Raul Soto-Romero of Jet Sports Network talked with Jet Sports Training owner Bobby Rodriguez and me about this week’s matchups in the playoffs involving Southern Arizona high school football teams in our weekly video podcast show.
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SOUTHERN ARIZONA SCHOOLS IN THE POSTSEASON
Games are Friday at 7 p.m.
2A QUARTERFINALS
No. 9 Tanque Verde (10-2) vs. No. 1 Phoenix Veritas Prep (11-0)
Site: Veritas Prep High School, 3102 N 56th Street, Phoenix
Tanque Verde coach: Jeff Bollnow (25-9, third season at Tanque Verde and overall)
Veritas Prep coach: Mike Sanfratello (19-4, second year at Veritas Prep and overall).
NOTES
Tanque Verde’s wins over Tonopah Valley and Camp Verde the last two weeks mark the first time the program has two postseason victories. A win Friday would place the Hawks in the state semifinals for the first time. … Tanque Verde QB Rocco Haggard accounted for three touchdowns (two rushing, one passing) in the 39-15 second-round victory last week over No. 8 Camp Verde last week. … Veritas Prep’s defense is surrendering an average of only 9.5 points per game.. Veritas Prep, coming off a 35-6 win last week over No. 16 Eloy Santa Cruz Valley, is led by QB Rocco Guido, who threw four touchdown passes. … The Falcons’ defensive backfield is highlighted by FS Baylor Arnold and LB Anthony Sanfratello, who contributed to three interceptions last week. … RB/LB Cooper Payne has rushed for 489 yards on 36 carries with 11 touchdowns in the seven games for Tanque Verde after becoming eligible following his transfer from Desert Christian. He also has 42 tackles, two for loss, as a linebacker.
SERIES RECORD
First meeting. Tanque Verde’s program started in 2007 and Veritas Prep in 2006.
No. 14 Benson (8-4) at No. 6 Willcox (9-2)
Site: Willcox High School, 240 N Bisbee Ave, Willcox
Benson coach: Chris Rasmussen (13-9, second year at Benson and overall)
Willcox coach: Jeston Lotts (16-6, second year at Willcox; 77-46, 12th year overall).
NOTES
Benson has won two playoff games for the first time since the Bobcats advanced to the semifinal round in 2021. The Bobcats are trying to win their first state championship since winning consecutive titles in 1954 and 1955. They have reached the championship game four times since in 1978, 1994, 2015 and 2020. … Willcox is going after its first state championship since 1982. It reached the state title game in 1986 and 2009. … Benson QB/S Dawson Judd is at 2,540 passing yards while completing 171 of 261 attempts. He has 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also has 63 tackles and five interceptions as a safety. … Willcox features a dominant running game with three running backs who have more than 700 yards on the ground — Kaleb Cooke (1,214 yards on 111 carries with 14 touchdowns), Ismael Cuevas (913 yards on 126 carries with 15 touchdowns) and Asher Ward (713 yards on 75 carries with six touchdowns).
SERIES RECORD
Willcox leads the historic series 35-30-2, with the matchup dating to 1961. The Cowboys have won the last four meetings, including a 26-17 victory at Willcox on Oct. 17.
3A QUARTERFINALS
No. 13 Florence (7-4) at No. 5 Pusch Ridge (9-2)
Site: Pusch Ridge High School, 9500 N. Oracle Road, Tucson
Florence coach: Mike Carlin (7-4, first year at Florence; 22-30, fifth year overall)
Pusch Ridge coach: Kent Middleton (56-14, sixth year at Willcox and overall).
NOTES
Pusch Ridge will try to keep its five-game postseason winning streak alive after going 4-0 in last year’s playoffs to win the 3A South title and beating Page 42-14 in last week’s first-round victory. … The Lions’ Josiah Jones, a safety, is coming off a four-interception performance against Page. The four picks were the most by a player from Southern Arizona in a playoff game since Aaron Smith of Sabino had five in a first-round victory over Desert View in 1996. … This could be a defensive struggle. Pusch Ridge defensive coordinator Jeff Drescher‘s unit has four players with at least nine tackles for loss — DE Logan Carey (15), LB Cameron Shoaff (13), DE Aaron Kenworthy (13) and DT Gio France (nine). … Florence LB Zayden Cundiff and DE Kaidin Valle each have 24 tackles for loss.
SERIES RECORD
The series is tied 3-3 with the last meeting Pusch Ridge winning 39-27 at home on Sept. 19. The Lions trailed 27-24 with about 9 minutes remaining in that game before converting on a touchdown pass and Vincent Plimpton returning a fumble 96 yards for a score with close to 3 minutes left.
