This week's high school football matchups, locations — and predictions
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Justin Spears
Sports Reporter
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The Star's Justin Spears picks every game during for this week's high school football matchups.
Playoff seeding looms large for Salpointe Catholic-CDO matchup
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Canyon Del Oro senior Gavin Davis, 4, right, celebrates with teammate senior Dylan Zamorano, 24, after a touchdown during the Canyon Del Oro Dorados 21-7 win over the Sahuaro Cougars at CDO High School, 25 W. Calle Concordia, on October 11th, 2019.
For Salpointe Catholic and Canyon del Oro, this week will determine who’s going to be in the eight-team Open Division playoff. The AIA released its Open Division standings heading into this week and the Lancers are No. 2, while the Dorados are seventh.
CDO travels to Salpointe Catholic this week for the Star’s game of the week. Spears predicts how that matchup will fare along with other games across Tucson. All games are scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. and predicted winners are in ALL CAPS.
PHOENIX SANDRA DAY O’CONNOR (1-7) at Tucson High (3-4)
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Tucson Badgers head coach Justin Argraves watches as his team warms up before a game against the Pueblo Warriors at Pueblo High School Friday, Aug. 30, 2019.
Location: 400 N. Second Ave.
What to expect: The records show that Tucson High should be favored in this game. That’s not the case here. Sandra Day O’Connor has a brutal schedule this season and ever since its 60-10 season-opening win over Mesa, the Eagles have lost seven straight, including losses to Chandler Basha, Campbell (Hawaii), Gilbert Perry, Phoenix Pinnacle, Gilbert Perry and Scottsdale Chaparral. The Eagles fell to Chaparral, which is a team that has Division I talent, including Ohio State-bound quarterback Jack Miller and wide receiver Cal commit Tommy Christakos, by just four points. Expect O’Connor to beat Tucson High 40-18.
Sunnyside (2-5) at IRONWOOD RIDGE (4-3)
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The Ironwood Ridge Nighthawks huddle up after their game against Mountain View Mountain Lions at Ironwood Ridge High School Friday evening, Aug. 23, 2019.The Nighthawks flew away with the win against the Mountain Lions 21-7.
Location: 2475 W. Naranja Drive
What to expect: Sunnyside senior running back Martin Arvizu rushed 14 times for 142 yards and a touchdown in a 21-10 win over Nogales last week, and the Blue Devils snapped a three-game losing streak. Ironwood Ridge is licking itsis chops, though: Sunnyside surrendered 303 rushing yards to Cienega two weeks ago; the week before that, Sahuaro gained 212. The Nighthawks have star running back Brandon Barrios, who is second in Southern Arizona with 979 rushing yards. Barrios runs wild and the Nighthawks soar to a 34-13 victory.
CIENEGA (5-2) at Marana (0-7)
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Cienega's head coach Pat Nugent, center, stalks the sidelines in the Bobcats game against Centennial at Cienega High School, Vail, Sept. 13, 2019.
Location: 12000 W. Emigh Road
What to expect: Marana was tied with Ironwood Ridge after the first quarter last week, but the Tigers were outscored 47-0 in the final three periods. Cienega, meanwhile, held off Sierra Vista Buena by only attempting four passes. Running back Gabe Levy and quarterback Ryan Swoger made up most of the Bobcats offense with 254 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Cienega shouldn’t have a problem on the road. Call it 48-7.
SIERRA VISTA BUENA (5-2) at Nogales (4-3)
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Salpointe linebacker Taylor Powell (44) swats down a pass from Buena quarterback Braxton Bennett (15) during the first quarter of the Salpointe Catholic vs. Sierra Vista Buena high school football game on Friday, Aug. 22, 2014, at Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson, Ariz. The defending state champion Lancers dispatched the Colts 48-3. Photo by Mike Christy / Arizona Daily Star
Location: 1950 Apache Blvd., Nogales
What to expect: Jovoni Borbon found five different Buena wide receivers last week,but his final stat line — 12-of-23 passing for 193 yards and two touchdowns — was mild by his standards. Expect Borbon and star receiver Keyon Taylor to produce fireworks down in Nogales. Call it 49-21.
Empire (1-6) at CHOLLA (1-6)
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Sage Curtis, 16, snatches the ball out of the air during a football practice at Empire High School on July 25, 2018 in Tucson.
