Gridiron Guide: Cienega's Bobcat Stadium is the place to be in Vail

School: Cienega

Name: Bobcat Stadium

Address: 12775 E. Mary Ann Cleveland Way

Opened: 2002

The lowdown: Cienega is one of Southern Arizona’s newest programs, but it didn’t taken long for Bobcat Stadium to become home to one of the area’s strongest powers. The winning tradition is clear from the time you walk through the gates and look up to see several banners hanging across the back of the home bleachers. Longtime coach Nemer Hassey, who stepped down after last season to become the school’s principal, never fielded a losing team and experienced several dramatic postseason victories at home, as recently as last fall. Cienega was also the first local program to have an artificial turf field 10 years ago but the wear is starting to show in some spots and it will likely need to be replaced within the next couple years.

Don’t miss: The vibe. Game nights at Cienega are hard to match; there is typically a large and lively crowd along with a certain feeling in the air that can send chills down your spine. Perhaps the reason behind the vibe is the small-town quality combined with the big-time expectations. As if the fans and the marching band don’t make enough noise, it gets even louder when a train rolls down the railroad tracks across the street during the middle of a game.

Biggest game: Cienega has faced off against Tempe Marcos de Niza just twice and both times were at home and in the state quarterfinals. In the first meeting four years ago, senior quarterback Michael Archie had a hand in three touchdowns as the Bobcats held on for a 22-21 win to reach the state semifinals for the third straight year. But this time, Cienega was finally able to break through and reach its first state championship game in program history, thanks to a 24-21 win against Ironwood Ridge the following week.

Performance for the ages: Three years removed from that one-point thriller, the Bobcats and Padres met up for an even more memorable game. This time, though, it was senior running back Francisco Dicochea who took control and helped lead Cienega to a wild 50-49 win against Marcos de Niza in double overtime. Dicochea played every down on both sides of the ball and finished with 278 yards and six touchdowns on 39 carries. His biggest moment came at the end, when he blocked a potential game-tying extra point to seal the win.

Quotable: “I always give Hassey a hard time about being in Vail and the train running through the stadium; it gets loud and you can hear it rolling down the tracks. It’s that community atmosphere.” — First-year coach Pat Nugent

Daniel Gaona