Friday night under the lights during Salpointe Catholic High Schoolβs 56-0 rout of Canyon del Oro was so normal that it felt new.
Thatβs because for the first time since the 2019 season, the Lancers hosted a home game that didnβt require social distancing, face masks and other pandemic-related protocols.
βThis offseason and coming up to this game, it was way different than last season,β said Salpointe coach Eric Rogers. βThereβs so many things happening. We can pack this place, the band is here, the Quarterback Club (SCHS booster club) and thereβs so many things going on, and I somehow end up in the middle of all of it.
βI didnβt have all this stuff last year. β¦ Itβs a team effort and that was fun, man. Iβm ecstatic.β
Even the stadium lights, the latest upgrade to the Lancersβ football venue, were new and had special flickering effects anytime Salpointe scored a touchdown.
The part that didnβt feel new? Salpointe displaying a dominant performance at home.
Lancers quarterback Treyson Bourguet, rated as the Starβs top football player in Southern Arizona, finished 12 of 16 for 175 yards with four touchdowns. Bourguet was also third on the team in rushing with 69 yards on six carries.
Friday was a night of firsts for Bourguet, who played his first football game without wearing glasses and instead wore contacts.
βMy whole life playing football, Iβd just take my glasses off and play with whatever I could see,β Bourguet said. βFinally, my parents convinced me to get contacts. My mom said, βPlay with contacts and see how it goes.β I took the glasses off, put contacts in and it worked out.β
Bourguet connected with senior wide receiver Michael Aguirre for the first touchdown of the game β and the season β with a 28-yard strike over the middle.
Bourguet followed it up with an 8-yard screen pass to receiver Antonio Martinez, who finished the contest with five catches for 51 yards and a touchdown.
βThey took control of the game. When they got the ball, they made someone miss, got extra yards and made me look good,β Bourguet said.
After a sluggish start to the third quarter, Bryce Robinson hauled in a 26-yard pass from Bourguet to capture a 35-0 lead for the Lancers. Running back Anthony Wilhite tacked on 78 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively, Salpointe held CDOβs offense to 118 yards of offense, and the Doradoβs averaged 2.7 yards per play compared to the Lancersβ 9.7. Salpointe finished the night with 418 yards of total offense.
βWeβve worked extremely hard for this moment. β¦ Thereβs still a lot of things we need to work on, but the execution was there,β Rogers said.
Up next: Salpointe (1-0) will have a bye week before taking on Cienega in Vail. CDO (0-1) will have its home opener next Friday against Apache Junction.
Photos: Salpointe Catholic wins big over CDO, high school football