Location: 2001 W. Starr Pass Blvd.
What to expect: Both teams are hungry for a win, but the Chargers have a slight edge over the Ravens. Cholla quarterback Esrael Barajas tossed for 173 yards in a nine-point loss to Desert View last week. At home, Cholla should win 28-0.
Flowing Wells (1-6) at DESERT VIEW (4-3)
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Members of the Desert View football team run warmup drills before the start of their game against Marana at Desert View High School, 4101 E Valencia Rd, on September 7, 2018. Marana won 35-0.
Location: 4101 E. Valencia Road
What to expect: Salpointe Catholic, CDO and Sahuaro get tons of pub for having great rushing attacks, but the Jaguars are sneaky good in this category. Last week against Cholla, sophomore running backs Serge Gboweiah and Carlos Alvarez made up 229 of Desert View’s 239 rushing yards. Expect Gboweiah and Alvarez to duplicate last week’s performance. Jaguars win 33-12.
MOUNTAIN VIEW (3-4) at Rincon/University (4-3)
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Ironwood Ridge Nighthawks head coach James Hardy talks with his team following their win over Mountain View Mountain Lions at Ironwood Ridge High School Friday evening, Aug. 23, 2019.The Nighthawks flew away with the win against the Mountain Lions 21-7.
Location: 421 N. Arcadia Blvd.
What to expect: To quote Limp Bizkit, the Mountain Lions are rollin’, rollin’, rollin’. Mountain View has won its last two games by a combined score of 99-0. Meanwhile, Rincon squeaked by Flowing Wells 49-46 and allowed the Cabs to average 7.3 yards per carry. We’re not counting the Rangers out, but we like Mountain View to win 28-17.
AMPHITHEATER (4-3) at Douglas (2-5)
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Amphitheater senior running back Carlos Valarezo (4) runs the ball for a touchdown in Friday night's game against the Canyon Del Oro Dorados on September 16,2016 in Tucson, Ariz. Canyon Del Oro won 27-14. Jordan Glenn/ for the Arizona Daily Star
Location: 1500 15th Street., Douglas
What to expect: Amphi snapped its two-game losing streak after routing Rio Rico 44-7. Quarterback Kevin Silva completed 8 of 9 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns in the win and had a 167.8 quarterback rating. Expect the Panthers to win 45-38.
Rio Rico (2-5) at PALO VERDE (3-4)
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Senior Christian Verdugo, center, (61) tries to break a tackle from senior Ceasar Rose (21) and junior Forrest Walker (55) during Palo Verde Titans football practice at Palo Verde High School, 1302 S. Avenida Vega, Tucson, Ariz. Mike Wells is Palo Verde High School’s new head football coach.
Location: 1302 S. Avenida Vega
What to expect: Who wants to forget about last week? These two teams. Palo Verde was blanked 56-0 against Pueblo. Rio Rico? Check the most recent prediction game for how the Hawks’ game went last week against Amphi. Palo Verde quarterback Dario Marchica had 391 passing yards two weeks ago. Can he do it again at home? We think so. Call it 49-10.
Catalina Foothills (3-4) at CASA GRANDE (4-3)
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Catalina Foothills Falcons players warm-up before the Falcons 19-0 win against the Pueblo Warriors at Pueblo High School, 3500 S 12th Ave, Tucson, Ariz. on Sept. 27th 2019. The Falcons ended the Warriors undefeated record.
Location: 2730 N. Trekell Road, Casa Grande
What to expect: We thought the Casa Grande-Salpointe Catholic game last week was going to get ugly considering the Lancers were up 51-7 at halftime against Sahuaro the week before. Casa Grande lost handedly, but still managed to score 21 points at Salpointe Catholic, which is tough to do nowadays. Catalina Foothills, meanwhile, is soaring behind linebacker-turned-quarterback Will Parker, who had 235 passing yards and four touchdowns last week against Casa Grande Vista Grande. This game should be one to remember, but we’ll give Casa Grande the nod at home 35-30. However, don’t be surprised if the Falcons win.
WALDEN GROVE (6-1) at Pueblo (6-1)
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Walden Grove linebacker Rick Avelar hopes to play college football, just like his dad did. Avelar notched 135 tackles last year and has drawn interest from Yale, Columbia, Miami and Utah.
