QB Valdez returns to Sunnyside; Devils win

By Jared Hill
Special to the Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 11.03.2007

Sunnyside bounced back from a two-game losing streak Friday night as quarterback Jaime Valdez rejoined the team to lead the Blue Devils to a 42-0 victory over visiting Rincon/University in a 5A Southern Region-II game.

Valdez was not on the sidelines in last week's loss to Ironwood Ridge for an unspecified reason.

"He got the OK to play at about 5:30," Sunnyside coach Richard Sanchez said of Valdez.

Valdez, a senior quarterback completed 8 of 10 passes for 110 yards and also rushed for a touchdown.

"He was a little rusty, but I think he just needed to get hit … a little bit," said Sunnyside offensive coordinator Glenn Posey.

The teams were scoreless after the first quarter. The Rangers, however, gave up 35 points in the second half.

Sunnyside's best field position in the first half came with just under three minutes left. A punt by Rincon QB Devin Stewart was partially blocked and recovered by the Blue Devils (8-2, 1-2) at the Rangers' 35.

That led to a seven-play drive that ended as Valdez ran it in from the 1.

Sunnyside RB/DB Malik Parra intercepted a pass from Stewart and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown. It gave Sunnyside a 28-point lead with 23 seconds left in the third quarter.

"It would be nice if we could do that every game, but I don't think it's going to be that easy going into the playoffs," Sanchez said. "We still gotta play better football if we want to get anywhere in the playoffs."