September 3, 2021. A night that would haunt the GHS Tiger’s minds throughout the seasons to come. It was the first game of the season. The lights were beaming and the crowd was roaring against them in a stadium the Tigers could not call home. That didn’t stop the team from being ready to go. But unbeknownst to them, their enemies were as well. The Desert Mountain Wolves came into that game and left with clear evidence of no mercy. The final score? 34-7. The bus ride home? Silent. It was the thundering nightmare that could never stop replaying in their heads. The Tigers left the season that year with a 4-6 record. But this year, the team has proven to be different. Already at a 5-2 record, the Tigers would take on Desert Mountain again to kick off Halloween weekend. But this time, in Tiger Stadium.

This is the game that would determine the true status of skill in this team. It would be the ultimate trick or treat - win or defeat. The first half of the game was the pure definition of a nail-biter. The score throughout the entire first quarter was 0-0. Finally, Desert Mountain claimed their first touchdown of the game but was surprised to see that the Tigers answered right back with an 18-yard touchdown of their own by quarterback Danny Hesse and Ethan Greenburg. Fighting for their victory, Desert Mountain pushed for another touchdown only to be matched by Gilbert 2 more times. But as the game came to a close, it seemed that the Tigers couldn’t keep up. The ghost of their past had finally revealed itself and its motive; to steal the victory that they had fought so hard for. The final score? 40-21.

While the game might have been a loss for the Tigers, their consecutive competitiveness throughout the first three quarters has proven to be the difference between this year's team and the teams of the past. The Tigers are now standing in third place in the 5A North Valley Section while Desert Mountain rises to second. Being able to keep up with a team like Desert Mountain is an accomplishment of its own. The real question is whether the Tigers will see Desert Mountain in the playoffs. As the saying goes, a good team never loses twice.

Lining up against his teammate, Jaylyn Gowler adjusts his position to make the accurate block.