Kickoff: 7 p.m.
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When Desert View has the ball:
Run percentage: 75.9 percent (286 rushes)
Pass percentage: 24.1 percent (91 passes)
Desert View has a run-oriented offense under coach Robert Bonillas with senior running back Serge Gboweiah the leader with 1,217 yards on 127 carries with 14 touchdowns following last week’s performance against another team from Goodyear — Millennium — with 283 yards on 28 carries with three touchdowns. His running mate Carlos Alvarez, a senior, has been slowed by injuries this season and he has gained 657 yards on 78 carries with seven touchdowns. In five games since he has been eligible following a transfer from Pueblo, Abdulahi Yusuf has gained 357 yards on 52 carries. Oscar Barraza, a senior, has proven to be a reliable dual-threat quarterback (a converted receiver) by rushing for 203 yards on 40 carries while passing for 1,116 yards completing 50 of 96 passes with 13 touchdowns and five interceptions. Rudy Rodriguez, a junior receiver, is a budding college prospect at 6-2 and 180 who has 13 catches for 295 yards and seven touchdowns. Desert Edge senior outside linebacker Jamel Jenkins, an accomplished sprinter, tops Desert Edge with 82 tackles, four for loss. Star of the future — sophomore middle linebacker Jaylen Dawson — has 76 tackles with eight for loss. Another sophomore, defensive end DJ Warner, leads the Scorpions with eight sacks. And yet another sophomore, cornerback Aundre Gibson, leads the team with four interceptions. Desert Edge has totaled an impressive 18 interceptions this season.
When Desert Edge has the ball:
Run percentage: 47.5 (294 rushes)
Pass percentage: 52.5 (325 passes)
Senior quarterback Adryan Lara, a 6-2 and 205-pound Washington State commit, holds the 5A state record with 10,332 career passing yards. He has completed 197 of 314 attempts this season 2,438 yards with 30 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He has 114 touchdowns and 41 interceptions in his career. Three of his receivers have at least 45 receptions, which is unreal at the high school level. Gavin Parks, a junior, has 64 catches for 713 yards and nine touchdowns; Fabian Lopez, a senior, has 51 receptions for 574 yards with four touchdowns; and Vinny Mansfield, a junior, has 45 catches for 678 yards and eight touchdowns. Christopher Cordero, a junior, leads the Scorpions in rushing with 993 yards on 139 carries with 10 touchdowns and senior Fabian Lopez has 490 yards on 72 carries with five touchdowns. Desert View’s defense has one of the top tacklers in the state — junior Sean Sierra — who has 101 tackles, including five sacks. Senior linebacker/defensive end Alvaro Chaparro continues to be a force with 22 career sacks. Senior cornerback Enrique Cancio is one of the best at his position in Southern Arizona with five interceptions this season. The Jaguars have totaled 14 picks this season.
dreams 2 reality pic.twitter.com/iYdhcQmVba
— Adryan Lara (@Adryan_Lara7) September 14, 2020
Common opponents
Goodyear Millennium — Desert Edge beat Millennium 21-7 at home on Nov. 5 while Desert Edge topped visiting Millennium 26-13 last week in the opening round of the playoffs.
Buckeye Verrado — Desert View beat Verrado 20-19 at home on Sept. 10 and Desert Edge defeated the Vipers 28-6 on the road on Nov. 12.
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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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