Chaparral
in the path of Sunnyside seniors' goal
MICHAEL
CACCAMISE
Tucson
Citizen
With the end of the road looming for longtime Sunnyside High
School football teammates Ruben Leyva
and
Mike Villalobos, a
state championship would be the perfect Disneyesque ending.
But the pair of defensive
standouts will be facing a tough task tonight at 7 in the
semifinals of the Class 4A state playoffs when they take on
defending champ and undefeated No. 1 seed Scottsdale Chaparral
(12-0) at Phoenix College.
Mistakes cost Sunnyside
(10-2) when the two teams met earlier this year in a 41-14
Chaparral win. The teams met in the state semifinals last year, a
game that Chaparral won 20-17.
"We're going to have
our mind set for this game," said Leyva, a senior defensive
end. "We'll have no mental mistakes."
If knowing your teammates is
worth anything, the Blue Devils' defense will be up to the task.
Leyva and Villalobos have been teammates since they were kids and
were both varsity players during their sophomore year when
Sunnyside won the 2001 4A state title.
"Most of this team has
been playing together since we were peewees," Leyva said.
"It definitely helps. You don't want to let your teammates
down."
While Sunnyside has been
known for putting lots of points on the board, its defense has
always been just as impressive.
This year, the Blue Devils
gave up 76 points in the first two games, which included a loss to
5A Salpointe Catholic. In the 10 games since, Sunnyside has
allowed 70 points.
"Both sides are picking
it up. This week it's going to be more of defense going to have to
stop the wing-T," said Villalobos, a senior strong safety,
referring to the Firebirds' brand of offense. "We're feeling
pretty good right now with some hard practices."
For current Sunnyside
players who were members of the state championship team, this game
is about getting back that title, not about exacting revenge on
Chaparral.
"I've been waiting for
this a long time. This is the game we've got to win to get back to
the championship," Leyva said.
TONIGHT:
No. 5 Sunnyside (10-2) at
No. 1 Scottsdale Chaparral (12-0)
What:
Class 4A state football semifinal
When: 7
