Jaguars pick up where they left off after 2025 undefeated regular season

Many expected the Jaguars to take a step back without their superstar rusher. Through four games, those doubts have been erased and buried.

No. 12 Desert View has rocketed out of the gate with a 4-0 start in 2026, most recently dominating Mountain View (1-3) by a score of 48-0 on Friday night to stay unbeaten, but unsatisfied.

“We lost a great kid; we wish him the best over (at Centennial),” Desert View head coach Robert Bonillas said of Abraham’s departure. “But with our guys, this is who we have, this is who we coach. They play for one another, so we just have to get back to the grind.”

“Everything that happened, happened. We just got to move forward.”

The Jags have certainly moved forward, beating every opponent this season by 32 points or more, while outscoring their four opponents by a combined margin of 184-16.

Despite losing their star player, it’s been business as usual for Desert View with the precedent the team established in 2025. The Jaguars finished with a perfect 10-0 regular-season record last season, the school’s first-ever undefeated year.

The Jaguars made the playoffs for the first time since 2021 last season, dispatching No. 14 Ahwatukee Mountain Pointe in the second round 37-21 after a first-round bye as the No. 3 overall seed. In the quarterfinals, Desert View met a similar foe, No. 6 Waddell Canyon View, also the Jaguars, and fell 38-28.

"Our hot start comes from the hard work we've put in," said Desert View junior quarterback Andrew Godoy earlier this month. "Last year, we came up short of our goal in winning state. I feel like it just motivates us, because a lot of people don't have us going too far. They thought we were going to be a one-year wonder or whatever. I feel like we're going to have a big year this year and that motivates us."

Godoy has been a major boost since taking the reins at the quarterback position, replacing last year’s signal caller Ryan Vasavilbaso, who threw for 2,613 yards and 28 touchdowns.

Through four games, Godoy has completed 54 of his 75 attempts for 815 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception. His top receiver is sophomore Anthony Rodarte, who returns after a sensational freshman season leading the Jags in receiving yards.

The duo of Godoy and Rodarte has been coined by the school as “The Southside Connection.”

"The chemistry between me and him is special,” Godoy said. “We have definitely put in a lot of work together in practice. We talk about the different things we can do in the game. Every time he sees something on the field, he lets me know and then I'll let the coach know. The chemistry me and him have, it's definitely special."

Another key piece is the emergence of senior running back Desmond Dowayee. As a junior, Dowayee was the team’s second-leading rusher behind Abraham, carrying the ball just 10 times for 115 yards and a touchdown, one of two that wasn’t scored by Abraham.

Dowayee has been sharing backfield duties with junior Greg McKinstry III, but broke out against Mountain View on Friday with an eight-carry, 155-yard performance that saw him enter the end zone three times. His touchdowns were from 8, 39 and 53 yards out.

“Everything (was working) for us tonight, really,” Dowayee said after the 48-0 win. “Our offensive line, our defense had a shutout; we just played our hearts out.”

Even more prominent for the Jaguars is their exceptional 2028 class. 29 juniors are listed on the varsity roster, many of whom have been playing together since they were kids. The class is a combination of two youth football teams that grew up playing together in Tucson. As freshmen in 2024, they dominated the competition on the freshman/sophomore team and played many key roles in last year’s undefeated regular season.

The group certainly hasn’t lost many games throughout their careers. The consensus is that their only loss was the elimination game against Canyon View in last year’s quarterfinals.

“I keep telling them that they’ve only lost that one game so far,” Bonillas said of the juniors. “Other than that, I ope they keep working hard like they’ve been doing, stay eligible by working hard in the classroom and give themselves an opportunity to continue to compete and succeed.”

Desert View looks to continue its winning streak on Friday at No. 24 Maricopa (3-1) before the highly anticipated Battle of the District at Sunnyside on Oct. 1.