Mesa Red Mountain’s offense finally came to life in 2008.

 SLIDESHOW: Friday night high school football

Senior quarterback Derek Mendoza sparked his stagnant unit in the second half Friday night with two big completions, as Red Mountain (1-1) took down Phoenix North Canyon 24-6 in a 5A Division I nonregion contest at Red Mountain.

It was a sloppy game that included 19 combined penalties for 183 yards. Three of those penalties nullified touchdowns.

Mendoza threw for 91 second-half yards, including a 70-yard score to wideout Julian Madison. The touchdown gave the Mountain Lions a 17-6 lead late in the third quarter while draining all the momentum North Canyon (1-1) had worked to build.

It was Red Mountain’s first offensive touchdown of the season, and it came at a crucial time in the game. North Canyon had pulled to within four points before the teams traded a pair of three-and-outs, but the momentum remained with North Canyon. A defensive breakdown by North Canyon’s defense left Madison wide open down the sideline.

“That was a huge play for us,” Mendoza said of his touchdown pass to Madison.

“We struggled in Week 1 against Corona, and in the first half (tonight), but we just had to keep fighting.”

Red Mountain tailback Derek Molina rushed for 85 yards, 80 of which came in the first half. The Mountain Lions held a 10-0 lead at halftime, thanks in large part to linebacker Brett Cerqua. On North Canyon’s first offensive series of the game, Cerqua picked off a pass from sophomore quarterback Dominic Portocarrero and returned it 36 yards for an early 7-0 lead.

Red Mountain put together an 18-play drive in the second quarter, mainly on Molina’s rushing. But the Mountain Lions had to settle for a Colton Sheley field goal after a penalty nullified a Molina touchdown run.

North Canyon made things interesting when Portocarrero tossed a 34-yard touchdown to Devin McKendrick with 5:13 remaining in the third quarter. Portocarrero finished with 181 passing yards, but after the touchdown, North Canyon’s offense was ineffective for the rest of the game.

Red Mountain junior Craig Frum capped the scoring with a 4-yard run with 9:28 remaining in the game.