The last time Canyon del Oro competed for a state championship, Ka’Deem Carey was the Dorados’ tailback.
A dozen years later, CDO coach Dustin Peace has a chance to punch its ticket to the Class 4A state championship. The sixth-seeded Dorados (10-2) travel to second-seeded Snowflake (9-3) for Friday night’s semifinals.
A key ingredient to the Dorados’ success has been another tailback: Jordan Thomas, a transfer from Ironwood Ridge who had 15 carries for 107 yards and two touchdowns in the Dorados’ 28-3 win over Phoenix Thunderbird in the last week’s quarterfinals.
“I’ve never been around a group of guys who work so hard, consistently, every day, all day,” Thomas said. “Everything we do, you have to give it your all, have to be focused and attentive to what you’re doing honestly.”
Thomas’ lone season at CDO is memorable, yes, but it’s not perfect. Thomas was forced to sit out for the first five games of the season due to the Arizona Interscholastic Association transfer rules. Thomas rushed for just 130 combined yards over three games, and was held to 20 yards and a fumble against Mica Mountain the Dorados’ regular-season finale, a loss.
Thomas has turned it up in the postseason, rushing for 211 yards and two touchdowns against Phoenix St. Mary’s and Phoenix Thunderbird, which upset third-seeded Tempe Marcos de Niza the week prior.
Now CDO — and Thomas — will have to face a Snowflake team that won the Class 3A state title a year ago.
Thomas joined the Star’s Justin Spears on ESPN Tucson’s “Spears and Ali” to look back on his season — and how the Dorados got here. Here’s what Thomas said:
How was the transition from Ironwood Ridge to CDO this season?
A: “When I initially transferred, they made it easy for me. They were very accepting of me. Honestly, having to sit out the first five games was very tough, but the love and support I received — from my teammates, my parents and alumni — it made me want to go harder and be out there with the brothers I’ve made so far being on this team. It opened my eyes honestly, because it got me ready for college, because I’ll be getting ready to play for a new team with new coaches, new plays, new everything. It was an experience that I needed, not just as a player but as a person. It taught me some lessons about going through life. Being able to play right now is the best feeling I’ve had in the sport in a while.”
What did you learn sitting out the first five games of the season?
A: “It taught me patience and just trust yourself and believe in yourself. Sitting out, it’s very hard and you have to bet on yourself. You want to play those games where everyone is at, play the games you haven’t played yet, but to take those mental reps, it helped me understand my game and what I need to work on.”
Last week, CDO trailed Phoenix Thunderbird 3-0 at halftime, but finished the game scoring 28 unanswered points. What led to a dominant second half?
A: “We knew offensively what we needed to do, we just didn’t capitalize on the first couple of drives. We had a turnover on our last drive, and defensively we were fine and knew the keys and what we had to do. Honestly, we got in there at halftime, talked about what we needed to do and that was to take care of the ball. We went out and knew we’d get a stop and that gave our offense an opportunity. Then once our offense got rolling, it just boosted everything for us.”
Earlier in the season, six Dorados were suspended for the rest of the season by the Amphitheater School District for its zero-tolerance policy regarding alcohol consumption; did losing those players inspire your team?
A: “Oh, for sure. I mean, they’ve all shown love to us. Even with them not being there, we still count them as brothers. We’ll always have them as brothers. It’s just an unfortunate situation that they got put in, especially since most of them are seniors. You can’t take away people’s brothers like that and not expect the kids to fight and experience what they longed for going into their high school career and that’s to win a state championship, so the team is definitely inspired. If we can’t do it for ourselves, we’re definitely doing it for them.”
Canyon del Oro’s Jordan Thomas runs past Phoenix St. Mary’s PJ Lewis during their Nov. 17 Class 4A state playoff game.
What would it mean for CDO to go to a state championship game for the first time since 2010?
A: “It’s huge. When you look at CDO as a program, they’ve gone to the playoffs pretty much every year since then. Playing against them, I could always see the hard-working team they are. To be on the team and have an opportunity to go to the finals is honestly amazing. One thing I love about this school is that no matter who you are or the role on the team, people show love regardless.”
