Lifelong cowboy named Tucson Rodeo operations director | Greg Hansen

Sam Merriman began his rodeo career as a young man, 12 years old, competing in Southern Arizona youth rodeos as a breakaway roper. Last week, he was appointed to be the operations director for La Fiesta de los Vaqueros, the Tucson Rodeo. He had previously served as the rodeo’s chairman and has been part of the Tucson Rodeo committee for almost 10 years. Merriman certainly looks the part of a rodeo cowboy. The All-City linebacker on Amphitheater High School’s 1979 state championship team went on to play five years for the NFL Seattle Seahawks after a Hall of Fame college career for the Idaho Vandals. At 63, Merriman still competes in regional rodeos in the Southwest.

– Mason White hit 49 home runs in his Arizona baseball career, second in school history. The Salpointe Catholic High School product, a two-time All-Pac-12 shortstop, was then selected in the fourth round of the MLB draft by the Boston Red Sox. The move from college baseball and aluminum bats to the pros and wood bats is always a challenge. White completed his season in Single-A this month without a home run. He hit a cumulative 238 with two of Boston’s Single-A affiliates. The Greenville, South Carolina franchise used Mason both at second base and shortstop. He showed signs of adjusting to pro baseball by going 8 for 19 (.422) in his last five games.

– In the last 25 years, the most unexpected and rare statistic in Tucson high school football is for powerhouse Salpointe to get shut out. But that’s what happened Friday night when the undefeated Lancers were blanked 36-0 by Mesa Red Mountain. In almost 300 games this century, Salpointe has shut out 42 opponents, but it has only been blanked three other times: 14-0 by Sabino in 2001; 17-0 by Sunnyside in 2007; and 49-0 in the playoffs by Liberty in 2023. Coach Pat Ryden’s team plays a ridiculously difficult schedule now that the AIA has moved the Lancers to Class 6A. Still remaining for Salpointe is undefeated Paradise Valley Pinnacle, which has outscored its opponents 176-11, and undefeated Chandler Basha, which is averaging 38 points per game.

– Former Marana High School quarterback Trenton Bourguet and ex-Catalina Foothills High School quarterback Rhett Rodriguez became full-time assistant college football coaches this season. Bourguet, who played six years at ASU, is the Sun Devils’ assistant running backs coach. Rodriguez, who played at Arizona and Louisiana-Monroe for his father, head coach Rich Rodriguez, is now the QB coach at West Virginia.

Bourguet and Rodriguez now belong to a small and select group of ex-Tucson prep football players who have become full-time college coaches. Here’s the list:

Tucson High’s John Black became an Arizona assistant coach from 1945-48.

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Tucson High’s Carl Cooper became an Arizona assistant from 1954-64.

Tucson High’s Osia Lewis became an assistant coach at Oregon State, San Diego State, Illinois and New Mexico.

Salpointe’s Rich Ellerson became an assistant coach at Hawaii and Arizona and later the head coach at Army and Cal-Poly.

Santa Rita’s Ron Gould became an assistant at Cal, Stanford, Boise State and the head coach at Cal-Davis. He is now the running backs coach for the Los Angeles Rams.

Rincon’s Beyah Rasool became an assistant coach at Missouri, Arizona and Florida. He is now a quality control coach for the Las Vegas Raiders.