QB Cade Knox passes, runs Phoenix Brophy Prep to win over Mesa Desert Ridge

Cade Knox has the makings of a special quarterback at the next level. His coach said as much about the 6-foot-4, 200-pound junior for Phoenix Brophy Prep.

It was hard to argue with coach Scooter Molander after Knox's huge night against Mesa Desert Ridge Friday at Phoenix College.

Knox threw for 314 yards and four touchdowns on 14-of-19 passing, and ran for 112 yards on 12 carries, including a 61-yard touchdown to open the second half. His effort, plus Brophy's two defensive stands in the final five minutes of a wild back-and-forth game, led Brophy to a 40-35 Division I win.

"Cade's remarkable. He's a flat-out D-I (college) quarterback," Molander said of Knox. "If he didn't prove it with that run, someone's going to get a great young man. We're very happy to have him and we get him for one more year."

A trick play followed by a touchdown run at the end of the first quarter had Brophy down by 11 points. But Ryan Velez and Streator Bates caught touchdowns to give Brophy a 17-14 lead.

Desert Ridge (4-1) took a 14-3 lead with a power running game and quick tempo that worked most of the night. Desert Ridge got fancy just before the end of the opening quarter.

On third-and-12, running back Alec Hathcock took a direct snap and flipped the ball to Taren Morrison who flipped the ball back to quarterback Tate Shumway. Shumway hit Patrick Fitzgerald for 45 yards to the Brophy 1, and 267-pound fullback Tevita Taufa ran in for the touchdown on the next play.

Brophy roared back. Knox's long run gave his team a 10-point lead. But Desert Ridge drove 80 yards in 4 ½ minutes, ending its first second-half possession with a Justin Irby 8-yard touchdown run to make the score 24-21.

Irby finished with 147 yards and three second-half scores, including runs of 54 and 35 yards.

After Bates' 49-yard field goal, the teams traded the lead over the next four possessions. Knox hit Isaiah Oliver for a 79-yard touchdown and Robert Brooks for 44 yards for a score, his only catch of the game.

Desert Ridge lost a chance to take the lead with 1:42 left when Morrison, who rushed for 205 yards on 27 carries, lost the ball in the end zone after catching a pass, the impact with the ground jarring the ball loose.

Brophy (3-3) needed one more stop as time expired, Shumway's pass tipped away on the game's final play.

"We had great field position on kickoff returns," Knox said. "It's just easy to score when everyone is working. All 11 guys fighting out there and giving it their all."