Raul Soto-Romero of Jet Sports Network talked with me about Week 4 matchups in the Southern Arizona high school football season in our weekly video podcast show from the Jet Sports Network studio.
VIDEO PODCAST
AUDIO PODCAST
WEEK FOUR SCHEDULE
THURSDAY (Games at 7 p.m. unless noted)
5A Mountain View (2-0) at Scottsdale Desert Mountain (1-1)
Matt Johnson’s Mountain Lions can start 3-0 with all the victories on the road to start the season if they can beat Desert Mountain. Mountain View has not started 3-0 since 2012. This will be a difficult challenge for Mountain View. Desert Mountain has defeated Scottsdale Saguaro 24-21 and lost to Arizona College Prep 19-15. Keep an eye on the development of Mountain View’s super sophomore running back Drake Davis, who has 234 yards on 37 carries with five touchdowns to start the season.This is the first meeting between the programs.
5A Casa Grande (1-1) at Maricopa (1-1)
The nearby rivals also played last season at Maricopa, and Casa Grande prevailed 45-7. Maricopa won the first four games in the series from 2011-14 and has lost the last four games from 2021-24. The scores in Maricopa’s current four-game losing streak to the Cougars: 55-0 in 2021, 42-7 in 2022, 72-7 in 2023 and 45-7 last year.
4A Catalina Foothills (2-0) at 3A Pusch Ridge (3-0), 6 p.m.
The battle of unbeatens from different conferences is a one-sided series to this point with Pusch Ridge leading, 5-1, with a five-game winning streak against the Falcons. Pusch Ridge defeated Catalina Foothills 44-7 last year at Catalina Foothills. The Falcons have produced adequate numbers on offense with a defense that has stymied Ironwood Ridge and Phoenix North Canyon. Catalina Foothills controlled the passing game of the Rattlers last week, limiting them to 40 yards in the air in a 45-6 win. Pusch Ridge, the defending 3A state champions, continue to roll under coach Kent Middleton, who has 50-12 in his sixth season as head coach.
Rest of the slate on Thursday:
2A San Pasqual (CA) (1-1) at Santa Rita (0-3)
5A Phoenix South Mountain (0-2) at Canyon del Oro (1-1)
FRIDAY (Games at 7 p.m.)
6A Scottsdale Saguaro (1-1) at Salpointe (2-0)
Salpointe and Saguaro resume their rivalry with the Lancers winning two of the last three meetings but coach Pat Ryden made a point with his team following last week’s win at Tucson High that the Sabercats are improved. Buena graduate and former Catalina Foothills coach Darius Kelly’s team nearly beat Desert Mountain in the opener on the road, losing 24-21. Desert Mountain is coming off an 8-3 season. Former Arizona QB BJ Denker is no longer on Kelly’s staff, but former Arizona receiver Terrance Miller (wide receivers coach) remains. Former Arizona and Arizona State quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone is Saguaro’s offensive coordinator. Denker is now the quarterbacks coach at Phoenix Notre Dame Prep.
5A Marana (1-1) at Yuma Catholic (0-2)
Yuma Catholic went from 3A to 4A in 2022 and now the Shamrocks have made the switch to 5A this season. Yuma Catholic went 11-2 last year with a loss to eventual 4A champion Mica Mountain in the semifinals. The previous year, the Shamrocks lost to CDO in the 4A state title game. Marana is the third Southern Arizona powerhouse in as many years to play Yuma Catholic. The long trip to Yuma early in the season should help bond the Tigers.
5A ALA-Gilbert North (2-0) at Buena (2-0)
After winning its first two games on the road, Buena will experience its home opener against traditionally one of the top programs in the state — ALA-Gilbert North. The Eagles, coached by former BYU and NFL quarterback Ty Detmer, have narrow wins over Casa Grande (30-28) and Scottsdale Cactus Shadows (35-33). ALA-Gilbert North is the school that produced Arizona receiver Brandon Phelps. Buena has a potent offense with running backs Michael Lujan and Ricardo Brooks, receiver Jayden Thomas and quarterback Kaleb Layton. The defense is solid with veteran linebackers Cooper Kraus and TJ Walker leading the way.
5A Phoenix Camelback (0-2) at Desert View (2-0)
Desert View is in position to start 3-0 for the second time in the last nine years under coach Robert Bonillas. The Jaguars were 5-0 in 2021 and finished 9-2 with a loss in the quarterfinals of the 5A playoffs. This year’s team has similar promise with sophomore running back playmaker Jaylee Abraham, a talent whose energy is contagious to his teammates.
5A Flowing Wells (2-0) at Phoenix North (0-2)
Brian Hook is trying to go 3-0 for the first time in his four years at Flowing Wells. The Caballeros have not started 3-0 since 2015, when Mark Brunenkant was the head coach. RB Jayden Simmons is a senior leader to watch for the Caballeros. He has rushed for 282 yards on 22 carries with five touchdowns.
5A Gilbert Campo Verde (1-1) at Sunnyside (2-0)
Sunnyside will look to begin a season 3-0 for the first time since 2009, when Richard Sanchez was the head coach. Sunnyside dual-threat QB Raymond Duarte is coming off a performance in the win over Pueblo that is indicative of his talent. He completed 5 of 9 passes for 03 yards with two touchdowns and also ran the ball 11 times for 82 yards with a touchdown.
5A Tucson (0-2) at 4A Walden Grove (1-1)
The Badgers have been competitive in losses to Mountain View in overtime and to Salpointe after trailing the Lancers by only a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Zach Neveleff’s team goes on the road for the first time to face a Walden Grove team that came close to winning at Mesa Eastmark last week, falling 16-13. A key to the game will be how much pressure Walden Grove’s defensive front, led by New Mexico State-bound Steven Valdez Jr., can put on Tucson QB Derek Mesa.
