Gridiron Guide: Sahuaro home to legendary coaches, players
A view of the Rincon Mountains from the field at Sahuaro High School football stadium in Tucson, AZ. Photo taken Thursday, August 6, 2015. Photo by Ron Medvescek / Arizona Daily Star.
School: Sahuaro
Name: None
Address: 545 N. Camino Seco
Opened: 1968
The lowdown: Some of Southern Arizona’s most accomplished coaches called Sahuaro home. So did Rodney Peete, possibly Tucson’s most prominent high school athlete of all time. The list of local legends continues on after Peete, from wide receiver John Mistler to offensive lineman Mike Ciasca. Coach Howard Breinig built Sahuaro into the power it was, leading the Cougars to four title game appearance over 12 seasons. Will Kreamer and Nemer Hassey continued the legacy that seventh-year coach Scott McKee has been trying to rekindle. The stadium itself is simple, a natural-grass field that runs east and west and is bordered with aluminum bleachers on both sides. It’s missing one touch, McKee said: The stadium should be named after Breinig.
Don’t miss: The Rick Botkin Memorial Game. For the past 37 years, Sahuaro has held an annual memorial game in honor of Botkin, a star quarterback who was killed in a car accident during the 1977 season. It’s the longest-consecutive memorial game in the country, according to school officials; this year’s event will be held on Sept. 11, when Sahuaro hosts Canyon del Oro.
Biggest game: The Sabino-Sahuaro rivalry is one of the biggest in the state and the 1998 rendition certainly did not disappoint. Junior quarterback Reggie Robertson, one of Tucson’s most prolific passers of all time, threw a pair of touchdowns in the final nine minutes and led the Cougars to a come-from-behind 20-19 win. Robertson connected with Chad Huber for the go-ahead 21-yard touchdown pass with 3:34 left. Sahuaro’s student section swarmed the field in celebration after Sabino’s final drive fell short.
Performance for the ages: Senior running back Omar Bacon gained 206 yards on just 13 carries against Sunnyside in 1994 before leaving the game with concussion-like symptoms. Sahuaro topped the Blue Devils 33-14 for its sixth straight win; it was over when Bacon broke free for a 78-yard touchdown with 6:55 left in the second quarter. Bacon and the Cougars, then coached by Breinig, went on to tie for the Class 4A state championship that season.
Quotable: “This should be Breinig Field. He’s worked hard and he made it to what it was. It would be our responsibility to try to get his name and his family’s name on it. That’d be something I’d like to have done before my days are over.” – McKee
Daniel Gaona
