2025 High School Football

Bernal Fitness & Performance Pigskin Portfolio: Tanque Verde earns first regional title

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Tanque Verde went the whole season in 2019 without a win, finishing 0-10, its losing streak reaching 15 games factoring the previous year.

The Hawks did not enjoy a winning season from the time the program started in 2007 to the 2019 debacle.

Tanque Verde amassed only 11 wins in a six-year stretch from 2014 through 2019.

If the surging Hawks win the 2A state championship game next month — not out of the realm of possibility — they will surpass that total of wins with 12.

Jeff Bollnow’s team improved to 8-2 on Friday night while earning the program’s first region title with a 42-14 victory over visiting Willcox in the 2A South crossover championship.

“There’s a talent here,” said Bollnow, 23-9 in his third year as Tanque Verde’s coach. “There’s great families, great communities. Everything was here. It needed to grow.

“And as it gets going, I don’t think it’s done yet. There’s a ton of potential.”

Former Arizona standout receiver Jay Dobyns took over the program in 2020 and led the Hawks to a 3-0 record before COVID-19 halted the season. Dobyns coached the Hawks to their first winning record in a full season in 2021, when they finished 6-3. He led Tanque Verde to its first playoff appearance in 2022.

After lifting the program to historic heights, Dobyns resigned in 2022 to focus on personal matters.

Bollnow, a former defensive coordinator at Cienega under Pat Nugent, was hired by Tanque Verde in 2023 after a two-year stint as Sahuarita’s defensive coordinator.

That’s when “Bollnow Ball” started at the far northeast Tucson school.

Bollnow has elevated the program more, establishing a junior varsity team for the first time last season.

Tanque Verde went 9-3 with its first postseason win in program history in Bollnow’s first year.

“All the coaches are great,” said senior quarterback/safety Rocco Haggard. “I’ve been here since my sophomore season playing with them and they’re great. They just want us to win and they want the best for us.”

The youthful energy Bollnow brings — he is only 33 — is contagious.

He roams constantly from one end of the sideline to the next. He carries on conversations with players during the game, not only one-way direction to his players. Before the game, he runs receiver routes for his quarterbacks and plays catch with other players.

His players doused him with Gatorade not one time, but two different times, to celebrate the region title.

“They care; they’re engaged,” Bollnow said of his players and their families. “We have more and more numbers. We went from 43 to 45 to 65 (players in his first three years). It’s here. We just need to make sure we’re cultivating it and allowing them to demonstrate their abilities and keep playing well in big games.”

Another feat among the many feats Tanque Verde achieved Friday night was turning the tide against Willcox, a noted nemesis in recent years.

The Cowboys defeated Tanque Verde in 2022 and 2023 with a region title on the line.

PLAYOFF HEADSCRATCHER FOR TANQUE VERDE

Despite beating Willcox to earn the 2A South title, the Hawks (8-2) did not receive a bye as the No. 9 seed of the 2A state-tournament bracket announced Saturday.

They will host No. 24 Tonopah Valley (4-6) on Friday at 7 p.m. in a first-round game.

Willcox (8-2) was awarded a bye by the AIA with a No. 6 seed. The Cowboys will host on Nov. 7 the winner of the Friday game between No. 22 Wittman Mountainside (6-4) at No. 11 Goodyear Trivium Prep (7-3).

“We just have to keep up with what we’re doing,” Haggard said of Tanque Verde, which is on a six-game winning streak. “You saw tonight we’ve got a great team. Everybody’s doing their job. Everybody’s doing what they can do. We’ve just got to keep doing that.”

HAGGARD A HAZARD FOR OPPONENTS

Haggard is a legitimate 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds and plays as big as his size on both sides of the ball.

He completed 7 of 11 pass attempts for 168 yards and a touchdown without an interception against Willcox.

As a safety, he picked off two passes and commanded a presence as the anchor of Tanque Verde’s defense in the middle.

