Sunnyside faces Ironwood Ridge in 5A-II showdown

RAYMOND SUAREZ
Tucson Citizen

Two schools familiar with each other will have another important battle Friday.

Ironwood Ridge (7-1, 1-0) visits Sunnyside (6-2, 1-0) in a Class 5A-Southern II battle at 7 p.m.

The teams met twice last season, with both games at Ironwood Ridge. Sunnyside lost the first game 15-14 but got revenge with a 21-14 win in the state quarterfinals.

The winner of Friday's game will most likely win the region title and get a high seed for next month's state tournament.

"We have improved each week and this will be the telltale sign," Sunnyside coach Richard Sanchez said. "We're playing a state playoff quality team."

Both teams are among the best in the state on defense. Ironwood Ridge is allowing 8.9 points per game; Sunnyside gives up 9.4.

Ironwood Ridge coach Gary Minor hopes his defense won't give up big plays and that his offense continues to execute.

"Sunnyside does a lot of things on offense and they're well-balanced," Minor said. "They run the ball hard and their quarterback (Jesus Vega) has a good arm.

"Our quarterback (Chris Harris) needs to step up and be consistent.

He is also looking for consistency from cornerback Nick Carlson and running back Adrian Brahler.

Sanchez's team scored 56 points in a 42-point win over Mountain View last week.

"We're working hard on offense, trying to figure out ways to score on them," Sanchez said. "We'll mix it up and see if we can find a weakness."

Sunnyside is looking for running back Manny Aguilar to keep running well. Aguilar rushed for 118 yards last week and scored three touchdowns.

"We've got to put points on the board. We want to keep it close and pull it out in the end," Sanchez said. "They've been able to run on a lot of teams and no one has made them throw."

Ironwood Ridge running backs Brahler and Jake Fischer, along with wide receiver Scott Campbell, are among the players Sanchez said the Blue Devils will have to contain.