Gridiron Guide: Desert View's Jaguar Stadium has 'potential'
Jaguar Stadium is the home of the Desert View High School Jaguars Football Team in Tucson, AZ. Photo taken Tuesday, July 21, 2015. Photo by Ron Medvescek / Arizona Daily Star.
School: Desert View
Name: Jaguar Stadium
Address: 4101 E. Valencia Road
Opened: 1988. Prior to that, Desert View played home games at Sunnyside in its first three seasons.
The lowdown: The 25-year-old Jaguar Stadium has housed just two winning teams in the last 18 years, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t seen its share of memorable moments. The venue was home to Adam Rodriguez, one of Southern Arizona’s most prolific passers. The four-year starter finished with a city-record 5,774 career passing yards. The field also remains the site of Desert View’s lone win against district rival Sunnyside in 1989. Fourth-year coach Robert Bonillas believes his stadium has a lot of “potential,” especially with the recent upgrades, such as the new scoreboard with a video board. Bonillas joked that a new tradition he would like to add is to have a jaguar run down the field before the games.
Don’t miss: The scoreboard. In an effort to “add extra juice” to Friday nights, Bonillas wants to fully capitalize on using the new gadget. “When you add lights and sounds to everything, it makes it a little bit better,” he said.
Biggest game: After losing its first four games against Sunnyside, Desert View got the best of the Blue Devils in a 19-0 win in 1989; each of the previous contests had been played at Sunnyside. “When you play in your own backyard, it’s a different story,” former coach Humberto Federico said. The Jaguars capitalized on five Sunnyside turnovers and scored all 19 points in the second half, starting with a 17-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by Duncan Thomas.
Performance for the ages: Senior running back Mike Debevoise gained 172 yards on just 13 carries and caught a 67-yard TD pass to help Desert View take down Santa Rita 21-0 on homecoming in 1996, the last time the Jaguars reached the postseason. Debevoise opened the scoring with his long reception, and later in the first quarter, had an 86-yard touchdown run. He finished the season as Southern Arizona’s leading rusher with 1,464 yards.
Quotable: “Just the lighting up of the scoreboard, seeing the stands, the kids playing in the band and all that, the kids warming up — that’s really what I look forward to.” – Bonillas
Daniel Gaona
