor did Arbor View’s lead.

Heatley fielded the ensuing kickoff at the 3 and streaked down the right sideline, breaking a tackle inside the 10 and squirting into the end zone.

Heatley’s special teams play was all the more important on a night Palo Verde was outgained 224-94. The Panthers (2-0) didn’t get a first down in the second half and were held to minus-4 yards after halftime.

“You can’t give up big plays and turnovers,” Arbor View coach Dan Barnson said. “Our defense kept us in it. They played tremendous.”

Arbor View’s defense consistently bottled up Palo Verde, allowing only one big play from scrimmage.

That came when Lee Griggs took a shotgun snap, kept the ball and ran 38 yards, diving across the goal line for the go-ahead touchdown. Tom Randall’s second extra point made it 14-7 with 2:23 left in the first half.

The Aggies (1-1) had chances in the second half, but shot themselves in the foot with three turnovers. Palo Verde’s Jared Lucero recovered two fumbles, but the Panthers couldn’t take advantage despite favorable field position.

Lucero’s second recovery gave Palo Verde the ball at the Arbor View 8 with 6:59 left in the third quarter.

The Panthers got to the 2 on a 6-yard run by Jonathan Maxwell but lost yardage on the next two plays, and a 31-yard field-goal attempt was blocked by Arbor View’s Drew Purciful.

A fumble on the ensuing drive gave Palo Verde the ball at the Arbor View 23, but the Panthers managed just 3 yards on the drive, and Randall’s 35-yard field goal attempt wasn’t close.

The Aggies had a final chance, getting the ball back at their 45 with 3:16 left. Arbor View drove to the Palo Verde 23, but consecutive sacks by Palo Verde’s Eric South and Joshua Symonette set up a fourth-and-25 play from the 38, and Henry Hoffend’s pass was incomplete with 9.4 seconds left.

Palo Verde has allowed just seven points in its two wins.

“We got the nice goose egg last week against Canyon Springs, and we came out with the kids playing hard,” Rost said.

Both teams feature the double-wing offense, and Rost said that may have been an advantage for the defenses.

“It’s like playing yourself when you play Arbor View,” Rost said. “Our kids see that every day in practice and the same thing with those guys.”

Eason finished with 120 yards on 16 carries for Arbor View, which has never beaten Palo Verde. The

Aggies were 9-0 last season before losing 17-0 to the Panthers on the final night of the regular season.

“There’s that Palo Verde umbrella that we’ve never gotten over, and the kids really wanted it,” Barnson said. “What can you say, we left it on the field. They’ve got to remember this feeling, but if they work hard, it’s a feeling that will stay away from them.”