After lost season, Cienega's Joiner seeks redemption

Few high school freshmen have captivated the way Jamarye Joiner did for Salpointe Catholic two years ago.

He was the heir apparent to the departed Cam Denson, now an Arizona Wildcat.

The do-everything athlete managed 203 passing yards, 214 rushing yards, 345 receiving yards and four total touchdowns in helping the Lancers to a 8-3 mark.

After — and during — that freshman campaign, the college letters started pouring in, and Joiner was invited to play in the inaugural Adidas Freshman All-American Bowl and was picked to the MaxPreps Freshman All-American team.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound receiver/quarterback was on top of the world.

He hasn’t played in a single game since.

“I’m just ready to come back,” Joiner said after practice Monday.

Now a junior, Joiner finds himself at Cienega after a whirlwind 2015 that saw him expelled from Salpointe twice, first reassigned to a charter school for administrative reasons before being dismissed for the last time in April. He was suspended for the entire 2015 season.

Joiner, who is from Vail, enrolled at Cienega immediately after. He’ll be a key piece for the Bobcats, who open their season at home on Friday night against Marana.

“It was really hard, because when I didn’t play last year it was really hard seeing my team down and needing me, so it was just all-around a struggle,” Joiner said. “I learned that you have to be a controller of your own destiny. You have to do what you need to do to be successful and don’t let other people dictate how your future is going to be. It made me a better person and a better leader.”

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Joiner is just a junior in high school, and he’s already been at the top of the world and seen it come crashing down. When he was dismissed the first time, the college letters stopped coming.

It wasn’t until Joiner transferred to Cienega that teams expressed any renewed interest. Joiner has heard from Arizona and Nebraska, among others.

Once he starts to play again, though, Cienega coach Pat Nugent expects offers to start coming in. Joiner has been splitting time at quarterback with senior Tyler Hammons in practice.

“We’re putting him around the field, he’s an athlete more than anything. He’ll be a kid that goes on to play Saturday afternoons,” said Nugent, the former coach at Pima Community College. “We’re not sure yet about the learning curve, but people got to remember he didn’t play last year, he played as a freshman, which is hard, but then he sat out an entire year of football, and that’s hard to do.

“He’s an explosive, talented athlete and I can’t wait to watch him play.”

Joiner isn’t the only one seeking redemption — Cienega went just 4-6 last season after going 11-2 in 2014.

That was also the last year Joiner suited up on a Friday night. A lot has changed since then.

“He was ranked at the top in the class of 2018, and he’s pretty high on himself — and then you don’t play. He’s had some highs and lows already,” Nugent said. “Instead of being lazy, he’s competing, he knows he has to win that job. He’s accepted every challenge Cienega has thrown him and he’s done a great job in our school.

“He’s been a perfect student-athlete.”

Added Joiner: “It was hard not being at the top, because I was at the top and I fell all the way to the bottom to where nobody knew who I was anymore. I think this season, first game is gonna be time for me to come out and say I haven’t changed (as a player), I’m as good as I was.”