“The curse is over! The curse is over!”
Cienega’s players chanted this while jumping around coach Kelly Johnson after Saturday’s 7-6 win over Scottsdale Chaparral at the Bobcats’ field in the first round game of the 5A state playoffs.
Hard to believe the program that has featured the likes of Seth Mejias–Brean, Nick Gonzales, Kevin Stevens and the Jackson brothers — Andre and Isaiah — did not have a victory in a state playoff game since 2012 when the late Tony Gabusi was the coach.
Cienega won its 4A Division I first-round game that year over Surprise Valley Vista.
The curse is over.@CienegaBasebal1 broke a 15-year drought of winning in the state tournament by beating Scottsdale Chaparral 7-6 in the 5A first round matchup today.
The Bobcats have won play-in games within that span but had not advanced in the tournament since 2010, when… pic.twitter.com/H2UVBiDddn— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) May 3, 2025
“It’s been frustrating,” Johnson said about not getting past the first round. “This is huge for us and this program.”
Johnson was on Todd Welch’s staff when the Bobcats advanced to the 4A Division I state semifinals in 2010. That team had Gonzales’ brother Daniel on it as a sophomore. Nick was a senior in 2017, when Cienega went 21-7 and lost a play-in game to Tempe McClintock.
“We’ve been very blessed in this community with some great athletes,” Johnson said. “To get the honor to keep coaching and moving the guys on is a blessing every day.”
LUTE’S SPIRIT LIVES WITH CIENEGA STANDOUT
.@CienegaBasebal1’s Lute Chavez and Israel Hernandez.
Hernandez, a Salpointe transfer, took a pitch to the back with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh for the 7-6 win over Scottsdale Chaparral and Chavez pitched a strong 5 1/3 innings and also went 1 for 4 with a… pic.twitter.com/MoCbl8f9nd— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) May 3, 2025
Stephanie Chavez said she was at a loss for a name for her son five months into her pregnancy. A friend of Lute Olson’s family, because she knew the Hall of Fame coach’s daughter Vicki, she and her husband came up with the idea to name their son “Lute.”
“I remember Lute Olson saying that his real name was Luther, but we stuck with ‘Lute,'” she said.
A prized possession of the family is a signed carriage in which Olson wrote, “From Big Lute to Little Lute.”
Lute Chavez is now a senior pitcher and catcher at Cienega and is very proud he was named after the legendary coach.
“(His parents) asked if I could be named after (Olson), and they said, ‘Of course,’ — that’s how I got my name,” Lute Chavez said, beaming.
Chavez pitched an effective 5 1/3 innings in Saturday’s victory. He allowed three hits and two earned runs while striking out six and walking six. He also went 1 for 4 at the plate with a run.
TWO HIT-BY-PITCH VICTORIES WITH BASES LOADED IN ONE DAY?
Cienega’s Israel Hernandez gave the expression, “I’ve got your back,” another meaning in Saturday’s game.
He ran the count full with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh and took a pitch square to his back to force in the game-winning run.
Incredibly enough, the same outcome occurred in the Desert View-Nogales 5A playoff game at Nogales. Nogales’ JP Tapia was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth, giving the Apaches a 2-1 victory.
Coaches and teammates pointed toward first base, yelling to Hernandez that he needed to touch the base for the winning run to count against Chaparral. He was stiff from pain as he ran to the base, but he was also smiling.
CIENEGA WINS 7-6, ADVANCES TO 5A SECOND ROUND
Israel Hernandez HBP with bases loaded B7 https://t.co/cjdO9whtxI pic.twitter.com/ZKce6J7ciF— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) May 3, 2025
When he finally touched the base with his teammates behind him, they broke into a euphoric celebration and Hernandez took a Gatorade shower from his teammates.
“Once I saw (the pitch), I turned,” Hernandez said. “I threw my bat up (to celebrate).”
“He felt that one,” Lute Chavez interjected.
“I did feel it,” Hernandez said. “But it’s all worth it.”
When asked about what it was like for his teammates to pile on him, Hernandez said, “It was amazing. I had just transferred here from Salpointe, and came here with the seniors to help them get past this curse.”
“Curse, baby, the curse,” Chavez said. “Joy … joy! The last four years have been tough. We get in the play-in and win, travel two hours like they did (pointing at Chaparral). We finally got that top eight (seed). We got to stay home and we could sleep in a little bit and not take that bus.
“I’m glad we got that ‘W.'”
HALF OF REMAINING 5A FIELD FROM SOUTHERN ARIZONA
The 5A baseball tournament is down to eight teams following the knockout first round and half of them are from Southern Arizona — No. 2 Canyon del Oro, No. 4 Catalina Foothills, No. 5 Cienega and No. 6 Nogales. Going forward, it’s a double-elimination format.
Catalina Foothills (21-6) will host Cienega (16-8) on Monday at 6 p.m. CDO is hosting No. 10 Notre Dame Prep at 4 p.m. Nogales will play at Peoria Centennial at 4 p.m.
Cienega won its only meeting with Catalina Foothills 2-1 on March 21 at Cienega.
“I’d rather not play another Tucson team, but it is what it is and Cat Foot is a great program,” Johnson said. “They’re always super competitive. They’re always well coached. Lance (Robertson) does a great job (as head coach).
“It’s exciting to get the chance to play them again.”
CATALINA FOOTHILLS HAS SOME GOOD BLOODLINES
Catalina Foothills has Jason Jacome’s son Parker, an outfielder on the team. Jason is the former major-leaguer who graduated from Rincon/University and is the pitching coach at Pima Community College, where his brother Ken is the head coach.
Parker, a senior, is batting .325 with three doubles and 15 RBIs.
Jason pitched five years in the majors with the New York Mets, Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Indians. As a rookie with the Mets in 1994, the left-hander was 4-3 with a 2.67 ERA.
The Falcons also have Dick Tomey’s grandson Jacob Bergthold, a senior second baseman. His older brother Kincaid was with the Arizona program for a season as a catcher. He is now a redshirt freshman at Stony Brook.
Former Arizona commit Ganon Dwyer is a senior pitcher/infielder who is batting .431 with two home runs, six triples, five doubles and 22 RBIs. A left-hander, he is 4-1 with a 2.24 ERA with 48 strikeouts and 15 walks in 40 2/3 innings. Dwyer remains uncommitted but will surely land somewhere.
IRONWOOD RIDGE WINNING DESPITE LATE COACHING CHANGE
Ironwood Ridge also won in thrilling fashion in its 4A first round game Saturday with Keanu Bracamonte hitting a walk-off double in the eighth inning of the 3-2 win over visiting Yuma.
The school made a coaching change April 23, announcing that Chad Chop is no longer serving as head coach “due to AIA violations,” Ironwood Ridge assistant principal/athletic director David Garwacki mentioned in a letter to parents. Garwacki did not detail the violations.
Will Nicholas is serving as the interim coach during the playoffs.
Some parents are circulating a petition to reinstate Chop as the head coach.
For now, Nicholas is coaching and No. 5 Ironwood Ridge (23-7) is preparing for its second-round matchup at home against No. 13 Gilbert Mesquite on Monday at 4 p.m.
If Ironwood Ridge wins and No. 1 Salpointe beats No. 9 Bradshaw Mountain, the Nighthawks and Lancers will play in a third-round game Wednesday at Tempe Diablo Stadium. That game could be shifted locally because of two Southern Arizona teams involved.
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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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