Brett Darling‘s namesake is not fitting for opposing offenses.
The way his Mica Mountain defense plays he is more like Brett Detestable.
Darling’s defense and No. 4 Mica Mountain (13-0) will play No. 2 Arizona College Prep (12-1) for the 4A state championship on Friday at 4 p.m. Arizona State’s Mountain America Stadium.
Darling is in his eighth season as Pat Nugent’s defensive coordinator at Cienega and Mica Mountain.
His defense, loaded with talent including defensive linemen Jimmy Leon and George Flores, linebacker Broden Schmidt and safety Riley Carson, is one of the most dominant in the state.
The Thunderbolts have four shutouts among the 11 games in which the opposition has scored only one touchdown or less. Moreover, in the last two playoff games against Phoenix Thunderbird and Yuma Catholic, those teams scored meaningless touchdowns in the game’s waning seconds against the Thunderbolts’ second unit.
Brett Darling coached with Pat Nugent for the first time in 2008 at CDO as the D-line coach. He evolved into Nugent’s defensive coordinator at Cienega and is now in that capacity with Nugent at @MicaMountainFB. One of the top assistant coaches in Southern Arizona. Leading a… pic.twitter.com/BH0ZXkBkJJ
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) December 5, 2024
“We’ve had several good teams,” Darling said of he and Nugent. “Back at Cienega, we had two No. 1 seeds (in 2016 and 2017 when the Bobcats reached the semifinals with 12-0 records).
“We always came up just a little short. To get these kids this year to the point where they are now has really been fun to watch. It’s been fun to watch them come together and take that next step.”
Darling, an American Government teacher at Mica Mountain, credits his early development as a defensive coach with the tutoring of legendary Amphi assistant coach Ed Roman — who Darling came in contact with when he started teaching at that school in the early-2000’s after earning a degree in education at Southwestern College (now known as Arizona Christian University).
Darling became a more complete defensive coach working with young up-and-coming coaching talent Jeff Bollnow, who was the defensive line coach at Cienega before becoming the Tanque Verde head coach before the 2023 season.
“I got to work for some really great defensive coaches,” Darling said. “Ed Roman … the first three years of being in Tucson, back in the early 2000s, I got to work with Vern Friedli and Ed Roman. Some of the things that they did, really old-school, but just the little things you learn from that. …
“On top of that, I was really blessed to work with Coach Bollnow. … I learned more football — he’s 10-15 years younger than me — but I have tons of respect for him. Learned quite a bit of football from him, little ways of doing things. I was a run-stopper, a run-fits guy. What I learned from him is a lot of the coverage stuff and different looks we do and stuff like that. He’s an incredible coach and I learned quite a bit from him.”
Almost 38 years after being the Arizona student manager on the sideline when Chuck Cecil had his iconic 100-yard interception return for a touchdown against ASU at Arizona Stadium, Pat Nugent is coaching his @MicaMountainFB team tonight in a practice there ahead of Friday’s 4A… pic.twitter.com/6rZJ2CRFYf
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) December 5, 2024
The championship Friday game is not Darling’s first. While at Amphi in 2006, he was an assistant coach with the Panthers’ baseball team, which lost to Scottsdale Chaparral in the title game.
He came to Tucson after applying at 18 different school districts in the state after his graduation from Southwestern.
He befriended Nugent within the Amphi School District when Nugent was the coach at district school Canyon del Oro. In the last year of Nugent’s tenure there in 2008, Darling was the defensive line coach working with defensive coordinator Dustin Peace.
He eventually went to the Vail School District after Nugent resumed his high school coaching career at Cienega after a five-year stint at Pima Community College. Three years into Nugent’s tenure at Cienega, Darling became the defensive coordinator in 2017 although Nugent first envisioned him as the offensive line coach.
“It was a blast,” Darling said of his time with Nugent at Cienega. “He entrusted me with the defensive side of the ball. He does things for the right reason. I enjoy that. I’ve learned a lot from him.”
Nugent, who took over Mica Mountain’s new program in 2021, made sure to bring Darling with him, although Darling could have become the head coach at Cienega if that administration pursued him.
“He just grew, and really, Brett runs his own show,” Nugent said. “I’m very fortunate. I don’t do very much with the defense. Brett does it all. He’s on our kids and his preparation is unbelievable.
