“Bollnow Ball” at Tanque Verde is off to success of historic proportions at the far northeast Tucson school. The Hawks, 5-1 overall after Friday night’s 31-0 over visiting Tombstone in a significant 2A San Pedro game, are enjoying their best start since the program started in 2007, two years after the school opened. … Jay Dobyns’ team in 2021 started 4-2 before finishing 6-3, setting the program record for most wins in a season. Last year’s team — Dobyns’ final group there in his three-year tenure before his resignation — reached the state playoffs for the first time in program history. Just one year later, Bollnow Ball under new coach Jeff Bollnow is taking the program to another level. The Hawks’ No. 6 power rating among 2A teams in the state is the highest in program history. …
BOLLNOW BALL
First-year head coach Jeff Bollnow has coached No. 6 Tanque Verde to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the 2A San Pedro after tonight’s 31-0 win over Tombstone. pic.twitter.com/pA2CkdIz83— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) September 30, 2023
Bollnow, 31, is one of the youngest coaches in the state and his exuberance is what makes Bollnow Ball thrive. The Mountain View Class of 2010 graduate learned his craft playing for Paul Schmidt with the Mountain Lions. He also was educated about the fine details of the game from his dad Kirby, one of the most esteemed referees in the last two decades in Southern Arizona. “We’re just trying to play good football, keep climbing, keep doing our thing,” said Bollnow, who went on to establish himself as a gritty 5-foot-11 and 170-pound defensive back/special teams member at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, after graduating from Mountain View. … So what is Bollnow Ball exactly? It’s Bollnow managing the ins and outs of every aspect of Tanque Verde’s program from the break of dawn to well into nightfall, all the while commuting from his far northwest home to extreme eastside of Tucson. He even puts together the song playlist that is played over the PA system before games. The Hawks ran on to the field Friday to John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” song and some of the players loudly sang the lyrics. Tanque Verde is essentially out in the “country” where it’s located in the Tucson area. … I asked him if he handles special teams in addition to being the head coach, because I noticed him working with the field-goal team unit before Friday’s game. “I have my input on all areas,” he said. “I have my plans with all phases and I go into detail of everything with each of the coaches. All that goes into this program matters to me.” …
Tanque Verde senior Gavin Gilbert one of the best two-way players in Southern Arizona as a running back and linebacker. Significant reason why No. 6 Hawks are one of the biggest surprises in Southern Arizona at 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the 2A San Pedro. pic.twitter.com/BFbUBkVjfY
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) September 30, 2023
“Everything felt brand new for us,” senior running back Gavin Gilbert said when asked about the transition from the dynamic Dobyns to the boisterous Bollnow. “I love Bollnow. He’s a great coach. He came into this program with nothing and he turned it into something huge. I love him as a coach. I love him as a person. He came in here and he did his thing. Honestly, he made it an easy transition. He did all the work. I’m blessed to have him as a coach.” … Bollnow is a physical education teacher at Tanque Verde, a role he believes is essential to his immediate success as a head coach. “The kids see me from the start of the day to the end,” he said. “That familiarity, building relationships, is so important.” On a personal note, I attended online special education teacher certification courses at Pima College during the COVID-19 pandemic and one of my classmates was Bollnow. In our group sessions online, he was very thorough and knowledgeable of the material — extremely detailed and prompt with his work. … From that experience alone, I know other coaches will not outwork Bollnow and address all the details better than him. …
Nicholas Coryell’s INT and subsequent 32-yard FG got the ball rolling for Tanque Verde in the first half, giving the Hawks a 3-0 lead at halftime. Tanque Verde overpowered Tombstone in the second half to win 31-0. pic.twitter.com/SRR0v7GMW9
