FRIDAY UPDATE: Three games originally scheduled for Friday night — Desert View at Sunnyside, Laveen Cesar Chavez at Cienega at Rincon/University at Catalina — have been canceled. Click here for more.
Southern Arizona’s high school football slate on Friday night features rivalry games all over town, including an eastside clash between Sabino and Sahuaro and the northside battle between Canyon del Oro and Ironwood Ridge.
The Star’s Justin Spears previews every matchup across Southern Arizona. All games are scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m., unless noted, and predicted winners are in ALL CAPS.
SALPOINTE CATHOLIC (4-0) vs. Mountain View (0-0)
Where: 3901 W. Linda Vista Blvd.
When: Saturday, 4 p.m.
What to expect: Salpointe Catholic checked in at No. 4 in the Arizona Interscholastic Association’s first Open Division state playoff rankings earlier this week. The Lancers have four wins against quality opponents under their belts. Meanwhile, Mountain View opens its season versus a team that’s hit its fifth gear — or fifth game. Expect Salpointe to win in blowout fashion, 56-14.
Nogales (0-0) vs. TUCSON HIGH (1-0)
Where: 400 N. 2nd Ave.
What to expect: Four different Badgers recorded sacks in Tucson High’s season-opening win over Cholla last week. Nogales is coming out of its two-week quarantine after two student-athletes tested positive for the coronavirus. Let’s hope the Apaches make it to Friday. If they do, Tucson High will earn another victory. Call it 28-7.
PUEBLO (0-0) vs. Cholla (0-1)
Where: 2001 W. Starr Pass Blvd.
What to expect: The Warriors enter their first season under new head coach Jake Allen, who takes over for ex-Wildcat and “Desert Swarm” member Brandon Sanders. Last week’s game against Palo Verde was canceled. Expect the Warriors to beat a gritty Cholla team that lost by two touchdowns to Tucson High last week. Call it 20-14.
Flowing Wells (0-1) vs. AMPHITHEATER (2-0)
Where: 125 W. Yavapai Road
What to expect: Amphi’s offense has emerged as one of the top units in Southern Arizona. In a win over Sahuarita, Panthers quarterback Junior Goldshteyn completed 10 of 11 pass attempts — nine of them going to Emilio Cocio — for 140 yards and three touchdowns. Cocio had 121 receiving yards and two touchdowns. In Amphi’s first win, running backs Isiah Hill and Kiko Trejo combined for 276 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Which style of offense will Amphi roll out? Flowing Wells’ defense is about to find out. Call it 49-7 Panthers.
Sahuaro (0-1) vs. SABINO (0-0)
Where: 5000 N. Bowes Road
What to expect: Three years have gone by since Sabino last won a game against its eastside rival. Sahuaro is fresh off a one-point loss to Walden Grove. The short-handed Cougars relied on workhorse running back Trevion Watkins last week, and the senior rushed for 155 yards and a crucial touchdown in crunchtime. Sahuaro’s secondary struggled against Walden Grove’s passing offense, allowing 312 yards through the air. That could be good news for Sabino, which boasts arguably the top quarterback in Southern Arizona in senior AJ Skaggs. If the Sabercats and Skaggs can discover a rhythm on offense, it could be a long night for Sahuaro. We like the Sabercats in a nail-biter. Call it 28-24.
Santa Rita (0-1) vs. PALO VERDE (0-0)
Where: 1302 S. Avenida Vega
When: Saturday, 2 p.m.
What to expect: Santa Rita coughed up 232 rushing yards in last week’s loss to Rio Rico, including 198 to running back Edryann Rodriguez. Rio Rico also had 101 yards on just three pass attempts. Santa Rita surrenders too many big plays, which is why we like Palo Verde at home, 30-21.
TANQUE VERDE (1-0) vs. Rio Rico (1-1)
Where: 590 N. Camino Galindo, Rio Rico
What to expect: The Jay Dobyns Era started off with fireworks, as Tanque Verde flat-out dominated their opening game, a 49-10 win over Rincon/University. Senior running back Dillon Summers recorded a game-high 192 yards and three touchdowns on 10 carries. Last week, we projected the Hawks to lose by 28. We won’t make that mistake again, because this Tanque Verde team is different under Dobyns’ direction. Expect Tanque Verde to win again, 43-28.
Catalina (0-0) vs. RINCON/UNIVERSITY (0-1) (CANCELED)
Where: 421 N. Arcadia Blvd.
