5A Sonoran: Sunnyside
2020 record: 1-0 before COVID-19 protocol cut the season short with an impressive home victory over Flowing Wells achieved.
Head coach: Glenn Posey, 40-35 ninth year at Sunnyside and 53-42 11th year overall. Posey is in his third year of his second stint as head coach at his alma mater. He is in his 29th season of coaching — eighth as head coach at Sunnyside with three years as head coach at Flowing Wells, 15 years as an assistant at Sunnyside and three years as offensive coordinator at Pima. As an assistant at Sunnyside, the Blue Devils won the 2003 4A state championship and was the 2006 5A Division II state runner-up. Posey at one time held the state record for 158 career receptions. He played for NAU in the 1987 and 1988 seasons and earned his degree in physical education and teaching at Arizona.
Key returners:
- RB Nycholas “Brock” McDaniel, 5-6, 155, Sr.
- QB Deion Conde, 5-7, 145, Jr.
- FS Eddie Lopez, 6-1, 160, Sr.
- WR Tre’von Armstrong, 6-3, 185, Sr.
- T/DE Jacion Taylor, 6-3, 287, Sr.
- RB/LB Roman Canez, 5-11, 200, Sr.
- OL/DL Mike Gomez, 6-0, 195, Sr.
- OL/DL Gabriel Graciano, 6-1, 300, Sr.
- WR Diego Rivera, 6-3, 200, Jr.
Coaching staff:
- Head coach/offensive coordinator: Glenn Posey
- Defensive coordinator: Thomas Romack
- Defensive backs/running backs: Marcus Williams
- Offensive line/defensive line: Jorge Mazon
- Quarterbacks: Willie Flores
Notes: QB Deion Conde has made it a goal to reach 2,000 passing yards, which is realistic in a full season judging from his freshman season in Glenn Posey’s pass-minded offense that is enhanced by passing game coordinator Willie Flores. Conde passed for 1,604 yards completing 114 of 218 pass completions. In the one game against Flowing Wells last season, Conde completed 20 of 26 pass attempts for 286 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions. … Conde has two 6-foot-3 ends to look for — Tre’von Armstrong and Diego Rivera. … RB Nycholas “Brock” McDaniel is the leader of the team who makes up for a perceived lack of size with toughness and an ability to keep things light around the locker room. His nickname “Brock” comes from a haircut in his younger years that resembled pro wrestler Brock Lesnar. … Flores has previously served as an assistant coach at Santa Rita and in New Mexico. … Keep an eye on defensive end/tackle Jacion Taylor, who is one of the more impressive physical players in Southern Arizona at 6-foot-3 and 287 pounds. … FS Eddie Lopez tallied 112 tackles and two interceptions as a sophomore in 2019.
Schedule:
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon. He became an educator five years ago and is presently a special education teacher at Gallego Fine Arts Intermediate in the Sunnyside Unified School District
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