Devils defense ignores size, wins prize

By Tyler Hansen
ARIZONA DAILY STAR

TEMPE - Heading into Saturday's state title game, Sunnyside's skeptics pointed to a familiar theme: The Blue De-vils lack size where it counts, and their opponent has a surplus of it.

It is a played-out theme that never seems to go away, but Sunnyside again proved why its lack of size should never be a concern in a 21-13 victory over Glendale Cactus at Sun Devil Stadium.

On paper, the disadvantage facing the Blue Devils defense seemed insurmountable. Their roster was depleted by injury, forcing several defenders to start at unfamiliar positions.

And to be sure, the Sunnyside defensive linemen with an average height of 5 feet 10 inches, and an average weight of 200 pounds, were grossly undersized compared to the Cactus offensive front (6-2, 270).

The Blue Devils, resilient until the game's last second, did not flinch.

"We're never undersized in heart, character or fire. It's the same way every game," Sunnyside defensive coordinator Terry Seward said. "We were giving up 70 to 100 pounds per man up front, so our guys had to battle."

Down 10-0 early in the second quarter, the Sunnyside defense already was put on its heels after Cactus had methodically marched down the field with 13- and 15-play scoring drives to start the game.

But Sunnyside senior defensive end Ruben Leyva said that, if for no other reason, the Blue Devils were prepared to make a stand when it counted most.

"At halftime, we started thinking about all those hot days we spent working out in the summer, and all the work we've done since last December to get here," Leyva said. "We knew if there was ever going to be a time for it to pay off, it had to be in the second half. And, hey, it paid off."

The most staggering part of Sunnyside's ability to limit Cactus to 13 points was that the Blue Devils started two players at inside linebacker who had combined for one career start before Saturday's game.

Junior Mike Carreon and senior Ruben De La Torre are listed as defensive backs on Sunnyside's roster, but were asked by the Sunnyside coaching staff to perform a foreign task on the biggest stage of their careers.

Along with the other diminutive Blue Devils defenders, they were able to lay a hurt on a Cactus offense that looked unbeatable in the early going.

"A lot of teams would have packed it up and quit, but Sunnyside is tough," said Cactus offensive lineman Mike Achs, a 6-3, 301-pound senior. "They're little, but size doesn't matter when you have as much heart as they do."