High schools countdown: Runnin' Ryan Swoger has Cienega poised for another big season

Editor’s note: The Star is counting down the 22 best high school football players in Southern Arizona in the days leading up to the season.

Name: Ryan Swoger

The rundown: Swoger is a 6-foot-3-inch, 185-pound senior at Cienega High School.

Who he is: Like every program in Arizona, the COVID-19 pandemic affected the Cienega Bobcats’ summer — and preseason — plans.

Following guidance from the Vail Unified School District, the Bobcats have entered the third phase of the AIA’s re-entry plan. They recently started practicing, but have yet to put on full pads.

During the pandemic, Swoger still worked out under virtual direction and met with some of Cienega’s wide receivers on his own time to work on throwing mechanics.

“He’s not a true quarterback, but he’s an unbelievable athlete,” said Cienega head coach Pat Nugent. “He had some really big games for us last year.”

Swoger completed just 40 of 72 passes as a junior, threw for 484 yards and three touchdowns amd was intercepted six times. The run-first Swoger, who patterns his game after Ohio State’s Justin Fields and the Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, instead sparked Cienega’s offense with his legs. Swoger rushed for 514 yards, good for second on the team, and seven touchdowns.

“I wasn’t confident in throwing the ball so this offseason I spent a lot of time with my receivers to perfect our routes so when the game comes around, it’s second nature,” Swoger said. “If I can throw the ball, then I can run the ball more, too.”

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Cienega is ranked as the 29th-best team in Arizona, according to MaxPreps.com’s Top 25 rankings, making the Bobcats the third-highest-rated Southern Arizona program behind Salpointe Catholic (No. 4) and Sahuaro (No. 23). Whenever the Bobcats kick off their 2020 season, Swoger and his team will have high expectations.

“I’m expecting huge things out of us this season. I just wanna put my name on the map before I head to college,” Swoger said. “I want to leave something at Cienega.”

Proof he’s good: Swoger split reps at quarterback with Daniel Montana last season, stepping in after the then-senior went down with an ankle injury in Cienega’s 14-0 win over Mountain View. Swoger led the Bobcats to an undefeated regular season.

Swoger and the Bobcats won the first round of the Class 5A playoffs, beating Phoenix Sunnyslope 27-24. Swoger completed 7 of 10 passes for 79 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 29 yards on seven carries. His lone touchdown cut the Vikings’ lead to three points with just a few minutes left on the clock. Cienega then got the ball back, rallied and punched its ticket to the next round of the playoffs.

“He became our starter after that Sunnyslope game. He tore it up running the ball and got us into the second round of the playoffs because of his legs,” Nugent said.

Said Swoger: “Ever since that Sunnyslope game, I started to fall in love with football and I want to play this game as long as I can.”

He said it: “He’s gotten better as a passer and he’s a tremendous athlete. He’s a fast kid that can fly and we’re expecting some big things out of him. There have been some big-time programs that have looked at him as an athlete, not as a quarterback, but as an athlete. There’s some (Division I) opportunities out there for him.” — Nugent