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Behind Jovan Stevenson and Manny Aguillar, Sunnyside has rushed for over 700 yards in 2 games, and have potential to continue.

RENEE BRACAMONTE/Tucson Citizen

Game Preview: Basha vs Sunnyside



By Jake Rahorn
Special to PrepAZ.com
Posted Sep 13, 2006

A preview of the Cox Game of the Week this Friday night @ 7:00pm...
Cox 7 GAME OF THE WEEK
Friday at 7pm

Basha comes in with an undefeated record of 3-0, and Sunnyside comes in at 2-0. Both teams have dominated their first couple games, and both look very strong heading in. This has all the makings of a terrific game, and indeed should be.

Basha defeated Tucson 45-0 in week 1, came back and shut out Dobson 14-0, and then beat a really tough North Canyon team 13-3 last week. They have allowed only 3 points in 3 games, and their defense looks stout as can be. What has been giving them problems is their offense, which has performed just enough to squeak out some wins in the last two weeks. Many would argue that the defense is the most important part of the puzzle and ingredient to a winning team and most people cannot argue that.

The biggest story coming out of Basha this season is their double headed quarterback monster. Both juniors, Payton LaCivita (6’1” and about 155 pounds) and Troy Graham (6’5” and about 205 pounds) have been sharing time behind center so far this season. The strange part about the whole thing is the fact that they have not lost anything what so ever when they rotate them. Both have performed well, and the offense seems to fuel from the QB position no matter which warrior steps onto the battle field.

Behind Senior linebacker Kyle Flannery, who has 24 tackles so far, and defensive end Joe Frias who has 7 sacks, the Bears defense have posted 2 shutouts in the 1st three games, and allowing only 3 points total in 3 games. They are active, quick, and play with a lot of fire, something they failed to do last season defensively.

Sunnyside comes in with a 2-0 mark, with wins over Mountain Ridge 19-3 and Desert Mountain 49-0. Their offense looks more potent with QB Sammy Olivas throwing for 123 yards and 3 touchdowns so far this season. What’s even bigger is the running game for Sunnyside. Behind Jovan Stevenson and Manny Aguillar, they have rushed for over 700 yards in 2 games, and have potential to continue.

Like Basha, Sunnyside has only given up 3 points so far this year, and look very quick and aggressive on defense. This game has the making to be one of the better games of the season as these two teams square off knowing that a state title in their respective divisions is not a far off thought.

Tune in to COX channel 7 this Friday at 7pm. This game might give football fans something to cheer about. There is hype, expectations, and reality in every high school football game, but this one is big. This one has a big bearing on where each team will end up later on in the year. Should be fun, and very exciting. But isn’t that to be expected?