Travis Foster has coached the Shadow Ridge football team since 2014, gradually building the Mustangs from one of the worst teams in the powerful Northwest League into a state contender.
After beating Desert Pines 21-20 Thursday night, Foster would like to think his team earned a spot in the conversation as one of the state’s elite programs.
After all, he spent the immediate hours after the game returning congratulatory text messages from friends — many of whom were shocked Shadow Ridge pulled off the upset.
“When everyone talks Vegas football, it’s Gorman and rightfully so,” Foster said. “Then, it’s Liberty followed by Arbor View and Desert Pines. This shows we are on equal footing. This nudges us into the conversation.”
Shadow Ridge led 14-0 before Desert Pines ran an offensive play.
The Mustangs went 80 yards on the opening drive, relying on its misdirection offense to control the clock and scoring the initial points on a quarterback keeper from Coen Coloma.
Shadow Ridge then recovered an onside kick and went on another time-consuming scoring drive, where Coloma had a second touchdown.
“This validates everything we do offensively,” Foster said of the run-heavy offensive scheme.
Jonah Ruiz caught a touchdown pass from Coloma for Shadow Ridge’s other points.
Desert Pines rallied late, advancing the ball inside the Shadow Ridge 10-yard line on the last play of the game.
Shadow Ridge has played in the last two state championship games in the second-tier classification. Along the way, there have been many memorable nights.
Foster wouldn’t say if this win was the best. But he said it definitely ranks up there.
More important: “This is why we do what we do,” he said.