Usually, locking up a home playoff game is the ultimate reward for a great regular season.
But for the Salpointe Catholic High School football team, Friday night’s first-round game of the Class 5A state tournament against Phoenix Sunnyslope might be a tad bittersweet.
The No. 2-seeded Lancers (8-2) missed Arizona’s Open Division tournament for the first time since its inception in 2019. The Arizona Interscholastic Association devised the eight-team playoff to pluck the best programs from 4A-6A, while allowing for other postseason-worthy teams to compete in their own tournaments.
But after back-to-back trips to the Open tournament semifinals the last two years, back-to-back losses to Scottsdale Saguaro and Phoenix Pinnacle this year proved kept the Lancers outside that top eight. Still, they enter the playoffs as one of the 5A favorites, riding a five-game win streak, in which they outscored opponents 236-26.
“You are what you are, and we had our chances to get in the Open,” coach Eric Rogers said. “The reality of it is, we probably have one senior with a Division I scholarship offer. We’re probably not the team this year that has six or eight Division I football players like we’ve had in the past.
“But we have a really good football team with great kids, who have worked extremely hard, and we’ve got an opportunity to still represent Tucson, our community and our school, and win a state championship. ”
Salpointe features a balanced offensive attack, led by quarterback Treyson Bourguet and running back Anthony Wilhite.
Quarterback Treyson Bourguet, left, and Salpointe fell short of the Open Division tournament, but the No. 2-seeded Lancers will now be one of the favorites for the Class 5A title.
Wilhite, who waited his turn behind Texas-bound Bijan Robinson as a sophomore and Hawaii-bound David Cordero as a junior, is nearing the 1,000-yard rushing mark this season with 953 on just 156 carries to go with 14 touchdowns.
“He showed glimpses of what he was capable of doing even as a sophomore,” Rogers said. “This senior year, for him, he’s maximized his opportunity and for that, I’m really happy and proud for him.”
Finding a passing game
For the first time this season, Desert View (9-1) threw for more than 200 yards in Friday’s 56-6 win over Cholla.
The Jaguars’ passing problems derailed their hopes of an undefeated season in an Oct. 15 loss to Salpointe. Since, they have tried to find ways to keep defenses from keying too heavily on prolific running backs Serge Gboweiah and Carlos Alvarez.
Against Cholla, starting quarterback Oscar Barraza completed 4 of 6 passes for 133 yards but Enrique Cancio and Rudy Rodriguez also tried their luck. Anything Desert View, the 5A state tournament's No. 6 seed, can do to keep No. 11-seed Goodyear Millennium off balance is worth trying. The Tigers (5-5) have held their last five opponents to 22 points or fewer.
Thomas the engine
Ironwood Ridge enters the postseason as one of the hottest teams in 5A.
The No. 13-seeded Nighthawks (6-4) head to No. 4 seed Scottsdale Desert Mountain as winners of their last four by a combined 227-34. Junior running back Jordan Thomas has fueled this run, reaching the 1,000-yard rushing mark with 248 yards on 25 carries in Friday’s blowout 69-27 win at Marana.
“He’s the real deal,” coach Ironwood Ridge James Hardy said. “He’s one of the best backs in this area and I truly mean that. Look at what he has done against every team we’ve played. We know when he gets an opportunity, he will make teams pay.”
Desert Mountain (9-1) counters with an explosive offense of its own. Quarterback Drew Tapley has completed 70% of his passes for 1,571 yards with 21 touchdowns to just one interception. Meanwhile, running backs Zack Kilburg and Max Shefrin have combined for 1,175 rushing yards on just 187 carries.
One long drive
Canyon del Oro will make the nearly five-hour bus ride to play Lake Havasu on Friday.
The No. 12 seed Dorados (6-4), the only Tucson-metro representative in this year’s 4A state tournament, will hope to continue their streak of three consecutive road wins in the first round against the No. 5-seeded Knights (7-2), who have won their last seven games.
Canyon del Oro quarterback Caden Dawes was at this best during the stretch run of the regular season.
CDO’s passing attack is finally clicking. After throwing for a season-high 325 yards against Pueblo on Oct. 22, junior quarterback Caden Dawes completed a season-high 20 passes to seven different receivers Friday against Sahuaro in a 49-19 win.
“I just trust them,” Dawes said. “I know they can go up and get the ball.”
A bright future
While Sabino’s postseason run came to an end with a 38-7 loss to No. 1-seed ALA-Gilbert North in the quarterfinals of the 3A tournament, the Sabercats have a promising future ahead.
Sabino got plenty of contributions from young players this fall, and perhaps none made a bigger impact than sophomore quarterback Cameron Hackworth. The signal caller completed 72.1% of his passes for 2,174 yards with 24 touchdowns to six interceptions. He also led the Sabercats with 736 rushing yards on 78 carries with nine touchdowns.
