TUCSON CITIZEN SPOTLIGHT GAME OF THE WEEK

Devils pull out a thriller

The Blue Devils (8-2, 5-0 in the 5A Southern Region) won the region title outright while also ruining Salpointe's (9-1, 4-1) hopes for an unbeaten season.

All three passes went to Anthony Aguilar, who was leaned on heavily after Alex Leon, the team's top receiving threat, went down with a leg injury late in the second quarter.

"We're a team and we don't rely on just one person," Aguilar said. "I stepped it up, the line stepped it up and the whole team stepped up."

Even with a key player out, Aguilar's ability to make an impact in the second half was not to be unexpected.
"We talk about it all the time," Sunnyside coach Richard Sanchez said.

"Each individual out there is told they have to make a play, that your play is going to make a difference."

It was some redemption for Olivas, who was largely ineffective in the first half but still finished with 165 yards passing.
But Olivas' intensity in the second half resonated throughout the rest of the team.

After connecting on a 54-yard touchdown pass to Aguilar, he yelled to his defense, "Get me the ball back and I'll put more points on the board."

Olivas held true to the promise, throwing a 19-yard strike to Aguilar on a fake end-around that fooled Salpointe's defense.

"That's the attitude we've always had," Olivas said. "I just wanted that ball so bad, to get the ball back so we could get that 'W' on the scoreboard."

Sunnyside's jubilation certainly came with a lot of help from the Lancers.

Salpointe was largely ineffective on offense, committing four turnovers and mustering only 228 yards.

Quarterback Max Fritz was harassed all night, completing only eight of 18 passes. He was intercepted three times, twice by Marques Laverty.

With the win, Sunnyside gets the No. 2 seed in the 5A D-II playoffs while Salpointe will have to settle for the No. 6 seed in the 5A D-I playoffs.