Location: 3500 S. 12th Ave.
What to expect: If it weren’t for the clash of two unbeatens, this would be without a doubt our game of the week. These teams are hitting their strides at the perfect time — right before the playoffs. That should mean a fun evening on the south side. What’s at stake? Possibly a regional championship. Both teams are 2-0 against teams in the Class 4A Gila Region standings and since this is a divisional game, whichever team wins controls its destiny to a region title. Ever since Walden Grove’s loss to Casa Grande, the Red Wolves have dominated every team in sight. They won’t dominate Pueblo, but they should win on the road. Call it 30-28.
Catalina (0-7) at SAHUARITA (3-4)
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Sahuarita's Damion Hill (1) finds the time to dump off a pass against Walden Grove at Sahuarita High School, Friday, Sept. 25, 2015, Sahuarita, Ariz. Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star
Location: 350 W. Sahuarita Road, Sahuarita
What to expect: After two tough games versus Safford and Pusch Ridge Christian, the Mustangs are destined for a home win. How much Sahuarita will win by is the question. Catalina has allowed 50, 48, 53, 61 and 52 points to its last five opponents. Expect Sahuarita to win Mustangs win 49-6.
SABINO (5-2) at Pusch Ridge Christian (4-3)
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AJ Skaggs threw for 2,495 yards and 25 touchdowns as a junior at Sabino last season and helped the Sabercats reach the second round of the Class 3A state playoffs.
Location: 9500 N. Oracle Road
What to expect: Sabino is a pass-happy team behind standout junior quarterback AJ Skaggs, who was named the Star’s player of the week following his 304-yard, five-touchdown performance against Tanque Verde. Pusch Ridge Christian has a completely different playbook. The Lions have 47 pass attempts all season. Skaggs has 143. If the Lions grind down Sabino’s defense and keep Skaggs on the sideline, this could be a game that goes down to the wire. We like Sabino winning on the road 27-14.
SAFFORD (5-2) at Tanque Verde (0-7)
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Tanque Verde High School football stadium in 2015, at 11150 E. Tanque Verde Road, in Tucson, Ariz.
Location: 4201 N. Melpomene Way
What to expect: Since losing to Thatcher in September, Safford’s defense has only given up eight points over the last four games. Eight! In October, Safford has outscored its opponents 83-0. Bulldogs handle Tanque Verde 49-0.
SANTA RITA (3-4) at Tombstone (1-6)
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Coach Richard Sanchez, middle, will return to the football sidelines with Santa Rita in 2018. The Eagles reclassified to Class 2A after winning two total games in the previous three years.
Location: 1211 Yellow Jacket Way, Tombstone
What to expect: The Eagles fell short 14-6 against Willcox last Friday, but Richard Sanchez has this program trending in the right direction. Santa Rita hasn’t had more than three wins in a season in exactly 10 years when Jeff Scurran led the Eagles to a spot in the state championship game. Eagles beat Tombstone 21-14 and get their record to .500. Maybe Santa Rita can scoop up some candied scorpions on the way home. When in Tombstone, right?
Canyon del Oro (7-0) at SALPOINTE CATHOLIC (6-0)
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Salpointe Catholic Lancers running back Bijan Robinson (C) (5) takes a handoff from Salpointe Catholic Lancers quarterback Jackson Bolin (14) as Sahuaro Cougars Gabriel Salinas (32) tries to block the play during a game at Sahuaro High School Friday night, Oct. 4, 2019.
Location: 1545 E. Copper St.
What to expect: After Friday night, only one team in Southern Arizona will have an undefeated record. CDO is off to its best start since 2010, when Tucson legend Ka’Deem Carey was running the football. The Dorados looked impressive last week against Sahuaro, when — despite some costly turnovers — they were able to win 21-7. Friday’s game will come down to the running backs: Salpointe’s Texas-bound Bijan Robinson and CDO’s Stevie Rocker, who has offers from the UA, Cal and Nevada. Robinson needs three touchdowns to become the big-school (4A, 5A, 6A) career points and touchdowns leader. The Lancers haven’t lost a regular-season game in two years; don’t expect that streak to end Friday. Salpointe wins 42-27.
Justin Spears
Sports Reporter
