HS Football Player Spotlight: Cienega's Davion Ross leads Bobcats into postseason

Every week this high school football season, in collaboration with ESPN Tucson’s weekday morning show “Spears & Ali,” we’re spotlighting notable performances from the previous week. Up next: Cienega linebacker Davion Ross.

The football season appeared to be doom and gloom for the Cienega Bobcats.

Cienega started the season with back-to-back home losses to Sierra Vista Buena and Goodyear Desert Edge. Both teams have a combined record of 17-3 this season.

“That’s kind of a hard situation there,” said Cienega star linebacker Davion Ross. “But I knew we were going to bounce back Week 3 and Week 4. I never had any doubt.”

The Bobcats beat Ironwood Ridge and Nogales by a combined 90-14 the following two games and are 6-2 since their rocky start. Cienega punctuated the regular season with a 41-19 win over Maricopa in Vail last week.

Ross, a four-year player for the Bobcats, had a career-high 16 tackles to go along with three stops for loss, a blocked field goal and a pass deflection. Ross also had a 24-yard touchdown run last Friday.

“It’s one of those games where it’s senior year, last (home) game, you have to play the best you can,” Ross said. “Going into the week, we were 5-4. Back-to-back 5-5 seasons — as a varsity player at Cienega, you don’t want to go 5-5 again. I knew I had to lock in and do something for this team, so we didn’t go 5-5 again. It worked out in the end, and I can thank all of my teammates for that, it’s not just me.

“That touchdown I had, I could thank the (offensive) line, they blocked perfect for me. Shoutout to my teammates for putting me in that position.”

The 17th-seeded Bobcats (6-4) are now preparing for the first round of the Class 5A playoffs, where they’ll face 16th-seeded Phoenix Sunnyslope Vikings (8-2) on the road Friday at 7 p.m. The winner will face top-seeded Goodyear Desert Edge next Friday, Nov. 14.

Cienega is one of seven Southern Arizona teams in the 24-team Class 5A postseason, along with Desert View (3), Marana (4), Sierra Vista Buena (15), Mountain View (18), Flowing Wells (19) and Tucson High (23).

Ahead of Cienega’s first-round playoff game, Ross joined ESPN Tucson’s “Spears & Ali” to talk about his performance, how he started playing football and the Bobcats’ focus this week.

Have you ever blocked a field goal prior to last week?

A: “Last year and the year before that, I was right on the edge of blocking it. I would be the dude that would pull him in to get the other person to block it, but this year I’ve taken accountability to get some blocks.”

How has the experience been with the senior group?

A: “Growing up with the seniors here, we’ve been playing football since youth (football). We’ve always had that teammate chemistry and we’ll always get stuff done.”

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Cienega defensive end Andrei Davis-Lopez is tied for second in the state with 21 sacks this season. How have you two complemented each other on defense?

A: “Andrei is a complete dog. I love that kid. He’s definitely going to go places one day. With him and his play style, it’s either me or him getting there at the end of the day. If he gets in, I’ll be right there behind him and we’ll make it happen. We’re going to tear it up on defense all the time.”

How did you start playing football?

A: “I lived in New Hampshire and my uncle actually taught me how to throw a football for the first time. Ever since then, it’s been all gas, no brakes. I never stopped playing football and I’ve been playing football my entire life. It’s in my family. My dad played football, my grandpa played football. It’s always been in my life.”

If you didn’t play football, what do you think you’d be doing?

A: “I’ve always been about money, so probably making money. I also take photos, so I’m a photographer. But football has always been there.”

What do you like to do outside of football?

A: “Obviously love playing video games. That’s just a normal teenage thing to do. I take photos and love sports photography, that’s probably what I’ll do in college. I run track, too. I really enjoy track. And then obviously hanging out with friends and family.”

What’s your favorite food or postgame meal?

A: “I low key eat so much candy. I eat so much candy. My favorite food of all time is seafood. Any seafood. I love seafood so much.”

What’s your favorite candy and type of seafood?

A: “Sour Patch (Kids) — the original, can’t go wrong. Seafood, it’s gotta be lobster or anything that comes in a seafood boil. Mainly, lobster and crab.”

What’s Cienega’s mindset entering the postseason?

A: “I believe we can make a run in the playoffs — at least the first round. That’s the goal, always win the first round, because we have to take one step at a time. You gotta win the first game, then get to the next game and then hopefully the next game and then obviously the championship. This week, our motive is we gotta win. Gotta win and keep playing how we do. It’s the back half of the season and it’s the postseason and everyone is tired. We just gotta keep pushing.”