4A SECOND ROUND
No. 10 Lake Havasu (9-2) at No. 7 Mica Mountain (8-2)
Site: Mica Mountain High School, 10800 E Valencia Road, Tucson
Lake Havasu coach: Karl Thompson (104-76, 17th year at Lake Havasu and overall)
Mica Mountain coach: Jay Campos (8-2, first year at Mica Mountain; 141-37, 15th year overall)
NOTES
Mica Mountain opens defense of its 4A state championship in the playoffs coming off a six-game winning streak to end the regular season, in which the Thunderbolts outscored their opponents 209-20. … Brett Darling, the Thunderbolts’ defensive coordinator, has another dominant unit. Mica Mountain has four shut-out victories this season, the same amount as last season when it won the state title. … LB Broden Schmidt, one of the top prospects locally as a senior, leads Mica Mountain with 106 tackles with 14.5 for loss. Last season, he topped the Thunderbolts with 82 tackles, four for loss. … Lake Havasu have the rare feat of two QBs passing for more than 1,000 yards while not in a two-quarterback system. Tripp Burke (1,046 yards) has not played since the first week of October because of an injury. Halo Jump (1,178 yards) has taken over since. This shows Lake Havasu loves to pass. It has 304 pass attempts compared to 246 rushes.
SERIES RECORD
First meeting. With all of Mica Mountain’s early success, it is easy to forget this is only the fifth full year of varsity football at the Vail school.
5A SECOND ROUND
No. 14 Phoenix Mountain Pointe (7-4) at No. 3 Desert View (10-0)
Site: Desert View High School, 101 E Valencia Rd, Tucson
Mountain Pointe coach: Jon Roberts (7-4, first year at Mountain Pointe; 33-18, fifth year overall)
Desert View coach: Robert Bonillas (61-73, 14th year at Desert View; 67-87, 16th year overall)
NOTES
Bonillas has coached stellar teams before, including the team in 2021 that won nine games, but this Jaguar team is different. It is loaded with young talent that has played together dating to their years with the Rams and Seminoles in youth football. The bond strengthened last year when many of the varsity players this year, including high-profile running back Jaylee Abraham, were part of a freshman team last year that went unbeaten and blew out every opponent. That means that the sophomores with the Jaguars, including Abraham, have yet to lose a game in their two years at Desert View. … Abraham has rushed for 1,421 yards on 141 carries with 27 touchdowns. … Whereas Abraham is the dominant force, senior QB Ryan Vasavilbaso is the calming influence. He makes Desert View complete, passing for 2,139 yards while completing 153 of 212 passes with 25 touchdowns and only two interceptions. … Roberts was an assistant coach at Eloy Santa Cruz Valley under former Arizona walk-on Rishard Davis when the Dust Devils won the 2A state title in 2020. Roberts, a former New Mexico football player, made Vista Grande at Casa Grande formidable with a 26-14 record in four years before moving on to Mountain Pointe this season. …
SERIES RECORD
First meeting. Desert View is in its 41st season and Mountain Pointe 34th year. They finally meet and it is in the playoffs.
No. 20 Yuma Catholic (7-4) at No. 4 Marana (9-1)
Site: Marana High School, 12000 W. Emigh Road, Tucson
Yuma Catholic coach: Vernon Smith (7-4, first year at Yuma Catholic and overall)
Marana coach: Phillip Steward (41-12, fifth year at Marana and overall)
NOTES
Marana senior QB Colten Meyer became the third quarterback from Southern Arizona to break 8,000 career passing yards after throwing for 439 yards in a 48-20 victory over rival Mountain View on Oct. 24. After passing for 228 yards in the regular-season finale at Vista Grande, Meyer is at 8,297 yards. That puts him 500 yards behind Cameron Hackworth of Sabino for the Southern Arizona record. Hackworth passed for 8,797 yards from 2020 to 2023. Meyer did not play as a freshman and only played in seven games as a sophomore. … Hard to find another team in the state with a more impressive duo on the defensive line than Marana seniors Hayden Utley and Justin Elder, who combine for 88 tackles, 38.5 for loss. Sophomore RB/LB Jeffrey Smith III leads Marana in tackles (84) and rushing (1,1010 yards on 128 carries with 10 touchdowns). … Yuma Catholic in recent years was a juggernaut in 3A and then 4A. The Shamrocks are in their first year at the 5A level. … The Shamrocks’ passing game largely involves junior WRs Brody Amon (34 receptions for 778 yards and 10 touchdowns) and Wesley Porter (42 catches for 665 yards and five touchdowns).
SOUTHERN ARIZONA CAREER PASSING LEADERS
1 Cameron Hackworth, Sabino 8,797 (2020-23)
2 Rhett Rodriguez, Catalina Foothills 8,694 (2013-16)
3 Colten Meyer, Marana 8,297 (2023-present)
4 Trenton Bourguet, Marana 7,612 (2015-18)
5 Andrew Cota, Sunnyside/Salpointe 7,554 (2010-13)
SERIES RECORD
Marana won the first and only meeting between the schools 47-14 at Yuma Catholic on Sept. 12. That was part of the Shamrocks’ 0-4 start before they reeled off their current seven-game winning streak. Meyer passed for 411 yards and five touchdowns on a near-perfect night against Yuma Catholic, completing 32 of 40 passes. Jaxsun Sharp caught five passes for 120 yards and a touchdown and Sean Roebuck eight passes for 111 yards and a touchdown.
