With the arrival of the initial AIA football rankings Tuesday, prep football playoff races will begin to take shape.
As always, there are sure to be debates over who is underrated, overrated, and what certain teams must do to earn a spot either in the open tournament or in their respective conference tournament.
Canyon del Oro coach Dustin Peace doesnβt need to see the rankings to know the postseason is on the line this week at Walden Grove. After losing their first three games, the Dorados (3-3) had little margin for error. But with an inexperienced group, thereβs been progress.
βWeβre playing with two or three seniors on the field, and all the rest of the kids have never played a varsity game,β Peace said. βExperience on the field is making the difference for us, without a doubt.β
The young guys, including junior quarterback Caden Dawes, have started to thrive. Dawes completed 12 of 18 passes for 228 yards in a 26-22 victory over Ironwood Ridge on Oct. 1, and he kept it going with two touchdown passes in Fridayβs 35-21 win over Peoria.
And perhaps most importantly, he didnβt commit a turnover in either game.
βHeβs done a heck of a job understanding the offense and executing,β Peace said.
He will need to keep that up against a Walden Grove squad that has scored 20 or more points in its past five games. Not to mention, the Red Wolves (2-4) have their backs against the wall as well after losing three straight to teams outside the Tucson metro.
They finish with four straight home games, but a win this week could prove critical to their playoff rΓ©sumΓ© with undefeated Casa Grande up next.
Best in Tucson collide
After topping Ironwood Ridge at home in September, Salpointe Catholic hoped to prove its status among the stateβs best with back-to-back games against Phoenix-area powerhouses Scottsdale Saguaro and Phoenix Pinnacle.
It came up empty, going 0-2.
But the Lancers (3-2) donβt have time to relax, traveling to one of the few remaining undefeated teams in Southern Arizona, Desert View, this week.
Desert View's explosive running back Serge Gboweiah, right, will face a stiff test against Salpointe Catholic this week. The Jaguars are 6-0 this season.
This, of course, presents aΒ meaningful opportunity for the Jaguars (6-0), who have looked dominant in recent weeks. After handing Marana its first loss of the season in a 46-28 victory, Desert View scored 34 points in the first quarter to rout Nogales 42-0 last week.
One of the key difference makers for Desert View has been running back Serge Gboweiah, who followed up his 315-yard performance against Marana with 84 yards on four carries against Nogales. The 5-foot-9, 160-pound senior also plays safety for the Jaguars and has made 33 tackles this year.
βHeβs a well-conditioned and strong kid,β coach Robert Bonillas said. βHe pays attention to detail. Even as a sophomore, he was nominated as a team captain.β
Battle of the tailbacks
Another local running back making an impact is Sunnysideβs Brock McDaniel.
Standing at just 5-6, McDaniel has been a nightmare for defenses this season, averaging 9.0 yards per carry. Itβs a difficult pace to keep up, as that number took a hit even with a strong performance in the Oct. 1 win over Cholla, when he rushed for 89 yards on 12 carries with three touchdowns.
And the Blue Devils (4-1) could easily still be undefeated, having led by two touchdowns during its 29-21 season-opening loss to Desert View.
Sunnyside will get a chance to make a statement this week, as it travels to Marana. But coach Phillip Steward feels his Tigers (4-1) have made progress during the bye week since allowing 480 rushing yards to Desert View in their only loss.
βWe broke down the film, we know what we did wrong, and we knew what mistakes we made,β Steward said. βI know theyβre going to try to come in and run the ball, see if we made those corrections. Weβll be expecting that.β
Marana counters with 5-7 junior running back Matthew Jensen, who has rushed for close to 300 yards over the last three games. However, he only had nine rush attempts last week, something Steward thinks needs to change.
βWeβre going to try to get him some more touches,β Steward said.
It starts up front
Sabinoβs front seven stuffed Pusch Ridge Christian Academyβs offense, leading to just 82 rushing yards on 28 carries in a 27-16 Sabercat win Friday.
Thatβs a season low in points for PRCA, and Sabino (5-2) will look to put up another strong defensive showing this week against Tanque Verde. The Hawks (4-3) had scored 40 or more points in three straight games before losing 34-7 to Maricopa Sequoia Pathway Academy.
Sabino sophomore linebacker Mason Cade will be one of the players to keep an eye on, as he has a team-leading 8.5 sacks. Alongside Cade, Senior linebacker Marius Lester leads Sabino with 56 tackles.
