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Region play begins for area teams
A week after the 4A West Valley got region play under way with Cactus’ 28-22 win over Peoria, the Desert West and Northwest regions kick off the region portion of their schedule Friday.
Centennial (4-1), fresh off a come-from behind win at 5A Div-I Desert Vista, will play host to La Joya (4-1) in Desert West Region action. The game will likely be an emotional one, as the Coyotes honor alumnus George Cortez, the Peoria police officer who was killed in the line of duty earlier this year. Cortez, who wore No. 45 at Centennial, will have his number retired during a halftime ceremony.
At Deer Valley, the 2-3 Skyhawks return to the field after a bye week to host Kingman (1-4) in the Northwest Region opener for both schools.
At Ironwood, the Eagles (1-4), fresh off their first win of the season, head to Tolleson to take on the Wolverines (2-3). In other action, Mountain Ridge (3-2) took advantage of their first of four straight at home with a 35-14 win over Tolleson. This week the Yuma Criminals (0-5) come to Glendale looking to steal a win from the Mountain Lions.
Kickoff is set for 7 tonight around the state. Here’s a look at what fans should expect to see.
MATCHUP: La Joya (4-1) at Centennial (4-1)
ADDRESS: 14388 N. 79th Ave., Peoria
Last week: La Joya scored the first 54 points of the game before losing a shutout bid in the fourth quarter in a 54-6 trouncing of first-year varsity program Valley Vista (0-6).
Players to watch: La Joya running back Jeremiah Cornist (4) rained on the Monsoons parade, rushing for 171 yards and five touchdowns on 11 carries. For the season, the Fighting Lobos running back has 874 yards on 98 carries, an 8.92 yards per carry average.
Centennial quarterback Scott Burgett (12) rallied his team from a 24-17 fourth-quarter deficit with a pair of touchdown passes in the game’s final four minutes hitting Jeff Hughes (7) for a 15-yard connection to tie the score and then Jarrell Barbour (23) on a 33-yard hookup on third down in the closing minute of the game.
Breakdown: For a pair of 4-1 teams, this has mismatch written all over it. The Fighting Lobos have had a cake walk to 4-1 as their opening week defeat to Willow Canyon (4-1) marks their only game against a team with a winning record. Meanwhile Centennial’s win over Desert Vista was the program’s second game against a 5A Div-I opponent this year. Centennial, the defending 5A Div-II state champions, suffered their only loss of the season against 5A Div-I defending state champion Hamilton, but rallied to beat perhaps the best 2-3 team in the state in Desert Vista.
When the Coyotes have played against a 5A Div-II team they are 3-0 and have outscored their opponents 145-0. Centennial will promptly take a spot atop the Desert West Region as they’re at least three touchdowns better than La Joya.
PICK: Centennial
MATCHUP: Agua Fria (2-3) at Cactus (5-0)
ADDRESS: 6330 W. Greenway Road, Glendale
Last week: Agua Fria lost its third straight game, falling in a shootout 54-41 to Lake Havasu. Cactus jumped to a 21-0 halftime lead on the road at Peoria. In the second half, they used a goal-line stand to earn a 28-22 win over the Panthers (4-1).
Players to watch: Agua Fria running back Derrick Ross (12) was nearly unstoppable in the Owls loss as the senior rushed for 361 yards and four touchdowns on 20 carries scoring on runs of 37, 53, 69 and 70 yards.
Cactus running back Mike Brown (25) rushed for 176 yards on 28 carries, scoring three times including a 72-yarder to lead the Cobras offensively.
Breakdown: High school football games are played at night, but for being nocturnal animals the Owls need to wake up defensively. Last week, Agua Fria went to Lake Havasu and watched the Knights junior running back Brett Michaels rip through their defense in state-record setting fashion. Topping a mark that had stood for 31 years, Michaels rushed for 470 yards and six touchdowns as last year’s 4A Div-I state semifinalists fell to 2-3 on the season.
The Cobras will be looking to avenge a 28-7 loss to Agua Fria last year and shouldn’t have a problem getting it.
PICK: Cactus
MATCHUP: Copper Canyon (3-2) at Peoria (4-1)
ADDRESS: 11200 N. 83rd Ave.
Last week: Copper Canyon dropped its 4A West Valley Region opener, falling to Millennium (4-1) 28-3. After spotting Cactus at 21-0 lead, the Panthers gave themselves a shot to win as their offense came to life in the second half. After a rough first half, Peoria junior quarterback Vinnie Spano responded in the second half by completing 7 of his 12 attempts to give Peoria a measure of balance offensively.
Players to watch: Running back Dominique Dennis (21) was averaging better than 7 yards a carry through Copper Canyon’s first four games. Peoria senior running back Ezra Sanchez (25) was the workhorse for the Panthers rushing for 135 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries in the loss to Cactus.
