Cienega High School’s offense set the tone early and its defense finished the job, as the Bobcats defeated visiting Sunnyside 20-6 in a chippy game Friday night.
Quarterback Julian Hainley led the way for Cienega, throwing for more than 200 yards and two touchdowns while adding 27 yards and another score on the ground. Jaden Rodgers caught one of Hainley’s touchdown passes and finished with 109 receiving yards. Logan Welsh hauled in the other score and totaled 70 yards.
Cienega (4-3, 2-1 5A Sonoran) jumped ahead on its opening drive ending with Hainley hitting Welsh on an 8-yard touchdown pass. The Bobcats’ defense immediately responded with an interception, though the player who made the play was ejected moments later after a fight.
It was a sign of the tension that lingered throughout the game.
After forcing a Sunnyside punt, Hainley connected with Rodgers for a 78-yard touchdown down the right sideline to extend the lead to 14-0.
The Blue Devils’ offense was stopped again thanks to a sack from Andrei Davis-Lopez, his first of two on the night, and Cienega went on to score again, this time on a 9-yard run from Hainley.
Sunnyside (4-3, 1-2) was able to get on the board with a touchdown in the waning seconds of the first half on a run from Anthony Sanchez but failed on the 2-point conversion.
The second half turned into a defensive battle. Both teams committed multiple penalties and combined for four turnovers. Cienega’s defense finished with three sacks and three interceptions, including a late pick by Carter Peterson to seal the win.
“Turnovers happen, it’s part of the game. Just on to the next play,” Hainley, who had three turnovers in the game, said. “Defense played their hearts out, held ’em to only six points.”
“Got a little chippy at times, but super proud of our kids’ performance … came out with the win,” Cienega head coach Justin Argraves said. “Defense played great. They pressured the quarterback all night long.”
Peterson said the Bobcats stayed focused despite the ejections.
“Upped the energy 100 percent and pushed through,” he said. “Sucks we don’t have those guys for next week, but I think we’ll be good.”
Cienega will visit Flowing Wells on Friday, while Sunnyside will look to bounce back against Maricopa at home for its Homecoming game.
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