“Rocco is a three-sport athlete — basketball, baseball, football — (and) he’s the region player of the year in baseball,” Bollnow said. “This guy’s a gamer. When we can get him confident, and stay consistent with our play-calling and how we’re coaching things, he’s awesome.

“I’ve given him a lot more freedom as we’ve gained trust with each other. That’s what you’re seeing now.”

TRANSFER COOPER PAYNE EXCELLING

After having to sit out the first five games per AIA transfer rules, Tanque Verde running back Cooper Payne — a standout with Desert Christian last year — has scored 14 touchdowns in the five games he has played.

His 4-yard touchdown run opened the scoring against Willcox with 1:59 left in the first quarter.

His 57-yard burst to the end zone with 8:31 left increased the Hawks’ lead to 35-14.

The tough runner, who has agility, strength and speed at 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds, finished with 105 yards on 11 carries.

“It’s amazing,” said Payne of clinching the 2A South title. “I’m glad to be out here among a great group of guys.”

Payne said he transferred from Desert Christian, where he attended his first three years of high school, because of personal reasons and he has known some of the Hawks since he was a freshman.

“Just coming into the gameplan and the scheme on offense, we’ve got a lot of good running backs,” he added. “Being able to work with each other, with our good 1-2 punches, we can just do our thing.”

Bollnow can go seven deep with his running backs. Six of them had at least three carries against Willcox, and four of them had at least one touchdown.

Sebastian Blakeman finished with 73 yards on 10 carries with a touchdown. Anthony Torgeson and Nixon Hill had another.

“That inspired us to look at the Wing-T stuff because we have so many backs,” Bollnow said.

What makes Tanque Verde dangerous is its efficient passing game with Haggard matched with the potent running attack.

Aiden Cooper had four receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown.

Ismael Cuevas led Willcox with 104 yards on 14 carries with two touchdowns.

Willcox sophomore quarterback Robert Hill Jr. is a budding talent to watch. He completed 8 of 15 passes for 141 yards.

2A PLAYOFF BRACKET SET

Four teams from Southern Arizona are part of the 2A state tournament field, including Tanque Verde and Willcox.

The others are No. 14 Benson (6-4) and No. 17 Eloy Santa Cruz Valley (5-5).

Benson will host No. 19 Globe (6-4) and Santa Cruz Valley will play at No. 16 Glendale Prep (7-3) on Friday at 7 p.m.

1A STATE PLAYOFFS START

The 1A state playoffs started on Friday.

No. 10 Valley Union upset No. 7 Ray 40-28 to advance to the quarterfinal round, where the Blue Devils will play at No. 2 Bagdad (9-0) on Friday.

Valley Union achieved its first playoff win since 2016, snapping a four-game losing streak in the postseason.

No. 11 San Manuel lost at No. 6 Williams 50-6 on Friday and finished its season 4-6.

No. 3 St. David (7-2), after having a bye, will host Williams (6-4) on Friday in the quarterfinals.

HOT TEAMS DOWN THE STRETCH

Teams with the longest winning streaks with the season reaching Week 11 next Thursday and Friday:

9 games — Desert View (10-game streak dating to last year … 9-0, 5-0 5A Southern)

8 games — Marana (8-1, 5-0 5A Sonoran)

6 games — Tanque Verde (8-2), Pueblo (6-3, 4-0 4A Gila) and Thatcher (8-1, 5-0 3A East).

5 games — Mica Mountain (7-2, 4-0 4A Kino) and 1A South’s Valley Union (7-2).