Breakdown: Copper Canyon No. 15, faces Peoria which is No. 10 in the 4A Div-I power ratings. The Aztecs have struggled offensively in their two previous battles against teams ranked in the top 10, losing to No. 1 Chaparral (5-0) 61-6 Sept. 14 and then 28-3 to No. 5 Millennium (4-1).
If Peoria can cleanup some issues in the return game the Panthers should return to the win column.
PICK: Peoria
MATCHUP: Kingman (1-4) at Deer Valley (2-3)
ADDRESS: 18424 N. 51st Ave, Glendale
Last week: Kingman was shutout in a 41-0 loss to Westview. Deer Valley had a bye week.
Players to watch: Kingman defensive lineman Trey Gilleo (78) is a formidable opponent as the 6-foot-7 senior leads the team in sacks and is tied for second in tackles. After junior Pearce Swerdfeger (10) took all the snaps at center through the first four games, the Skyhawks last win saw coach Sven Christianson bring senior Justin Beatty (15) off the bench. The senior went 6-of-7 for 100 yards in helping the Skyhawks rally for a 15-12 win. He also scored a touchdown on the ground. Christianson was non-committal about who might start, saying both players could continue to see snaps at quarterback.
Breakdown: Of Deer Valley’s three losses, two came against 5A Div-I opponents while the third came against Westview (3-2). As the Skyhawks enter Northwest Region play, they won’t see a squad on par with any of those three teams. Deer Valley and Kingman have played one common opponent in Westview. While the Skyhawks led the Knights 14-0 before eventually falling 42-24, Kingman never challenged the Knights from the Desert West Region in losing 41-0. In their four losses, Kingman has struggled offensively surpassing 10 points just once.
PICK: Deer Valley
MATCHUP: Yuma (0-5) at Mountain Ridge (3-2)
ADDRESS: 22800 N. 67th Ave., Glendale
Last week: Yuma’s season-long struggles continued as the Criminals were blanked 42-0 by Chandler. Mountain Ridge scored the game’s first 21 points on their way to a 35-21 win over Tolleson.
Players to watch: Mountain Ridge senior Giorgio Giurdanella had 375 all-purpose yards with 181 yards rushing, 128 yards in kick returns and 66 as a receiver. His biggest play of the night against Tolleson, was an 85-yard touchdown run. Junior teammate Kevin Yost (15) also had a big game going 16-of-29 for 226 yards and four touchdown passes including two to Bret Hager (20).
Breakdown: It has already been a long year for Yuma, which has been shutout twice and hasn’t been closer than 34 points in any game this season. Other than the Pinnacle game, Mountain Ridge has been impressive this season and could very easily be 4-1.
PICK: Mountain Ridge
MATCHUP: Sunrise Mountain (2-3) at Westview (3-2)
ADDRESS: 10850 W. Garden Lakes Parkway, Avondale
Last week: The Mustangs trailed 20-14 at the half before South Mountain (3-2) pulled away for a 41-20 win. Westview drilled Kingman 41-0.
Players to watch: Sunrise Mountain wide receiver Jimmy Kerr (22) caught nine of Tyler Brown’s 16 completions gaining 70 receiving yards in the process.
Westview running backs Brian Conley (6) and Reggie Nicholson (5) have combined for 1,367 yards and 17 touchdowns this season averaging 273 yards a game between the two of them.
Breakdown: Sunrise Mountain hasn’t come up with a win against a team the calibur of Westview. The two teams have a common opponent this year in Deer Valley. While the Mustangs lost to Deer Valley 10-7 in the season-opener, Westview defeated Deer Valley 42-24. The Knights probably have too much firepower between Conley and Nicholson to overcome.
PICK: Westview
MATCHUP: Ironwood (1-4) at Tolleson (2-3)
ADDRESS: 9419 W. Van Buren, Tolleson
Last week: Ironwood earned its first victory of the season in convincing fashion, jumping to a 38-6 halftime lead on their way to a 48-6 win over Alhambra. Tolleson trailed 21-0 at halftime on its way to a 35-14 loss to Mountain Ridge
Players to watch: Ironwood quarterback Randy Klucznik (11) connected on 12-of-18 passing for 123 yards and three touchdowns, spreading the wealth as eight different receivers had catches and six different Eagles scored touchdowns. Tolleson senior quarterback Daniel Flores (14) threw for a season-high 138 yards, completing 14-of-21 passes and a touchdown in the loss to Mountain Ridge.
Breakdown: Whether a light came on last week for Ironwood because they have found themselves or because they played a struggling Alhambra team remains to be seen, but the offensive distribution may indicate that the Eagles have something going. It’s also worth noting that the Ironwood defense has posted a shutout in seven of the last eight quarters.
PICK: Ironwood
Last week’s picks: 4-0
Season total: 25-2
Report compiled by sports editor Marc Buckhout who can be reached at 876-2598 or at mbuckhout@aztrib.com.
