Gridiron Guide: Foothills' unique stadium among Tucson's best
Views of the Santa Catalina mountains are visible from Catalina Foothills High School's football stadium at the school on Wednesday, July 15, 2015. Mike Christy / Arizona Daily Star
School: Catalina Foothills
Name: None.
Address: 4300 E. Sunrise Drive
Opened: 1992. The field is in its original location but the stadium was not completed until a year later.
The lowdown: Friday nights at Foothills feature more than just football. The home stands of the school’s unique stadium face west, giving fans stunning views of the city while the sun goes down beyond the Tucson Mountains in the background. Additionally, the Santa Catalina Mountains tower over the school to the north, giving another magnificent backdrop, especially from the field and the visiting bleachers. It’s arguably the nicest venue in town.
Don’t miss: While most schools have their stadiums a few extra steps away from the main campus, Foothills’ is built onto the school. Third-year coach Jeff Scurran, who won three state titles at Sabino, believes that makes the field an important part of the school.
“You walk through the center of the campus, like you do at Notre Dame, to get to the stadium,” Scurran said. “It’s completely different but it’s that same concept, that it’s just not some thing out there by itself.”
Biggest game: Having lost four straight games heading into a showdown against undefeated Sabino in 2010, it appeared as though Foothills’ season was all but over.
However, the Falcons pulled off a remarkable upset at home, beating the Sabercats 31-28 to spark a five-game winning streak that didn’t come to an end until the second round of the state playoffs. Coincidentally, Foothills traveled to Sabino in the opening round and won again, securing its first-ever postseason win.
Performance for the ages: Senior running back Ty Cruz combined for 194 yards rushing and receiving and scored three total touchdowns as Foothills held off visiting Maricopa for a 24-17 win in overtime to close out the 2013 regular season. The victory improved the Falcons’ record to 8-2 and secured a berth to the state playoffs, one season removed from going 0-10.
Quotable: “You’re a visiting person, you come here, you sit up in these stands and you look at this view, what the heck do you say? Oh my goodness, look how pretty this is.” – Scurran
Daniel Gaona
