Salpointe Catholic ready for taste of Texas in interstate showdown

The state of Texas has a reputation for many things, and high school football just might be No. 1. The athletes, the huge stadiums and the crazy atmosphere at Friday night games is what the Lone Star State does best.

One of Tucson’s best teams will get a taste of it Friday. Salpointe Catholic will host El Paso Del Valle in the Lancers’ first-ever game against a Texas program. Don’t expect the team from Tucson to back down.

“To me, it’s interesting because they’re always known for their football and people from Tucson don’t really get their credit when it’s due — because we have good teams here,” said C.J. Franks, a Salpointe senior offensive lineman. “But we’re excited to play them.”

So, how did a Texas school pop up on the Lancers’ schedule?

A few Salpointe Catholic assistants coaches used to play with Del Valle coach Jesse Perales. Lancers coach Dennis Bene reached out, and the schools agreed to a home-and-home series. The Lancers will travel to El Paso next year.

Bene said the addition of Del Valle to the Lancers’ schedule will help his team see how important football is in other communities.

That’s a big deal.

“I think it’s important for our kids to get a piece of that environment, not only this year, but next year when we travel over there,” Bene said.

As far as preparing for the Texas school, Bene said his team isn’t doing much different. The Lancers are coming off consecutive wins, although the latter wasn’t an easy one.

Salpointe struggled its way to a 28-21 win over Goodyear Desert Edge last week.

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Bene’s defense has spent this week preparing for Del Valle quarterback Raymond Montez. The younger brother of Colorado quarterback Steven Montez completed 16 of 24 passes for 236 yards and four touchdowns in last week’s season-opening win over Las Cruces Mayfield. Montez threw for 2,589 yards and 20 touchdowns as a junior in 2017.

“They have a really great quarterback, so he’s going to be very difficult to defend,” Bene said. “So, we’re really trying to focus on fixing our mistakes and then stopping their quarterback.”

Senior lineman Thomas Lares feels good about the Lancers’ preparation.

“I think we’re handling it pretty well,” Lares said. “We like to practice.”

There’s more to Friday’s game than just a cross-cultural exchange between Texas and Tucson. Bene said teams get better by playing other good teams.

Salpointe is a team with few peers in Tucson. Del Valle is well-coached, disciplined and has a strong defense. Both teams will need to be sharp.

“These kids have better practices because they know if you don’t play well they’re going to get beat,” Bene said. “So, we’re having a good week of practice because this team has our attention. And that’s how it should be.”

Franks said Friday night should feel like a rivalry game. The experience, win or lose, should benefit the Lancers when they enter the region portion of their schedule.

“I think it’s going to give us a challenge, to be able to fight with our backs against the wall,” Franks said.

“Last year we had a kind of easy schedule and when it came down to it, we were struggling a little bit at the end when we were fighting (for the playoffs). But this year, with a tougher schedule and this team being rough, it’s going to help us a lot at the end.”