Homecoming didn’t end the way Catalina Foothills coach Daniel Sainz and his Falcons planned, but the team never quit in a 35-10 loss Friday to 4A Kino foe Walden Grove.
“I’ll tell you, our guys really grind it out; they really have pride playing for each other.” Sainz said.
“This is just the difference between a school that has a program that they’ve been running for a long time. We are trying to do a lot of the right things. We have a great administration that’s trying to help us get to that direction. We are trying to bounce back after last year. It was a tough year for them last year. Trying to install in them that life has it’s own disappointments and they are learning from me just like I’ve (had) a lot of lessons from these guys. All I can do is be so grateful that they’re playing for me.”
Sainz took over as head coach for Catalina Foothills in 2021. He was the offensive coordinator at Cienega last season, allowing him more time to his military service. He returned to coach Catalina Foothills this season.
On coming back as the Falcons’ head coach, Sainz said, “I, just for starters, for last years seniors class, I just feel terrible for them because I love those guys. (Former quarterback) Jacob Ford is one of the greatest human beings I’ve ever met.
“Being back here, I’ll tell you the parents have been incredible. The administration has been great. It’s been great to be back with my people. They’ve really taken care of me and all I can ask for is we keep moving forward.”
Catalina Foothills coach Daniel Sainz talks about how his team kept battling against Walden Grove and how it feels to be back as the Falcons’ coach. @AllSportsTucson @foothillsfb pic.twitter.com/pq2uDUTgmD
— Lori Burkhart (@loriburkhart) October 18, 2025
The first quarter of Friday night’s game ended with neither team scoring in what was a classic defensive battle.
Walden Grove (5-3, 2-2 4A Kino) had a few good offensive possessions that were taken away due to penalties.
“Our defense did do a great job; they kept us in it there,” Walden Grove coach Corey Noble said. “Penalties, extended drives made field position bad for us. I think our first four offensive plays we had two penalties and two drops.
“We can’t do those things. It’s one of those things that we’ve been talking about and focusing on and really making a point of emphasis for us and our team is not making the bad plays and not beating ourselves.”
In the second quarter, Catalina Foothills struck first when Jameson Leary hit a 36-yard field goal.
Gauge Abalos found Kylian Knight down the left field line for a big gain to put the Red Wolves in the red zone.
Two plays later, Dominic Sanchez ran up the middle for a touchdown, putting the Red Wolves ahead 7-3.
On Catalina Foothills’ next offensive possession, Paul Delgado intercepted Isaac Kirkendall and ran it back for a pick-6 to extend the Red Wolves’ lead to 14-3.
Paul Delgado, junior LB/TE for Walden Grove talks about his pick six against Catalina Foothill and how the defense supports each other. Delgado also had a 20+ yard catch on offense. pic.twitter.com/5Bbs9y4A80
— Lori Burkhart (@loriburkhart) October 18, 2025
“He’s a stud,” Noble said of Delgado. “That’s his second one. He finished the Sahuaro game (last week) with a pick-6 as well.
“He’s got incredible instincts and he’s a great player and obviously he’s pretty dynamic with the ball in his hands as well.”
Delgado said of his pick-6 Friday: “I seen that the quarterback was looking them off a lot so I kind of just jumped it and once I picked it I know I was going for the crib.”
The Red Wolves’ third touchdown put Walden Grove up 21-3 as the third quarter came to an end.
With 4:04 left in the game, Sanchez scored his second touchdown of the game making the score 28-3.
Walden Grove Junior RB/DL Dominic Sanchez reflects on his two touchdowns and his offensive line. @AllSportsTucson @FB_RedWolves pic.twitter.com/gjLi63SiIh
— Lori Burkhart (@loriburkhart) October 18, 2025
“Dom is a stud,” Noble said. “He is a workhorse when he’s playing both ways. It’s not like he’s playing DB and running back, he’s playing D tackle for us and running back.
“For him to be a workhorse on both sides of the ball and do the things he did, he’s a special, special player.”
Sanchez added about his play against Catalina Foothills: “They were good to going to where the player is going to be at but I just cut it back. They were over shooting it. That’s what I got.””
Walden Grove’s final touchdown came with 1:31 left on an Abalos keeper around the right side.
“All wins are good,” Noble said. “It takes a lot of work and it’s hard to win so we’ll take them all. We definitely did some things tonight that made it harder for us to win and made it harder for us to play the way we want to play.
“Obviously, it’s ‘the curse of the coach’ that those things weigh heavier on my mind right now than the good things do. But the boys played hard tonight and some guys made some really, really good plays.”
Walden Grove coach Corey Noble talks about the “coaches curse”, learning from mistakes and the play of cousins Paul Delgado and Dominic Sanchez. @AllSportsTucson @FB_RedWolves pic.twitter.com/1ScNIKsufq
— Lori Burkhart (@loriburkhart) October 18, 2025
Catalina Foothills (3-5, 1-2) scored its only touchdown with 3:40 remaining when Kirkendall hit Zac Mandola on a quick pass. Mandola streaked down the right side of the field, finding the end zone.
Next Up:
Walden Grove heads to Douglas (4-3, 1-2) on Friday before ending the regular season at home against Amphitheater (2-6, 0-3).
Catalina Foothills travels to Mica Mountain (6-2, 3-0) before hosting Douglas in the Falcons’ last regular season game on Oct. 30.
Game Extra:
To help celebrate the Falcons’ homecoming game, the Catalina Foothills School District sent the choirs from each school in the district to sing the National Anthem.
Every school in the Catalina Foothills School District sent their choir to sing the National Anthem prior to tonight’s Homecoming game. @AllSportsTucson @foothillsfb pic.twitter.com/YqXYeUSXYS
— Lori Burkhart (@loriburkhart) October 18, 2025
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