What to expect: The Rangers were smacked by Tanque Verde last week, but should bounce back against a Catalina program that’s only won three games since 2018. Rincon skates by with a 14-13 win.
Marana (0-1) vs. WALDEN GROVE (2-0)
Where: 15510 S. Sahuarita Park Road, Sahuarita
What to expect: The Red Wolves cruised to a 63-3 win over Douglas in the first game and then passed their first real test of the season, with a 29-28 road win over Sahuaro last Friday. With less than two minutes left and trailing by a touchdown, Walden Grove drove the length of the field to score a touchdown on tight end Sebastian Adamski’s only reception of the game. Walden Grove converted the two-point conversion and took the lead with two seconds remaining. Walden Grove lost a batch of talent after last year’s seniors departed, but the replacements have been productive. Junior quarterback Jason Stevens completed 24 of 38 passes for 312 yards and four touchdowns against Sahuaro. Stevens connected with junior wide receiver Duncan Hoover for 168 yards and a touchdown, while Ty McDermott caught eight passes for 112 yards and a score. Walden Grove has shown that it’s one of the top teams in Southern Arizona. Expect the Red Wolves to cruise to a 49-13 win.
Sahuarita (0-1) vs. CATALINA FOOTHILLS (0-0)
Where: 4300 E. Sunrise Dr.
What to expect: Sahuarita’s game against Sabino was canceled last week following a positive COVID-19 test, but the Mustangs found a way to play Amphi after the Panthers’ contest against Douglas was canceled. Entering the fourth quarter of last week’s game, Sahuarita trailed Amphi 20-12 — then gave up 21 unanswered points. Expect Sahuarita to stumble on the road this week. Call it 28-23.
PUSCH RIDGE CHRISTIAN (5-1) vs. Florence (1-5)
Where: 1000 S. Main, Florence
What to expect: The Lions played essentially a perfect game in their 70-8 rout of Ironwood American Leadership Academy last Friday. Quarterback Hayden Hallett was a perfect 10 of 10 passing, and Evan Lovett rushed for 135 yards on seven carries. Sophomore linebacker Tyler Mustain also contributed eight tackles and three stops for losses. Pusch Ridge is red hot. Florence? The Gophers are still figuring out life without star defensive lineman Regen Terry, who’s a freshman for the Arizona Wildcats. Expect Pusch Ridge Christian to pick up its sixth win of the year after beating Florence 56-12.
Ironwood Ridge (0-1) vs. CANYON DEL ORO (1-1)
Where: 25 W. Calle Concordia
What to expect: Last week was supposed to mark a get-right game for the Dorados after they were bullied by Cienega in the second of half of the season opener, but CDO nearly fell to Desert View. Ironwood Ridge abruptly opened its season with a loss to Cienega, the day after the Nighthawks were initially scheduled to face Sierra Vista Buena. With less than 19 hours to prepare, I-Ridge was sloppy. A bright spot on offense came from senior running back Tyus Williams, who posted 127 rushing yards and one touchdown; Jordan Thomas added 111 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries. Do the Nighthawks have an answer defensively for CDO running back and Arizona Wildcats commit Stevie Rocker? They struggled to contain Cienega running back Gabe Levy, who rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns. We like the Dorados in a tight one. Call it 27-24.
Desert View (0-1) vs. SUNNYSIDE (1-0) (CANCELED)
Where: 1725 E. Bilby Road
What to expect: Sunnyside quarterback Deion Conde struggled with accuracy as a freshman in 2019, throwing for 1,604 yards, 13 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Accuracy was Conde’s strong suit in the Blue Devils’ 49-17 season-opening win over Flowing Wells, as he completed 20 of 26 passes for 206 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. Conde’s top two targets last Friday: Tre’Von Armstrong, who hauled in four catches for 100 yards, and Dominic Murrieta, who had 99 yards and three touchdowns on six catches. Conde also received a helping hand from junior running back Michael Delgado, who put up 119 rushing yards. Sunnyside’s offense looked to be in midseason form against the Caballeros last week. This week, the Blue Devils face a Desert View team that lost to Canyon del Oro 21-20 last Friday. Desert View’s offensive firepower comes from running backs Serge Gboweiah and Carlos Alvarez. The Jaguars won last season’s contest 20-6, but the Sunnyside relied on inexperienced underclassmen. And in a rivalry game, anything goes. This contest will go down to the wire, but we like the Blue Devils squeezing out a win in the “Duel in the District.” Call it 35-33.
