Gridiron Guide: Amphi's stadium packed with history
Amphitheater High School's Friedli Field football stadium at the school on Monday, July 13, 2015, in Tucson, Ariz. Mike Christy / Arizona Daily Star
School: Amphitheater
Name: Friedli Field
Address: 125 W. Yavapai Road
Opened: 1977. Amphi’s stadium was originally located on the west side of the school, next to the gymnasium, and had wooden bleachers.
The lowdown: Amphi’s stadium, which was dedicated to longtime coach Vern Friedli in 2001, is one of the biggest — and most historic — venues in Tucson. Because of its size and central location, the facility has served as a host site for state playoff games. Second-year coach Jorge Mendivil has been trying to rekindle the program and hopes to see the bleachers packed once again, as they used to be every Friday night when future NFL players such as Michael Bates and Riki (Gray) Ellison took the field.
Don’t miss: The recent addition on the south end of the field includes a new snack bar, locker rooms and a weight room, something that was previously located underneath the stadium. The facade on the north side facing the field features a large green “A” that lights up at 7 p.m. each night.
Biggest game: Playing at home for the last time, Parade All-American Mario Bates leaped into the end zone for a two-yard score against Phoenix Brophy with 94 seconds remaining in the first round of the Class 5A state playoffs in 1990, securing a 36-32 win, Amphi’s 10th in a row. Bates, who went on to the NFL after playing at ASU, rushed for 256 yards and three touchdowns in the victory, as the Panthers reached the state final for the first time since 1979.
Performance for the ages: Stanford-bound senior Jon Volpe scored the go-ahead touchdown and then blocked the potential game-tying extra-point in a 21-20 overtime win against district rival Canyon del Oro in 1985. Volpe, who had a game-high 180 yards on 17 carries, rushed out of the wishbone for a 43-yard touchdown to open the extra period. CDO pulled within one point of a second overtime, but Volpe blocked the extra point to keep the top-ranked Panthers undefeated.
Quotable: “It’s just fun to walk out here on this field, the same field that Friedli walked and a lot of the great players that came out of here.” — Mendivil