No. 18 Mountain View (7-4) at No. 2 ALA-Gilbert North (9-1)
Site: ALA-Gilbert North High School, 1070 S. Higley Road, Gilbert
Mountain View coach: Matt Johnson (32-33, seventh year at Mountain View; 145-94, 22nd year overall)
ALA-Gilbert North coach: Ty Detmer (18-5, second year at ALA-Gilbert North; 68-34, 10th year overall)
NOTES
Detmer is the former Heisman Trophy award winner at BYU who is in the College Football Hall of Fame. He is in his second year at ALA-Gilbert North after coaching three years at ALA-Queen Creek and five seasons at St. Andrew’s Episcopal at Austin, Texas. … Johnson, the dean of Southern Arizona coaches, knows what it takes to win a state title bringing home the trophy as Ironwood Ridge’s coach in 2012 with a 13-1 season. … The status of prolific RB Drake Davis (ankle) is uncertain heading into the game. He suffered the injury last week in the first half of the win over Buena. He had 184 yards on 19 carries with two touchdowns before the injury, giving the sophomore 1,423 yards on 194 carries with 12 touchdowns in his first varsity season. … The Mountain Lions’ defensive trio of LBs Caden Rudy, Julien Sanchez and Jason Pogue has combined for 201 tackles, 28 for loss. … ALA-Gilbert North junior QB Ben Livingston is running Detmer’s offense impeccably with 26 touchdowns and four interceptions. He has completed 138 of 202 passes for 1,807 yards.
SERIES RECORD
First meeting. ALA-Gilbert North opened its doors only eight years ago.
No. 17 Cienega (7-4) at No. 1 Goodyear Desert Edge (10-0)
Site: ALA-Gilbert North High School, 1070 S. Higley Road, Gilbert
Cienega coach: Justin Argraves (30-24, fifth year at Cienega; 86-74, 16th year overall)
Desert Edge coach: Henri MacArthur (20-4, second year at Desert Edge and overall)
NOTES
Cienega QB Julian Hainley is arguably the most valuable player in Southern Arizona with how he has lifted the Bobcats to a stretch of five wins in their last six games. He holds the single-season passing record at Cienega with 2,567 yards after passing for 424 yards in last week’s win at Phoenix Sunnyslope in the first round of the playoffs. … Cienega WR Jaden Rodgers, who is bound for Idaho State, has eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in a season for the first time in his career. He has 43 receptions for 1,0003 yards with 11 touchdowns. … Bobcat DE Andrei Davis-Lopez has 30 tackles for loss that includes 24 sacks and LB Davion Ross is at 110 tackles, 12 for loss. … Desert Edge, the defending 5A state champions, have a 14-game winning streak dating to last season. The Scorpions’ junior QB Blake Roskopf has completed 186 of 284 attempts for 2,639 yards with 35 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He is a 4-star QB recruited by Auburn, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana and Kansas State, according to 247 Sports.
SERIES RECORD
Desert Edge leads 2-0, including the 26-0 win at Cienega early in the season. The Bobcats trailed 7-0 at halftime before the Scorpions built a 20-0 lead by the end of the third quarter. The Scorpions beat the Bobcats 52-21 during a regular season game at home in 2022.
6A FIRST ROUND
No. 17 Salpointe (5-5) at No. 16 Queen Creek (6-4)
Site: Queen Creek High School, 22149 E. Ocotillo Road, Queen Creek
Salpointe coach: Pat Ryden (13-8, second year at Salpointe; 19-22, fourth year overall)
Queen Creek coach: Travis Schureman (89-41, 11th year at Queen Creek and overall)
NOTES
Salpointe’s two-QB system has shifted in recent weeks from Matthew Avelar to Rayce Alvarez heading into this week’s playoff game. Alvarez took the snaps last week in the 28-21 loss at Phoenix Pinnacle. The senior completed 20 of 32 attempts for 248 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. He has thrown for 671 yards this season while Avelar, a junior, is at 965. … If Salpointe wins, it must wait for the 6A bracket to reseeded based on the outcome of the first-round games involving Open Division teams. The loser in the first round games of the Open Division reverts to the 6A bracket. … The Lancers have endured some tough luck in their losses to Mesa, Gilbert Perry and Pinnacle, losing those games by two touchdowns or less. … Queen Creek sophomore QB Sawyer Hales is maturing. He has completed 48.2 percent of his passes and has 16 interceptions to go with his 16 touchdowns. … Look for NT Noah Bahnie and Salpointe’s defensive front to try to put as much as pressure as possible on Hales to force turnovers.
SERIES RECORD
Queen Creek won the only previous meeting with Salpointe, 12-6 in 2022, at Queen Creek.
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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 five years ago and is presently a special education teacher at Gallego Fine Arts Intermediate in the Sunnyside Unified School District
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