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) September 30, 2023
Tanque Verde’s 31-0 win over Tombstone is its third shutout in the last four games. The Hawks have outscored opponents 174-6 in that span. Defense is Bollnow’s forte. He was the defensive coordinator under Pat Nugent at Cienega before having the same role at Sahuarita the previous two seasons. … In the last four years, Tanque Verde has dramatically reversed roles from the overpowered to the powerful. Since Dobyn’s first season in 2020, Tanque Verde is 19-10. The Hawks were 19-79 in the previous 10 seasons. … “It’s really nice to see the growth from the team and believing in our schemes and doing things the right way,” Bollnow said. “It’s starting to come. I just want to keep riding that wave and see how big we can get this thing.” That wave includes his diligence toward creating Tanque Verde’s first junior varsity team in program history this season. He manages that team as well, scheming with coaches and attending the games. … Bollnow’s varsity team is atop the 2A San Pedro with a 3-0 record after the win over Tombstone. The Hawks are tied with No. 15 Bisbee (4-2, 3-0) with four games remaining. The region winner earns an automatic bid to the state playoffs. Tanque Verde travels to Willcox (2-4, 1-1) on Friday before hosting Bisbee on Oct. 13 in what is shaping up to be one of the most significant games in Southern Arizona this season. …
I asked Bollnow if he thought his team would be this far along despite this being his first season, and he mentioned, “I don’t think I ever thought about wins and losses. I think I just really wanted to play good football, football that I thought was on brand, if you know what I mean. We’re talking about, ‘Bollnow Ball,’ on-brand football, that’s the ultimate goal. The wins are a byproduct of that.” … Bollnow’s staff includes defensive coordinator Robert Kallal, a former teammate of his at Mountain View who is coaching for the first time; offensive coordinator George Romero, another young coach embarking on his career; and offensive/defensive line coach Pete Delgado (former Baboquivari head coach who helped the Warriors make historic gains in recent years). … Add young coaches: Bollnow, Dominik Bonilla (Tombstone coach) and Shawn Holley (Bisbee) are all highly successful as very young coaches in the 2A San Pedro. Bonilla is only in his fourth year as a head coach and Holley is in his third season. They all attended college within the last 10 years. …
Tanque Verde’s victory over Tombstone resulted from its defense limiting dangerous dual-threat quarterback DJ Elias and the Yellow Jacket offense to 150 yards in total offense, including only 37 yards on 21 carries when factoring six sacks and constant pressure from lineman Eli Clausen and linebackers Michael McKenna and Toby Herfkens, among others. Tombstone was without leading rusher J’miah Wallis (450 yards on 26 carries with six touchdowns) because of an injury. The Yellow Jackets could not find a rhythm against the Hawks. … In the second half, after Tanque Verde led 3-0 at halftime, the Hawks took control, gaining 252 of their 332 yards of total offense. Gilbert gained 107 yards on 17 carries and Sebastian Blakeman ran for 72 yards on eight carries with a 19-yard touchdown run. McKenna also had a 31-yard touchdown run on the play after Clausen blocked a Tombstone punt. … One of the standouts was senior placekicker/defensive back Nicholas Coryell, who achieved the rare feat of intercepting a pass and then six plays later, making a 32-yard field goal to give the Hawks their 3-0 lead at halftime. All of Coryell’s six kickoffs in the game went into the end zone for touchbacks and he was 4-for-4 in PATs. “Honestly, I never felt anything like it,” Coryell talked about the interception-field goal sequence. “It was 0-0 at the time when I picked off the ball (with 5:13 left in the first quarter) and I think it brought up a lot of spirits for the team,” he said. “After that it was 3-0, we go into halftime and right back after halftime, we just dominate.” … Coryell is a four-year varsity member who played his first three years under Dobyns. He said the transition from Dobyns to Bollnow was “very emotionally tough” at first. “But Bollnow’s a great guy,” he added. “Me and him have deep talks. He’s a guy I connect with emotionally. I love him as a coach. I can text to him if I need something, I’m feeling down. He’s just a great person I can text to.” …
