FOOTBALL: Sunnyside scores late to turn back Rincon; Southern Arizona review

October 14, 2017 by Andy Morales, AZPreps365


Camron Orozco scored the winning touchdown with 1:41 left in the game. (Andy Morales/AZPreps365.com)

 

One play here. One play there. Right or wrong, sometimes that’s all it takes to change a season and we had plenty of those emotion-changing moments Friday night at Rincon with Sunnyside scoring late to defeat the Rangers 7-6.

It was a game where both quarterbacks combined for 4-for-25 so running the ball became key - but that proved to be a struggle as well. The Rangers were hampered by a series of penalties (even the band was flagged) and a couple of very costly fumbles while the Blue Devils were held on downs three times and were forced to punt on five of their possessions. The clock appeared to be the only thing moving forward.

But things got going with 3:20 left in the second thanks to sophomore running back JJ Haygood. Haygood finished the night with 85 yards rushing with 44 of those yards coming on a sprint to give the Rangers a 6-0 lead. The extra point was missed but the Blue Devils were called for a penalty so the Rangers went for a 2-point conversion from up close rather than attempting another kick.

Rincon came up short on the 2-point attempt to keep the score 6-0 and it proved to be only one of several game-saving defensive plays for the Blue Devils.

The Rangers missed on a 44-yard field goal attempt after forcing Sunnyside to punt and both teams went to the locker room with Rincon leading 6-0.

Punts defined the third quarter but Eric Petronella gave the Rangers a spark once more in the opening moments of the fourth thanks to a run down the sidelines for what appeared to be a 70-yard TD but the senior tight end was caught from behind at the 4-yard line. It proved to be the second game-saving play by the Blue Devils.

Petronella set the Rangers up with a first-and-goal at the four but a fumble on the next play gave the Blue Devils new life but time was not on their side.

Sunnyside turned the ball over on downs at midfield with 7:59 left in the game but the Blue Devils forced the Rangers into a fourth down situation three plays later. Rather than pinning the Blue Devils back, the Rangers elected to run rather than punt and the play came up two yards short. It was the third game-saving play by the Blue Devils defense.

Sunnyside took over at their own 41 with 5:08 left. Joe Fuentes only had three completions on the night but he only needed two on this drive. He hit Jose Silva on a 9-yard pass on a long third down to keep the drive alive and he hit him again on an 11-yard pass to overcome another long third down.

Camron Orozco also came up big for the Blue Devils on the game-winning drive. Orozco was limited to 35 yards prior to the drive but he picked up a 14-yard run and a 16-yard run to set up his 2-yard score to give the Blue Devils a 7-6 lead with 1:41 remaining.

The Blue Devil defense held the rest of the way to preserve the victory.

Sunnyside improved to 2-6 overall and 1-1 in the Tucson Sub-Region while Rincon moved to 3-5 and 0-1. Tucson is sitting at 3-5 and 1-0.

The Badgers will face Cibola (3-5, 1-1) in the final week of the season for the 6A Southern Region championship and the automatic playoff berth that comes with it.

In 5A action for Southern Arizona, Marana (6-2, 3-0) won the 5A Sonoran Region. The Tigers are currently ranked No. 10 and are hoping to move into the top eight for playoff positioning.

Cienega (8-0, 2-0), Marana Mountain View (7-1, 20) and Ironwood Ridge (6-2, 1-1) are still in the hunt for the 5A Southern Region title. This race will come down to the last week.

In the 4A Kino Region, Salpointe (7-1, 2-0) will travel to Catalina Foothills (6-2, 2-0) next week for another in a long line of “Games of the Week.” Canyon del Oro (4-4, 1-1) is still alive.

In the 4A Gila Region, Pueblo (6-2, 2-0), Amphitheater (2-6, 2-0) and Palo Verde (3-6, 2-1) are still battling it out.

Pusch Ridge (8-0, 4-0) still controls the 3A South Region. Sabino (6-2, 4-1), Empire (5-3, 3-1) and Catalina (5-3, 2-2) are still in the game for one of the two automatic berths.

Santa Cruz (7-0, 3-0) appears to be unbeatable in the 2A South Region.

Trivium Prep (7-1, 4-0) won the 1A South Region. Valley Union (5-3, 3-1) is the only 1A team from Southern Arizona with a shot at the state playoffs that begin on Saturday, Oct. 21.