Devils' defense silences Knights

By Jason Scheer
Special to the Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 11.18.2006

There is a thought with every sport that defense is the key to winning championships.

If that is the case, Sunnyside may be in better shape than the three other teams left in the Class 5A-II state playoffs.

Second-seeded Sunnyside used a dominating defense to defeat visiting Avondale Westview 13-3 on Friday in the quarterfinal round.
 

The Blue Devils will face No. 11 Tempe Marcos de Niza on Friday in the semifinals. The game will be played at Flowing Wells High School at 7 p.m.
 

As is its custom, No. 7 Westview (7-5) relied on the run to put points on the board. But Sunnyside (10-2) was up to the challenge, holding the Knights to their lowest scoring total of the season.
 

"They are one powerful one-dimensional offense," Sunnyside coach Richard Sanchez said. "They are pretty tough, and there were times they knocked us off the ball, but our kids are tough kids and we held them to three points."
 

Sunnyside scored first when Jovan Stevenson ran it in from 5 yards, and the extra point gave Sunnyside a 7-0 lead.
 

Stevenson finished with 86 yards on 17 carries before leaving in the third quarter with a sprained ankle.
 

While he was missed on the field, the Sunnyside defense made the offense's job much easier.
 

Westview was able to drive down the field in the second quarter, and with the way the Knights were moving the ball, it seemed as if they might score.
 

However, Sunnyside held Westview to a 38-yard field goal that tightened the Sunnyside lead to 7-3.
 

Sunnyside was able to shut down Westview on its first drive of the second half in a sequence that Sanchez said gave the team momentum.
 

"They came out and we stuffed them in the first drive," he said. "I think we kind of set the tone for the second half there, and our kids stepped it up."
 

Later in the third, Sunnyside quarterback Sammy Olivas hit Anthony Aguilar on fourth-and-12 to keep a drive going.
 

"When I needed to make that big play to keep the drive alive, I step up and I have to make that play because if I don't it is kind of tough on me going back to that sideline knowing that I could have had a chance to keep it going," Olivas said.
 

Two plays later, Olivas ran it in from 1 yard to give the Blue Devils a 13-3 lead.
 

"I told the linemen to get a good wedge so I can get through, and they pulled through and I got into the end zone clean," he said.
 

While the Westview offense tried to confuse the Sunnyside defense, the Sunnyside offense was simple and more effective.
 

"We're not a fancy team. We just want to line up and run the ball and throw the ball a little bit. Nothing fancy, whatever works for us. We just need to get some points on the board," Sanchez said.
 

After the game Olivas said that the team is confident going into the semifinals, yet the Blue Devils know that there is always room for improvement.
 

"We're going into the next game very confident, and we feel relaxed and comfortable, but we know there are little things that we need to improve on," he said.