Amphitheater is on the precipice, both literally and figuratively.
The Panthers (4-1) were No. 17 in the Class 4A rankings last week, which is used for seeding in the 16-team postseason tournament. While two teams, Glendale Cactus and Gilbert American Leadership Academy, are primed to be plucked and placed in the Open Tournament, even No. 15 would be a little too close for comfort.
Unfortunately, Amphi doesnβt play a higher-ranked foe the rest of the way. Instead, the best chance to impress is Fridayβs road trip to Catalina Foothills (2-4), which should move up from No. 33 after beating Sahuaro 21-20 last week.
βTheyβve played a tough schedule and been very competitive,β Amphi coach Jorge Mendivil said of Foothills. βItβs going to be a lot tougher stretch. Theyβre very skilled.β
It will be a battle of rushing attacks.
Catalina Foothillsβ Yasuo Bean ran for 236 yards on 25 attempts last week. Amphi got another strong performance from senior tailback Kiko Trejo, with 93 yards on eight carries with two touchdowns, but also saw a season-high 99 rushing yards from 6-foot-2 freshman fullback Jacob Espinoza.
βNot only is he our fullback, but heβs our starting middle linebacker,β Mendivil said. βHe is so wise beyond his years. Hopefully, he stays healthy and keeps progressing. By the time he gets to his junior, senior years, heβs going to be incredible.β
Bobcats hitting their stride
Cienega had plenty of growing to do this year.
But after taking some lumps, including single-digit losses to Salpointe Catholic and Gilbert Campo Verde earlier this season, coach Justin Argraves feels his Bobcats (3-3) have turned a corner. Thereβs no other way to interpret the 31-21 victory over Ironwood Ridge last week.
βThey didnβt lose sight of what the ultimate end goal was,β Argraves said. βTo come out and do what they did Friday night, it was impressive.β
Quarterback Brayden Cherry is at the heart of this renaissance, completing close to 70% of his passes in each of the last two games, both wins. If Cherry can keep developing, Argraves sees a lot of potential for a team that should move up from last weekβs No. 23 ranking in 5A.
βHeβs just made leaps,β Argraves said. βHe doesnβt have a lot of game experience, but heβs a mature young man who wants to learn the game better, is very coachable and is turning into a tremendous leader.β
Cienega hosts Nogales (3-3) this Friday.
Rushing into the mix
Salpointe defensive end Elijah Rushing exploded off the line of scrimmage and shoved aside the Desert View offensive lineman with one hand. He hooked quarterback Oscar Barrazaβs jersey with one hand and then wrapped the other around to finish the sack.
That moment of pass-rushing brilliance in last week's 48-0 win is just another example of why so many college scouts are already salivating over the 6-5 sophomore. He just picked up an offer from Washington this week to add to those from Arizona and Arizona State.
βWeβre very hard on him and sometimes you forget heβs a sophomore,β coach Eric Rogers said. βHeβs developing, growing and maturing. What I love most about him is when he comes off the field as mad as all be, he listens and then we can have a conversation and talk about it.β
Salpointe (4-2) plays at Cholla (1-4) on Friday.
Dorados riding high
Canyon del OroΒ doubled up Walden Grove 42-21 last week to extend its winning streak to four.
Sophomore Kayden Luke has ignited a spark for CDO (4-3), rushing for more than 100 yards in back-to-back games. Meanwhile, the secondary came up with three interceptions to slow down a potent Walden Grove passing attack. CDO looks to keep its streak going at Pueblo (3-3) this week.
Fearless leader
Despite getting hit nearly every time he dropped back in the loss to Salpointe and completing just one of his first 11 passes, Desert View quarterback Barraza didnβt give in. Instead, he completed passes of 15 and 23 yards to give his offense some life in the second half.
βHeβs a leader of the team, so heβs got to do that,β coach Robert Bonillas said. βHeβs got to show up and rally his team to play and block for him.β
Bonillas highlighted the need to get Barraza and the offensive line on the same page at Mountain View this week.
Joplinβs world
Not often is a high school quarterback trusted to throw it 50 times, but when that quarterback is Elijah Joplin, hey, let it fly.
Thatβs exactly what the 6-1 junior signal caller did Friday, completing 33 of 50 for 398 yards with five touchdowns and one interception and guiding Marana to a wild 36-35 comeback win over Sunnyside. The win pushes Marana (5-1), ranked No. 12 last week in 5A, one step closer to a playoff appearance and maybe even a home playoff game. It travels to Rincon/University this week.