4A Sahuarita (0-2) at 5A Nogales (2-0)
Nogales, which entered this season on a 20-game losing streak over the previous two seasons, is off to a 2-0 start under new coach Warren Smith, who has a background of coaching at the high school level in Florida. The Apaches will try to start 3-0 for the first time since 2019. Philip Quijada Jr., a junior quarterback, has emerged as a steady influence on the Apaches. He has completed 18 of 27 passes (66.7 percent) for 277 yards with three touchdowns and one interception in the first two wins over Amphi and Rio Rico.
4A Mica Mountain (2-0) Waddell ALA-West Foothills (1-1)
The defending 4A state champion Thunderbolts travel to play a 3A school, but it’s a high-quality one. The Guardians lost their first game of last season in the 3A state championship game against Pusch Ridge. This game also falls in the middle of an early-season three-game road swing for new coach Jay Campos, a legendary coach who replaced another legend, Pat Nugent. After opening at home with a 41-8 win against Poston Butte, Mica Mountain beat former 4A Kino rival Canyon del Oro 37-7 last week. After the Thunderbolts play ALA-West Foothills, they play at Sunnyside. CDO and Sunnyside are 5A schools.
4A San Tan Valley Combs (2-0) at Cholla (2-0)
Cholla, under new coach Roland Youngling, will try to start 3-0 for the first time since 2015. The Chargers will play a Combs team that has routed two Southern Arizona teams — Rio Rico 56-0 at home and Rincon/University 52-0 on the road. The Chargers are led by 5-foot-5 and 160-pound junior running back Dom Vurro, who has 201 yards rushing on 30 carries with a touchdown. Sophomore linebacker Isaac Gonzalez already has five tackles for loss, including two sacks.
3A Coolidge (2-1) at Sabino (1-2)
Sabino won its first game on its new turf last week in the victory over Phoenix Dysart. Ryan McBrayer’s team looks to make it two straight on the turf with Coolidge visiting in the 3A East opener for both teams. Coolidge is improved after going 0-10 in coach Carlo Hernandez‘s first season in his return to the school last year. Sabino sophomore QB Bodhi Sanford is starting to show some consistency. He completed 16 of 23 pass attempts for 292 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions in last week’s win over Dysart.
3A Thatcher (2-1) at Florence (1-2)
Florence’s first game in the 3A East (after the realignment of the regions in the spring) will be against the traditionally strong Eagles, who have knocked the Gophers out of the 3A state playoffs the last two seasons. Florence, 9-2 last season, will host a Thatcher team that went 10-3 and lost in the semifinals to ALA-West Foothills. Florence has lost five straight games to Thatcher dating to 2004. The teams did not play each other from 2005 to 2019.
2A Santa Cruz (2-1) at Tombstone (0-2)
Tombstone, which underwent a coaching change from Dominik Bonilla to Jerry Rhoades during the offseason, is struggling in the early season. Forced to cancel the Week 2 game at home against Pima because of a lack of players, Tombstone was routed 61-14 last week at Benson. The Yellow Jackets lost 49-14 at Santa Cruz Valley in the first round of the 2A state playoffs in 2023 and are winless in three games against the Dust Devils dating to 2016. Tombstone lost 64-7 in 2016 and a whopping 89-0 in 2017.
2A Tanque Verde (2-1) at Benson (2-1)
This could be a preview of a Week 10 matchup between the 2A South I (Tanque Verde) and 2A South II (Benson). After the nine-game regular season for teams in the 2A, they play the corresponding team in the standings of the other region in Week 10. Tanque Verde and Benson have emerged as two of the best teams in the 2A in this region. Benson senior QB Dawson Judd matched against a Tanque Verde senior defense that features senior safety Rocco Haggard is intriguing.
2A Catalina (2-0) at Desert Christian (2-1), 6 p.m.
The Eagles are in only their second year of varsity existence after playing at the 1A level last season, so this is an opportunity for the fledgling program with a new coach (former Pusch Ridge coach Bob Vance) to create an eastside rivalry (similar to Sabino and Sahuaro). The schools are only about a 10-minute drive apart on Speedway (between Alvernon and Pantano). It will be Desert Christian’s first home game against a team within the Tucson city limits. Virgil Henderson has his alma mater in position to potentially start 3-0 for only the second time in the last 51 seasons.
Rest of the slate Friday:
5A Cienega (0-2) at Ironwood Ridge (0-2)
5A Vista Grande (1-1) at 4A Desert Sunrise (1-1)
4A Pueblo (0-2) at Douglas (1-1)
4A Peoria (1-1) at Sahuaro (1-1)
4A Rio Rico (0-2) at Phoenix Sierra Linda (2-0)
4A Empire (0-2) at Phoenix St. Mary’s (2-0)
4A Amphitheater (0-2) at Somerton (0-2)
3A Safford (0-3) at Winslow (1-2)
3A San Tan Foothills (0-3) at Phoenix Shadow Mountain (1-2)
2A Bisbee (1-2) at Morenci (1-2)
2A Willcox (2-1) at Pima (1-2)
2A Palo Verde (1-2) at 4A Rincon/University (0-2)
1A Duncan (1-2) at St. David (3-0)
1A Superior (2-1) at Baboquivari (0-3)
1A San Manuel (1-2) at Glendale Desert Heights (1-2)
1A Valley Union (2-1) at Kearny Ray (2-1)
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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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