Sunnyside slams Central

By Cox 7 Staff
Posted Sep 16, 2007
The #2 ranked Blue Devils show they’re ready to run

If there was any concern for coach Richard Sanchez about whether or not his Sunnyside Blue Devils would be ready to play Central High after the long road up from Tucson, any doubts were quickly erased on the opening drive. Sunnyside relied on a steady diet of star running back Jovan Stevenson to go 54 yards in just 8 plays to take a 7-0 lead on the Bobcats. Stevenson, the returning all-stater carried 7 of those, ending the drive with a one yard plunge for the score.

The rest of the game was much like the first drive. First year Bobcat coach Todd Williamson knew his squad would be in for a long night if they turned it over, and sure enough, the three giveaways didn’t help. Sunnyside Quarterback Jamie Valdez scored on a draw play and Stevenson picked up a Bobcat fumble and rumbled into the end zone to give the Blue Devils a 21-0 lead after one quarter.

The rest of the half was much the same. The score was 38-0 at the break. Stevenson ran 12 times for 106 yards and 2 TDs, all in the first half. He didn’t carry the ball in the second half. Fullback Manny Aguilar had 10 carries for 117 yards and scored a touchdown. In all, Sunnyside used ten different ball carriers in the game and ran for 381 yards, averaging 6.8 yards per carry. Sunnyside had 24 first downs on the night and did not turn the ball over. They only passed for 49 yards.

It didn’t help the Bobcats that they were missing their two best defensive players to injury, linebacker Cody Van Horne and defensive back Rashawn Lewis. Quarterback Tony Aguilera was under heavy pressure from the Devil defense all night and when he did put the ball on target his receivers dropped several. Sunnyside held Central to just 55 yards rushing and 26 yards passing. The bright spot for Central was running back Phuoc Hoang with 39 yards rushing on 12 carries. The Bobcats managed just 4 first downs the whole game.

Give credit to Sunnyside. They justified their ranking and were all business in this game. Game balls to the Sunnyside offensive line including Hugo Blanco, Chris Hart, and Alan Levario. Not big, but they’re active and physical. Aguilar is another weapon the Blue Devils and the receiving core catches the few passes thrown to them. On the defensive side of the ball, defensive lineman Luis Acuna gets a game ball for stuffing the Bobcat running game. He is another in the mold of tough Blue Devil defenders who might be out weighed, but not outplayed. Also, credit to head coach Richard Sanchez and his staff for keeping the ball on the ground in the second half (one pass) and not running up the score. Good for them.

Final score: Sunnyside 52 Central 0