4 games — Maricopa (6-3, 3-2 5A Southern), Pusch Ridge (8-1, 5-1 3A East) and Florence (5-4, 3-2 3A East)

3 games — Buena (6-3, 4-1 5A Sonoran) and Sahuaro (7-2, 3-1 4A Kino)

WEEK 10 FINAL SCORES

NON-REGION

5A: Marana 48, Mountain View 20

2A: St. John Paul II 58, Santa Rita 7

2A: San Carlos 50, Catalina 6

6A SOUTHERN

Salpointe 34, Mesa Westwood 30

5A SONORAN

Tucson 36, Ironwood Ridge 12

Casa Grande 28, Vista Grande 20

Buena 35, Canyon del Oro 17

5A SOUTHERN

Desert View 70, Cienega 35

Flowing Wells 43, Sunnyside 0

Maricopa 28, Nogales 9

4A KINO

Mica Mountain 56, Catalina Foothills 6

Sahuaro 35, Amphitheater 0

Walden Grove 28, Douglas 7

4A GILA

Pueblo 14, Sahuarita 13

Empire 43, Rincon/University 13

Cholla 32, Rio Rico 0

3A EAST

Florence 36, Safford 0

Coolidge 34, San Tan Foothills 6

Thatcher 40, Sabino 0

2A SOUTH CROSSOVER GAMES

Championship: Tanque Verde 42, Willcox 14

Third place: Benson 56, Palo Verde 6

Fifth place: Santa Cruz Valley 49, Bisbee 18

Seventh place: Tombstone 14, Desert Christian 13

1A STATE PLAYOFFS

No. 6 Williams 50, No. 11 San Manuel 6

No. 10 Valley Union 40, No. 7 Ray 28

BYE: No. 3 St. David (7-2). Tigers host Williams in quarterfinals Friday at 7 p.m.

BYE: 3A Pusch Ridge (8-1)

WEEK 11 SCHEDULE

THURSDAY

Games at 7 p.m.

NON-REGION

5A: Tucson (5-4) at Scottsdale Cactus Shadows (5-4)

5A SONORAN

Casa Grande (4-5, 2-3) at Canyon del Oro (3-6, 1-4)

5A SOUTHERN

Flowing Wells (7-2, 3-2) at Desert View (9-0, 5-0)

Mountain View (5-4, 3-2) at Sunnyside (4-5, 1-4)

4A KINO

Douglas (4-4, 1-3) at Catalina Foothills (3-6, 1-3)

FRIDAY

Games at 7 p.m.

2A STATE PLAYOFFS

No. 24 Tonopah Valley (4-6) at No. 9 Tanque Verde (8-2)

No. 19 Globe (6-4) at No. 14 Benson (6-4)

No. 17 Eloy Santa Cruz Valley (5-5) at No. 16 Glendale Prep (7-3)

BYE: No. 6 Willcox (8-2)/Plays winner of No. 22 Wittman Mountainside (6-4) at No. 11 Goodyear Trivium Prep (7-3)

1A STATE PLAYOFFS

No. 6 Williams (6-4) at No. 3 St. David (7-2)

No. 10 Valley Union (7-2) at No. 2 Bagdad (9-0)

NON-REGION

5A Nogales (2-7) at 6A Phoenix Desert Vista (2-6)

3A: Benjamin Franklin (9-0) at Pusch Ridge (8-1)

6A SOUTHERN

Gilbert Perry (4-4, 1-1) at Salpointe (5-3, 1-2)

5A SONORAN

Marana (8-1, 5-0) at Vista Grande (3-6, 1-4)

Buena (6-3, 4-1) at Ironwood Ridge (1-8, 1-4)

5A SOUTHERN

Cienega (5-4, 3-2) at Maricopa (6-3, 3-2)

4A KINO

Mica Mountain (7-2, 4-0) at Sahuaro (7-2, 3-1)

Amphitheater (2-7, 0-4) at Walden Grove (6-3, 3-1)

4A GILA

Empire (3-6, 3-1) at Pueblo (6-3, 4-0)

Cholla (4-5, 2-2) at Sahuarita (4-5, 3-1)

Rincon/University (2-6, 0-4) at Rio Rico (1-8, 0-4)

3A EAST

Thatcher (8-1, 5-0) at Coolidge (5-4, 2-3)

Safford (2-7, 1-4) at Sabino (3-6, 2-3)

Florence (5-4, 3-2) at San Tan Foothills (0-5, 0-9)

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