Mica Mountain has the pieces for another football title run

Already emerging from back-to-back state championships, Mica Mountain found a way to restock and reload after losing 25 seniors last season and has continued to find dominance as the team seeks a three-peat in 2026.

The Bolts’ dominance was on full display on Friday night, as they shut out rival Canyon del Oro 30-0 in their home opener, moving their season record to 2-0 with 59 points scored and zero conceded against their fellow rival and the most recent 4A state champion besides themselves.

“Our defense has played really well, especially after last week,” Mica Mountain head coach Jay Campos said. “We shut out Poston Butte but didn’t tackle very well. Tonight, we came out and tackled well from the beginning, and our defense saw this whole game through.”

Mica Mountain’s season began with a 29-0 drubbing of Poston Butte in San Tan Valley, highlighted by the defensive performance and a solid start to the team’s three-peat campaign.

On Friday, the Thunderbolts held the Dorados to just 80 yards of total offense, most of which came in the first half while both teams were initially settling in. CDO’s first drive yielded multiple penalties working against them, and when the Dorados attempted to punt, a high snap resulted in the CDO punter booting the ball out of the back of the end zone for a safety.

Mica Mountain had scored on its first drive, catalyzed by a massive 55-yard run from senior running back Jeremiah Anderson. He capped the drive off with a four-yard touchdown rush to get the Bolts on the board first.

Anderson was a major bright spot for the Mica Mountain offense on Friday, as the senior carried the ball 19 times for 165 yards and two touchdowns.

With Mica ahead 9-0 after just five minutes, the contest slowed down for the remainder of the first half as the Thunderbolts defense held firm against the Dorados, while Mica Mountain attempted to work out the kinks in the team’s biggest flaw: the quarterback position.

Senior Michael Consavage, junior Brenton Baker and sophomore Adam Becker all took snaps during the Bolts’ game on Friday, each taking on different challenges depending on the situation.

Baker attempted the most passes of the trio, completing five of 11 passes for 62 yards and an interception. Both Consavage and Becker threw one pass each for a completion. Both Becker’s completion was good for 26 yards and Consavage’s for 33 yards and a touchdown to junior receiver Eli Palma. Becker was the lone quarterback to rush for a touchdown.

Campos stressed that each quarterback plays in the system based on situation and skill set.

“It’s interesting, I never thought I would be a guy that would (use different quarterbacks) in formations with different personnel,” the Mica Mountain head coach said. “We have three different quarterbacks with different skill sets, so based on what we need at any given time, we have three guys that are able to jump in.”

“It’s a credit to them because they all want to be the guy, but they’re willing to do what it takes to help the team be successful…. I couldn’t be more pleased with the way they’re being team players and the job they’re doing for us.”

Mica Mountain came out of the halftime break and finally put it all together, as the defense and the three-quarterback-led offensive system began to hum in harmony. The Bolts scored 21 points in the fourth quarter, finally finishing their drives off in emphatic fashion.

“We had to talk and find a way to get the ball moving,” Anderson said. “Once we were out there in the second half, it was guns blazing.”

Friday was Mica Mountain’s 12th straight win dating back to Sept. 19, 2025, after a 14-10 loss to Sunnyside. The week prior, the Bolts also lost to ALA - West Foothills 21-14 on the road.

They also jumped out to a 4-2 advantage in the all-time series against CDO, a budding rival after the teams clashed twice in 2023 en route to the Dorados’ perfect 14-0 state championship season.

“CDO is a great program,” Campos said. “They’re much better this year than last year, and we know it’s always going to be a difficult game when we play them. So, we were impressed with the fact that we came out here and dominated them, especially in that fourth quarter.”

Despite some growing pains, it was a triumphant return to their home turf for the Thunderbolts. The crowd roared, the in-game production blasted intimidating music every third down, the light show flickered after every score, and even some lightning flashed in the distance, a welcoming sign that Mica Mountain was back on home soil.

“It was absolutely amazing to be back out here,” senior receiver/defensive back Kaden Watson said. “It’s been 10 months since we were here for our last game, so just returning home was special. I really missed this.”

Mica Mountain takes to its home field once again on Friday, looking for revenge against ALA - West Foothills at 7 p.m. The 1-1 Dorados visit Phoenix South Mountain on Friday.