After a rough first half, Cienega football bounced back in a big way to defeat Gilbert Mesquite 63-38 on Friday night (see box score below).
The No. 1-seeded Bobcats advanced to the Class 5A football state semifinals with the victory over the No. 9 Mesquite Wildcats.
Cienega will face No. 5 seed Peoria Centennial on Nov. 18 at Tucson High in the semifinal.
“We’ve got a lot of people that can do it, we moved the ball around and the kids made plays offensively,” Cienega coach Pat Nugent said. "(Mesquite's) a great defensive team and we just put up a lot of points on a really good team. We’ve got a lot of work to do against a great Centennial team.”
Mesquite had Cienega (12-0) on the ropes late in the first half, with the Wildcats down by just four points at the halftime break.
From that point on, it was all Cienega.
The Bobcats scored 42 second-half points to secure the victory, including 28 points in the decisive third quarter.
Senior running back Dakota Poe led the way offensively for Cienega with 149 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Poe scored a 37-yard touchdown on his first carry of the game and never let up against the Mesquite defense.
Aiding Poe was the quarterback and wide receiver combination of junior Jamarye Joiner and senior Breaben Bolton.
Joiner finished 11 of 16 for 274 passing yards. He added 83 rushing yards and scored two total touchdowns (one passing and one rushing). In addition to a 48-yard punt return for a touchdown, Bolton recorded seven receptions for 145 yards and one touchdown.
The trio of Joiner, Poe and Bolton combined to cross the goal line six times and continually converted plays of 20 or more yards against the Mesquite defense.
Junior quarterback Wade Sapergia led the way for Mesquite by throwing for 208 yards and three touchdowns.
While a struggling Mesquite defense failed to contain Cienega, Sapergia consistently put the Wildcats in a position to succeed offensively by going 21-33 under center.
Despite the large margin of victory, Cienega players and coaching staff aren’t satisfied with the team’s perfect 12-0 record or an appearance in the 5A state semifinals.
The Bobcats want the title, and are prepared to go through powerhouse Centennial to do just that.
“Honestly, (Centennial) is our age and they bleed blood,” Poe said. “They’re another high school team and we’re just going to treat them like we would treat anyone else. I don’t think we’re intimidated at all by them. They’re just another opponent in our way.”
— Roberto Payne / Special for the Arizona Daily Star
Next week: No. 1 Cienega (12-0) vs. No. 5 Peoria Centennial (11-1) at Tucson High