We’re so excited. He wants to be here (at the championship game) as much as anybody. He’s earned it. He’s earned respect from all of our kids.”
Darling also does what every good assistant does — becomes the alter-ego of the head coach to provide the players balance. While Nugent is calm and collected for the most part, Darling is non-stop energy on the sideline. He runs, often jumps up and down and does not hold back celebrating by leaping to do a body slam with a player.
“He’s got a different energy level,” Nugent said with a smile. “Those defensive-minded guys, they can go a little crazy. I’ve got to be mentally sound all the time, being an offensive guy. He brings the energy to our kids. That’s what he does all week in practice.”
THE FABULOUS FIVE
Five seniors who have been with the @MicaMountainFB program from the start of varsity football at the school in 2021 are now preparing for their last high school game – the 4A state championship against AZ College Prep on Friday. They are RB Conner Hangartner, QB Jayden Thoreson,… pic.twitter.com/fxZKRikgVL
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) December 5, 2024
Five seniors who played for Mica Mountain’s original team in 2021 will take part of their final high school football game Friday.
Flores, running backs Conner Hangartner and Josiah Thornwell, quarterback Jayden Thoreson, and offensive lineman Michael Quiroz started their careers playing three junior varsity games for the Thunderbolts in 2021 before ending that season with six varsity games.
“Those guys have been with us from Day One,” Nugent said. “It’s crazy that four years have gone that fast. I remember meeting JoJo’s (Thornwell’s) parents. I wasn’t even at the school yet and we were talking about it. Here we are, four years later, playing for a state title. It’s a neat experience.”
Ending their careers with a state championship is “surreal,” according to Hangartner, who will be in uniform but will be unable to play because he is rehabilitating his way back from a torn ACL injury in the season opener.
“It’s just a thought freshman year — ‘I want to win a state title’ — but then it actually happens and you’re like, ‘Dang, we’re really here,'” Hangartner said. “It’s been a goal since freshman year, obviously, but since we’re here we have to soak it in and win.”
Thoreson has become an effective leader under Nugent’s son, Roderico Santa Maria, the quarterbacks coach.
“I don’t know where I’d be without them,” Thoreson said of Nugent and Santa Maria. “I’ve grown a lot as a player. The whole team has grown, too.”
Thoreson has surpassed 6,000 career passing yards with 6,150 while completing 431 passes out of 744 attempts. He has 76 touchdowns and only 21 interceptions.
Thornwell has experienced a breakthrough year with 881 yards on 129 carries with 13 touchdowns.
Flores has 42 tackles, 5.5 for loss, this season. He also has three fumble recoveries.
SANCHEZ SUCCESS IMPORTANT TO MICA MOUNTAIN
Richard Sanchez, in his third season coaching the offensive line at Mica Mountain, will return to the state championship game for the first time since leading Sunnyside that far in 2006.
He coached the Blue Devils to state championships in 2001 and 2003.
Nugent passed Sanchez in coaching victories last season.
Nugent is 171-66 in his 22nd season as a head coach. Sanchez was 161-77 in 21 seasons (18 at Sunnyside and three at Santa Rita).
“He’s been on our kids since January after we lost last year (in the 4A semifinals to CDO),” Nugent said of Sanchez. “He talked about what it takes and how much effort we have to put in. Richard’s a workhorse. He’s a grinder.
“Nobody puts the time in like Richard does. Our kids have learned so much from Richard. I’ve learned so much from Richard. His work ethic is non-stop. He’s 68 years old but he’s 30 years old on the field.”
LEON MAKES MOST OF MOVE TO MICA MOUNTAIN
Mica Mountain’s two-way talent at tight end and defensive end — Jimmy Leon — started his high school career at Salpointe as a freshman in 2021-22. He transferred to Mica Mountain before the 2022 season because he wanted to be coached by Nugent.
“He’s one of the best of all-time from Southern Arizona … that stood out to me,” Leon reasoned about his decision to transfer.
Leon also was a youth football teammate of Thornwell’s since they were 10.
Few teams in the state if any have a defensive line like Mica Mountain with Leon, Flores, Benkat Jwander and brother Shangkat, and Jaysen Criswell. That grouped has tallied 43 tackles for loss.
Mica Mountain has 78.5 tackles for loss overall.
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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 in 2016 and is presently a special education teacher at Sunnyside High School in the Sunnyside Unified School District.
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