Tucson is waiting for sports to resume again, and high school football remains very much on the schedule — at least for now. Here are nine must-watch games for 2020:
Authors note (July 1): On June 29, Gov. Doug Ducey announced that Arizona will delay the start of in-person classes until Aug. 17 at the earliest. AIA said in s statement that it will also push back the start of the fall athletic calendar which will change the dates of the games listed below.
Aug. 21: Salpointe Catholic at Canyon del Oro
How about this matchup to start the season? Two of Southern Arizona’s top squads from a year ago face off in late August with a chance to establish early dominance.
The Lancers are coming off a trip to the Open Division semifinals. They’ll be replacing head coach Dennis Bene, running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver/defensive back Lathan Ransom and others who were key to last year’s run.
CDO, meanwhile, returns star rusher Stevie Rocker to a team that went 8-2 in the regular season before being eliminated in the first round of last year’s Class 4A state playoffs.
Aug. 21: Peoria Sunrise Mountain at Cienega
The Peoria-based Mustangs will make the trek to Vail for what should be a highly anticipated opener between two schools that made it to the second round of the 5A playoffs last season.
Cienega returns dual-threat quarterback Ryan Swoger and running back Gabe Levy, a pair that accounted for nearly 2,000 yards of offense last season.
Sept. 4: Sahuaro at Mountain View
The Cougars enter the season with high expectations. For starters, they had the biggest addition — quite literally — of the offseason with the pickup of Salpointe Catholic transfer Jonah Miller, a 6-foot-8-inch, 285-pound, four-star recruit who has committed to Oregon.
Jamir Gasaway, who ran for almost 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior last year, will run behind Miller.
Don’t sleep on Mountain View, though. Under first-year coach Matt Johnson, the Mountain Lions won their last five games of the 2019 regular season before falling in the first round of the playoffs.
This will be a litmus test for both teams early on.
Sept. 4: Cienega at Salpointe Catholic
The first home game for Salpointe rookie head coach Eric Rogers comes against a Cienega program that has put up nine wins or more in four consecutive seasons.
The Bobcats went on an eight-game winning streak to finish the 2019 regular season before losing to Scottsdale Notre Dame Prep in the second round of the 5A state playoffs. Salpointe will be led by junior quarterback Treyson Bourguet and senior running back David Cordero, two holdovers from last year’s team.
Sept. 25: Salpointe Catholic at Phoenix Pinnacle
Salpointe’s schedule is front-loaded, and there’s an old-fashioned playoff rematch looming late in September. Salpointe had Pinnacle’s number in last year’s Open Division quarterfinals, winning 48-10 in Tucson.
Now the Lancers will have to take their act on the road against a team eager for revenge. Fortunately, Bourguet will be under center. He threw five touchdowns against Pinnacle last year.
Oct. 2: Canyon del Oro at Walden Grove
Walden Grove is coming off the best season in program history, one which featured a program-high nine wins and a 4A Gila Region title The Red Wolves are moving up to the 4A Kino Region, pitting them against teams like CDO for the first time. Both teams are expected to be among the region’s elite this season.
Oct. 9: Sabino at Safford
A drive to Safford might be a bit long to experience, but it’s worth the price of gas. Sabino and Safford are two of the top teams in 3A, and this October game figures to have some offensive fireworks.
Sabino boasts one of the state’s better quarterbacks in senior AJ Skaggs, who threw for nearly 2,500 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2019.
The Sabercats knocked off Safford 30-19 in the first round of the last year’s state playoffs.
Oct. 30: Sahuaro at Canyon del Oro
Sign us up for a regular-season finale featuring Rocker and Gasaway, two of Southern Arizona’s top running backs
Class 4A state playoff implications are sure to be at the forefront of this matchup. The Cougars and Dorados landed the No. 1 and No. 3 seeds, respectively, in last year’s bracket.
CDO beat Sahuaro 21-7 in last year’s game; expect this one to be closer.
Oct. 30: Walden Grove at Pueblo
This is another regular-season finale that should have playoff implications. Pueblo is coming off a 9-3 season and a No. 11 seed in 4A state playoffs. The Warriors may take a step back in 2020, but they’ll have the advantage of playing this one at home.
