The first half of the high school football regular season will come to a close this week, and the Star’s game of the week is in Vail once again, when the Cienega Bobcats host the high-scoring Marana Tigers.
The Star’s Justin Spears previews (and predicts) every matchup around town. Every game kicks off on Friday at 7 p.m. — and predicted winners are in ALL CAPS.
Tucson High (2-2) at SUNNYSIDE (2-2)
Where: 1725 E. Bilby Road
What to expect: Sunnyside bounced back from its loss to Waddell Canyon View with a 42-0 thumping of Ironwood Ridge last week. Sunnyside quarterback Deion Conde passed for 230 yards and three touchdowns in the win, and the Blue Devils’ defense had six sacks, two interceptions and two players with double-digit tackles. First-year head coach Thomas Romack’s defensive unit at Sunnyside is fierce — and it should be on display once again on Friday. Call it 24-14.
Mica Mountain (1-3) at SALPOINTE CATHOLIC (2-2)
Where: 1545 E. Copper St.
What to expect: Salpointe Catholic beat Cienega in Vail two weeks ago and will now host the newest addition to the Vail Unified School District, Mica Mountain. Since shutting out Ironwood Ridge in the season opener, Mica Mountain has dropped two games by a combined score of 81-14 and fell to Catalina Foothills, 29-26. The Lancers are young and still growing as a team, but they’re still arguably the best team in Tucson. Mica Mountain is still in the infancy stages as a program. Salpointe wins 42-14.
Catalina Foothills (2-2) at CANYON DEL ORO (3-1)
Where: 25 W. Calle Concordia, Oro Valley
What to expect: Following a nail-biting 50-47 shootout loss to Marana, CDO pulled off a gritty 24-8 win over Phoenix St. Mary’s on the road. The game featured three takeaways by the Dorados. Don’t count out Catalina Foothills. The Falcons have won two straight games since starting 0-2. Call it 28-21 for CDO.
SAHUARO (2-2) at Sierra Vista Buena (3-1)
Where: 5225 Buena School Blvd., Sierra Vista
What to expect: Here’s your potential upset special of the week. Sahuaro is fresh off a 57-14 loss to Thatcher at home, while Buena outscored Cholla and Nogales by a combined 92-7 in the last two games. Next week, the Colts hit the road to face Cienega. Overlooking Sahuaro could be costly, and we like the Cougars to catch Buena off-guard on Friday, 21-20.
CASA GRANDE VISTA GRANDE (3-2) at Cholla (1-3)
Where: 2001 W. Starr Pass Blvd.
What to expect: Cholla had a bye last week to heal up after dropping two straight. Expect the Chargers to return to the winner’s column, just not this week. Vista Grande wins, 35-14.
DESERT VIEW (1-2) at Nogales (0-4)
Where: 1950 Apache Blvd., Nogales
What to expect: Desert View found itself in a 7-0 hole after the first quarter, but outscored Flowing Wells 28-7, in a two-touchdown win over the Caballeros. The Jaguars will get to .500 this week, 20-14.
WALDEN GROVE (2-2) at Mountain View (1-3)
Where: 3901 W. Linda Vista Blvd.
What to expect: A week ago, we predicted that Walden Grove would lose to Pueblo. What did the Red Wolves do? They won 34-6, with quarterback Gabriel Smith completing 20 of 29 passes for 296 yards and three touchdowns. Smith and Walden Grove’s offense hums again, but against a plucky Mountain View team that won’t go down without a fight. Call it 34-28.
Amphitheater (0-4) at RINCON/UNIVERSITY (1-3)
Where: 421 N. Arcadia Blvd.
What to expect: The Rangers pulled off a 14-6 win over Sahuarita to pick up their first victory of the season. Rangers roll again, 21-13.
FLOWING WELLS (1-3) at Ironwood Ridge (0-4)
Where: 3725 N. Flowing Wells Road
What to expect: Ironwood Ridge’s offense is still trying to find its identity. The defense is, too, after surrendering 92 combined points over the last two games. Flowing Wells wins, 14-0.
Palo Verde (2-4) at SAFFORD (1-5)
Where: 1400 W. Bulldog Blvd., Safford
What to expect: Palo Verde is searching for its first non-forfeit win in over a month. Friday night will be close, but we like Safford, 14-8.
Sahuarita (0-4) at PUEBLO (3-1)
Where: 3500 S. 12th Ave.
What to expect: Pueblo junior wide receiver Max Espinoza had seven catches for 129 yards in last week’s 19-10 win over Amphi. Sahuarita has only scored more than 10 points once this year. If Espinoza can find the end zone a time or two, Warriors should win. Call it 28-6.
EMPIRE (3-1) at Rio Rico (1-3)
Where: 590 N. Camino Galindo, Rio Rico
What to expect: The Ravens are three points away from having an undefeated record. However, the Ravens are scheduled to face Mica Mountain next week — the first-ever varsity football game between two Vail schools. It’s something to look forward to, so if Empire doesn’t focus on Friday, it could be a sloppy night. Call it 23-0.
DOUGLAS (3-1) at Phoenix Carl Hayden (1-3)
Where: 3333 W. Roosevelt St., Phoenix
What to expect: TheBulldogs fell 28-20 to Glendale Independence, but running back Emiliano Bertheley starred with a 132-yard, one-touchdown performance. Bertheley is averaging 9.7 yards per carry this season. Douglas rides the shoulders of its workhorse running back for a 35-28 win.
Catalina (0-6) at TANQUE VERDE (2-4)
Where: 4201 N. Melpomene Way
What to expect: Catalina hasn’t scored all season long, but it finally ends the drought in a 49-7 loss to Tanque Verde.
MARANA (3-1) at Cienega (1-3)
Where: 12775 E. Mary Ann Cleveland Way, Vail
What to expect: The record says the Bobcats are struggling, but their losses have come against Salpointe Catholic, Goodyear Desert Edge and Goodyear Millennium. Friday, Cienega will face arguably the top offense in Southern Arizona. Marana quarterback Elijah Joplin, who nearly didn’t play this season with an orbital fracture, is 53 yards away from reaching 1,000 passing yards on the season. Joplin’s top target, sophomore Dezmen Roebuck, is averaging 111.8 receiving yards per game. The Tigers are averaging 42.5 points per game. Time of possession could be Cienega’s best friend in this contest. The more Joplin and Roebuck are on the sideline, the better for the Bobcats. But we like Marana to edge Cienega, 45-42.
