As Catalina coach Chris Barlow watched the scores roll in from last week’s game, he tried not to think about last season.
The Trojans, which finished 2-8 after a promising 5-5 record in 2017, had as much time to stew over the missed opportunities as anyone. Delaying the gratification of hitting the turf one more week just added more fuel to the fire.
“People don’t think about it, but teams that don’t make the playoffs, their offseason is at least a month longer than everybody else,” Barlow said. “So the anticipation has been building up for us to get our chance to put our mark on the season.”
Catalina has had that extra month off each year since 2009, and another mountainous climb awaits this fall, starting at Palo Verde on Friday. The Titans won last year’s meeting 28-6, but lost their season opener 52-8 last week at Casa Grande.
Barlow is interested to see how his young group handles the spotlight, as Catalina lost nearly all of last year’s statistical production to graduation.
“These guys have been working their tails off all season,” Barlow said. “A lot of the things we have done have been behind the scenes. We haven’t really been a big presence in the 7-on-7 circuits. But these guys have been in the weight room and on the practice field, and we have just encouraged them that if they follow the preparation, they’re going to be ready for the game.”
A little more than 10 miles from there, Sabino feels similarly restless but for different reasons.
The Tucson powerhouse is coming off a 10-3 record and state semifinal appearance.
Coach Ryan McBrayer can feel his team’s eagerness to not only begin the season, but for revenge against visiting Casa Grande, which beat Sabino 21-6 last season.
“Our guys have been champing at the bit for awhile now,” McBrayer said. “It’s a long offseason. It’s a grind with all the stuff in the weight room and just being in pads for a couple weeks now.”
Davis’ big night
Canyon del Oro suffered a gut check before the season, losing starting running back Stevie Rocker to injury.
But his replacement, senior Gavin Davis, left a lasting impression in his season debut.
The 5-foot-9 speedster rushed for 135 yards on 13 carries with five touchdowns in a 59-0 home win over Flowing Wells on Friday.
“The five touchdowns might look good on the stat board, but there were some runs that weren’t there that he made happen,” coach Dustin Peace said.
“He really showed how he can make a cut, make a kid miss in the hole and go. That’s kind of natural instinct that you don’t really get to see until the lights come on.”
CDO (1-0) travels to Prescott (0-1) Friday.
The Dorados won last year’s meeting 35-23 in Oro Valley.
Winning the trenches
Sahuaro aims to build off its dominant 55-0 victory at Casa Grande Vista Grande with a tough road test this week at Sierra Vista Buena.
The Cougars (1-0) will have to contain star receivers Kemish Riley and Keyon Taylor, who each raced to 90-yard touchdowns in last week’s 35-6 victory at Catalina Foothills. However, Sahuaro coach Scott McKee feels this game might be won at the line of scrimmage and in pressuring quarterback Jovoni Borbon.
“He’s their leader and he plays everywhere for them,” McKee said. “It’s going to be a tough test. It’s a tough place to go, and they beat us last year. They’re real good up front and that guy is the difference maker.”
A unique environment
As the sun set over Tucson last Friday, a new Catalina Foothills assistant coach turned to another and asked in disbelief, “Is this what it’s always like?”
The press box has one of the best views imaginable, overseeing all of Tucson from its stone perch, but he was referring to what was going on directly below, where fans clad in all white packed the home bleachers. As first-year coach Darius Kelly led the players down through the crowd and out onto the field, it was obvious why his athletes had chosen this unique entrance.
“We wanted to turn this into a family environment and that’s what we did, got our fans involved in what we’re doing,” Kelly said. “I appreciate everybody coming out.
“The student section was great. The fans were great, and the band was great. We just have to do our part next week and take care of business.”
The Falcons (0-1) travel to Glendale Cactus Friday.