Amphi’s 47-14 victory over Douglas improves the Panthers’ record to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in the 4A Gila under coach Jorge Mendivil, one of the most successful local coaches with a 118-100 record in his 22nd season as a head coach with stops at San Manuel, Empire and Amphi. The Panthers, with tremendous skill players Imanol Silva at quarterback, Jacob Espinoza at running back and Rudy Rios at receiver, can run the table in its last four games at Empire, against Rincon/University at home, at Rio Rico and against Sahuarita at home. The question will be if Amphi’s power points will get the Panthers into the 4A state playoffs even though an 8-2 overall record is achievable. Mendivil and Amphi will get a good idea of where they stand Tuesday when the AIA power rankings are released for the first time this season. … Ironwood Ridge, 5-1 under Dale Stott after a 1-9 record last year, is in the same situation as Amphi in the 5A Sonoran. After Friday’s 35-7 win over visiting Flowing Wells, the Nighthawks have winnable games against the rest of their region opponents — Maricopa, Mountain View, Nogales and Tucson, teams that have have a combined 7-16 overall record. It will be difficult to imagine Ironwood Ridge not qualifying for the playoffs with a 9-1 record. If that happens, the AIA has to seriously think of revamping its postseason format to automatically include region champs into the postseason in play-in games. if necessary. Walden Grove did not make the 4A state playoffs last year with an 8-2 record. Ridiculous. …
The Game of the Night last night was San Manuel hosting St. David in a significant 1A South matchup. Sabino (5-1, 2-0 in the 3A South) hosting Pusch Ridge (5-1, 0-1) and Tanque Verde’s game with Tombstone were also huge. But the San Manuel and St. David game went into overtime with the Miners winning the thriller, 16-14. The victory puts the Miners atop the 1A South with a 4-0 record (5-2 overall). St. David is 4-1 in the region with a 4-3 overall record. The game was scoreless at halftime. Chase Pacheco‘s 1-yard TD run and Keston Richardson’s 2-point conversion pass to Roman Tilton put St. David ahead 8-0 with 7:42 left in the third quarter. San Manuel’s Dominic Rodriguez scored on a 1-yard run with 7:23 remaining. Augustine Romero’s 2-point conversion pass to Rodriguez tied the game at 8. Romero connected with Daniel Najera on a 10-yard touchdown pass in overtime. Romero’s 2-point conversion run put San Manuel ahead 16-8. Pacheco’s 3-yard touchdown run cut the lead to 16-14 but the 2-point conversion pass attempt failed. San Manuel hosts Ray and plays at Baboquivari to end the regular season. A victory over Ray on Friday clinches the 1A South title and an automatic bid to the playoffs. … Baboquivari, 4-3 overall after Friday’s 64-46 over Desert Heights, is in position to achieve its first winning season since 2005 if the Warriors can upset San Manuel at home in the regular-season finale on Oct. 13. With Delgado now at Tanque Verde, Pueblo graduate Cody Garcia is admirably running the Baboquivari program. …
The shocker of the night was Marana’s 55-0 win at Sierra Vista over previously unbeaten Buena. The Tigers are now 2-4 overall and 1-0 in the 5A Southern while Buena is 5-1 and 0-1. Marana came out strong from the start, leading 42-0 at halftime. Andres Taylor had a 40-yard touchdown run and Dezmen Roebuck intercepted a pass and caught a touchdown pass. Jason Wood, a senior, returned to play some at quarterback after sophomore Colten Meyer played exclusively at the position last week in a 49-21 loss to CDO at home. … Marana plays at Sunnyside (2-3) on Friday in another significant 5A Southern matchup. The Blue Devils will be coming off a bye week. Casa Grande’s 50-6 win at Desert View indicates the Cougars will also be a factor in the 5A Southern. Casa Grande (4-2, 1-0 in 5A Southern) hosts Cienega (3-2, 0-0) on Friday.
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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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