Gridiron Guide: Tanque Verde set to turn on lights
Tanque Verde High School football stadium in 2015, at 11150 E. Tanque Verde Road, in Tucson, Ariz.
School: Tanque Verde
Name: None
Address: 4201 N. Melpomene Way
Opened: 2007
The lowdown: Tucked far away on Tucson’s east side, the one-time junior high is soon to be more than just a well-maintained field with a spectacular view of the Santa Catalinas and Mount Lemmon. New this year will be state-of-the-art LED lighting for the home opener on Aug. 21. Tanque Verde had been renting portable lights, which were costly and noisy enough to distract players, coaches and fans. The Hawks are also close to breaking ground on adding 800-1,000 in bleacher seating, similar to the setup at Pusch Ridge Christian. All of the upgrades are part of a 10-year plan that’s happening five years ahead of schedule, and are just beginning. Second-year coach Jeremiah Johnson has big plans for the small school still striving for its first trip to the state playoffs.
Don’t miss: While modest, there is still plenty of pride on a Friday night out at Tanque Verde. Lawn chairs line the sidelines and an eye-catching, relatively new snack bar marks the entrance. Along with a breathtaking view of the mountains, the surrounding area was once a large mesquite forest. The charm remains.
Biggest game: The Hawks completed a 25-24 comeback win against Patagonia in 2009, scoring 13 straight points in the second half. Tanque Verde was led by senior quarterback Hunter Haynes, who completed 10 of 15 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns. He also gained 90 yards rushing on 19 carries. Fellow seniors Ryan Pernu and Ryan South were the main beneficiaries of Haynes’ big game: Pernu finished with 131 yards and two touchdowns as South accounted for 91 yards and a score, while also hauling in four passes.
Performance for the ages: In the 2013 home opener against Mesa Sequoia, senior Benito Pimienta rushed for 312 yards and six touchdowns on just 18 carries as Tanque Verde won 48-6. Pimienta also caught eight passes for 63 yards in the victory and had a similar performance the next week when he registered 332 all-purpose yards in a 35-14 win against Eloy Santa Cruz.
Quotable: “I’m just excited to have a stadium and lights because the community, I think, wants football. They want Friday night lights, but I don’t think they’ve really had it yet. They’ve had football, but now we’re going to actually have the lights, the stadium. I think it’s going to be a very positive impact.” — Johnson
Jason Harris
