Apple Valley gets revenge against Hesperia in playoff thriller: 5 takeaways

Senior running backs ZyRon Belcher and Xavier Salazar helped lead the Sun Devils to a 35-32 victory

HESPERIA, CALIF. - When a team narrowly loses a heartbreaker during the regular season, getting an opportunity for revenge in a playoff setting is a dream come true.

Even more so when the loss was against a league opponent.

Such was the case for Apple Valley in the first round of the CIFSS Division 5 playoffs, playing at Hesperia – where it was upset by one point in Mojave River League play four weeks prior.

The Sun Devils' second crack at Hesperia nearly ended more painfully than the second one, as they watched a late 16-point lead dissipate in a late-game flurry. After Apple Valley held leads of 14-3 in the second quarter and 35-19 early in the fourth, Hesperia had the ball in Apple Valley territory with a chance to send it to overtime or win the game in the final minute.

But ultimately, the Sun Devils capitalized on the rematch, getting the defensive stop to win a 35-32 thriller. 

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Here are five takeaways from the game:

SCORPIONS NEARLY PULL OFF SURREAL COMEBACK

On paper, a team coming back from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter doesn't jump off the page, despite being impressive. But Hesperia came incredibly close to coming back from a 10-point hole in the last few minutes of the game, and it would've been madness had it happened.

When the Scorpions got turned over on downs with 4:46 to go, they trailed 35-25, and had only scored once in the previous 25 minutes of game play. That's nearly insurmountable, barring a fumble or two. And it seemed that Apple Valley had figured – or worn – their offense out.

But Hesperia didn't give up. It buckled down defensively to force a punt, and continued attacking with deep passes amidst offensive desperation. Hesperia scored a touchdown with 48 seconds left on a one-handed highlight grab by Don Henry from Anthony Lopez, and recovered an onside kick. Then, Hesperia got in the general vicinity of field goal range on a completion of over 30 yards from Lopez to Zamar Malveaux.

If Apple Valley's defense hadn't regathered, the Sun Devils would've been at serious risk of going down in regulation, let alone going to overtime. But they regrouped, forced a fourth down, and Hesperia missed a 34-yard field goal with nine seconds left.

RUNNING BACKS, OFFENSIVE LINES SHINE

Both teams leaned on impressive running attacks on Friday, anchored by their vaunted offensive lines.

Sophomore Da'lon Williams totaled over 250 yards of offense for Hesperia, and ran for touchdowns in the second and third quarters. His damage was almost exclusively on the ground, but he also caught for a first down in the third quarter.

For Apple Valley, it was the duo of seniors Xavier Salazar and ZyRon Belcher, both of whom ran for over 100 yards. Salazar did most of his damage early, scoring the first touchdown of the game, and Belcher got most of his production in the second half. One of the two plays of the game came early in the fourth quarter when he shed multiple defenders in highlight fashion to put Apple Valley up 35-19 from 20 yards out.

"Those guys were amazing," said Apple Valley head coach Kyle Godfrey.

"Obviously, credit has to go to the O-line tonight, but there were a couple times where it was just Belcher being a grown man at the end there. Obviously his power running and Salazar's speed, that's a good one-two punch for us.

"But I thought our O-line really stepped up. They kind of got beat up and bullied [last time] against Hesperia, and so for them to come back and establish the line of scrimmage... I'm just excited for the O-line and those running backs for sure."

Godfrey also was impressed by the performances of Williams and Henry against the Sun Devils, and mentioned that there's a strong mutual respect between the two programs and coaching staffs.

MORE TOP PERFORMERS

Henry, a wide receiver, was one of the best players on the field on Friday. He made a few big catches in the first three quarters, and in the fourth quarter, he went inferno. In the final frame alone, he grabbed both of his touchdown catches and recorded roughly 100 receiving yards.

Both quarterbacks were locked in and played at a high level to supplement their offenses' run-centric attacks. Lopez had his most productive game of the season, and Apple Valley senior Noah Celie, now in his third postseason, ran for a touchdown and threw a touchdown pass to Dominic Bechtel.

APPLE VALLEY A FAVORITE IN DIVISION 5

As opposed to 2021, when it made an underdog run to the Southern Section D3 finals, Apple Valley is nobody's underdog within this playoff bracket. That's a result of parity – just about anyone in the division has a legitimate chance at a finals run.

However, with their pedigree – the Division 3 finals run followed by a Division 2 appearance – the Sun Devils aren't going to be slept on (for a change). Maybe within a potential State playoff bracket they would, but not within the Southern Section sphere. 

Another reason to like their chances? The Sun Devils would have been at least one division higher if not for one specific one-point loss – the one against Hesperia. If this win, in a sense, wipes that loss off their resume, then they certainly have the potential to do great things this month.

Apple Valley's scheduled Week Three opponent, Arbor View (NV), cancelled their game due to weather without plans of a make-up game, so the Sun Devils only got nine games in during the regular season. As a result, they needed a win extra bad entering last week 4-4 before beating Serrano for third place in the MRL.

"Our playoffs started last week," said Godfrey.

"We had to win to get in. This is round two for us, and next week is round three. That's how we're looking at it."

A SEASON TO REMEMBER FOR HESPERIA

While 2023 technically didn't result in a league title or playoff glory for the Scorpions, they still had a banner year, and their deep senior class left its mark in program history.

In the previous nine seasons, they had seven losing records and two finishes at exactly .500. But in 2023, Hesperia seemingly came out of nowhere to have a 9-1 regular season. That included upsetting highly-touted Apple Valley for a top-two finish in the Mojave River League, and it blew out nearly every other team it faced. 

Despite narrowly losing its rematch with Apple Valley, Hesperia went from no playoff appearances since 2014 to making the CIFSS Division 5 playoffs at a time when it might be harder than ever to do so. Hesperia football is firmly planted on the map.

Obviously, 2024 is going to look a lot different for the Scorpions as they graduate the vast majority of their starters. But they're expected to return a budding superstar at running back in Williams, who is already one of the football best players in the High Desert as a sophomore. Other standouts who are currently underclassmen include  RB/OLB Zamar Malveaux, RB/DB Aden Nolen, sacks leader Jacob Henry, and another force in the front seven in Khali Ratcliffe.

– Lance Smith | lance@scorebooklive.com | @sbliveca