Prep football previews: Oct. 12
Antelope at Estrella Foothills
Kickoff: 7 p.m. today
Records: Rams 1-5; Wolves 5-2
Last week: Antelope lost to Yuma Catholic 42-6; Estrella Foothills beat Fountain Hills 48-28
Players to watch: Fred Pearson will again handle a brunt of the workload for the short-handed Antelope offense ... Senior running back Najee Jacobs racked up 21 carries for 269 yards and three touchdowns in the Wolves' win last week.
Antelope coach Dan Gardner's comments: “Defensively we've been doing better. It hasn't been reflected score-wise, but most of the touchdowns we've given up have been after turnovers and the other guys don't have to go very for. Hopefully the offense will step up and help our defense out.”
The lowdown: Gardner said the Rams will be without three or four starters for “various reasons.” ... Not only did Jacobs rush for 269 yards against Fountain Hills, senior quarterback Gerrit Groenewold rushed for 252 yards for Estrella Foothills. ... Yuma Catholic beat Estrella Foothills 35-21 earlier this season. ... Last year the Rams lost 49-28 to the Wolves.
Tucson-Sunnyside at Cibola
Kickoff: 7 p.m. today
Records: Blue Devils 5-2; Raiders 4-3
Last week: Sunnyside beat Cholla 47-14; Cibola beat San Luis 69-0
Players to watch: Sunnyside has four running backs with more than 275 rushing yards, and senior Dominic Martinez has both a team-high 469 yards and 10 touchdowns. ... In last year's 35-31 loss at Sunnyside, senior running back Jordan Mitchell ran for 190 yards and two touchdowns. Coming into today, Mitchell has 905 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.
Cibola coach Lucky Arvizo's comments: “This game has been circled on our calendars. We've been excited about this for a long time. There's a lot of things going on, but we talked to the players about making sure they are focused.”
The lowdown: This game could be a huge boost or devastating blow to Cibola's playoff chances. Coming into this game, Sunnyside is No. 16 in Arizona Interscholastic Association Division I Power Points and Cibola is No. 23. The top 16 teams make the state playoffs. ... Both Cibola and Sunnyside made the Division I state playoffs last season. ... In last year's seesaw 35-31 game, Cibola quarterback Lucky Arvizo Jr. went 11 for 18 for 188 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. ... It's also the homecoming game for the Raiders.
San Luis at Gila Ridge
Kickoff: 7 p.m. today
Records: Sidewinders 0-7; Hawks 5-2
Last week: San Luis lost to Cibola 69-0; Gila Ridge beat Yuma High 21-0
Players to watch: Running back Javier Rodriguez has been added to the backfield, giving the Sidewinders a speed option. ... Senior Jordan Klostreich has emerged as a serious threat out of the backfield for the Hawks. In their victory over the Criminals, Klostreich ran for 142 yards and a touchdown.
San Luis coach Mark Shields' comments: “We're kind of in the typical end-of-year stuff. We have grade issues, we have injury issues, but we'll be there on that field. That's for sure.”
Gila Ridge coach Jay Denton's comments: “We've got to face this game like any other, go through the same routine.”
The lowdown: Running back Kainoa Renaud is among the “three or four” Gila Ridge starters missing tonight, according to Denton. ... The Hawks have three games left on the schedule: San Luis, at Cibola and a regular-season finale at home against Lake Havasu, which is 3-4 on the year. ... Coming into this game, Gila Ridge is No. 18 in the AIA Division II Power Points. Last year Gila Ridge sneaked into the playoffs as the No. 16 seed. ... The Sidewinders are on a 43-game losing streak. ... Shields' son Carlos played linebacker and defensive line for Denton at Gila Ridge until his graduation last year. ... Before he took over the Hawks in 2009, Denton coached at San Luis for three years. ... This is the first season since Denton took over that the teams have not played twice in a year. Denton is 6-0 with three shutouts. The Hawks have never scored fewer than 54 points against San Luis.
Kofa at Mountain Pointe
Kickoff: 7 p.m. today
Records: Kings 1-6; Pride 6-1
Last week: Kofa lost to Lake Havasu 31-17; Mountain Pointe beat Corona del Sol 55-35
Players to watch: Senior running back Michael Klakulak had a hand in both scoring drives for the Kings. ... Junior receiver Jalen Brown has 35 catches for 719 yards and 10 touchdowns for the explosive Pride offense. Brown also has a team-high three interceptions on defense.
Kofa coach Kevin Moore's comments: “We're trying to stress to our kids to play hard and continue to improve. Over the last three weeks, we've played our best football, and we want to continue going into the last three weeks of the year. We've told them to compete for four quarters and not worry about the score.”
The lowdown: Coming into the game, Mountain Pointe is No. 2 in AIA Division I Power Points. The Kings lost 66-0 in the first week against Chandler, which is ranked No. 12 in AIA Division I Power Points. ... Mountain Pointe's only loss of the year came at No. 4 Brophy Prep. ... Corona del Sol, which the Pride beat by 20 last week, defeated Cibola 47-7 earlier in the year. ... The Pride won 49-0 at Kofa last year.
Yuma Catholic at Parker
Kickoff: 7 p.m. today
Records: Shamrocks 6-1; Broncs 3-4
Last week: Yuma Catholic beat Antelope 42-6; Parker beat Mohave 32-14
Players to watch: Senior running back Kody Hazlett has played three quarters for the Shamrocks in the previous two weeks because Yuma Catholic had each game in hand early. On the year, Hazlett has rushed for 1,268 yards and 13 touchdowns. ... Senior Louis Golding has a team-high five interceptions on the year for the Broncs.
Yuma Catholic coach Rhett Stallworth's comments: “Anytime you play at Parker it's tough right from he start. They play tough at home.”
The lowdown: Yuma Catholic moved up to No. 3 in the AIA Division V Power Points. ... Three of Parker's losses came against teams the Shamrocks have already beat this year: Wickenburg, River Valley and Buckeye. ... Senior left guard Glen Justice, who has been out the past two weeks because of an ankle injury, should be back for the game against Parker. ... Last year the Shamrocks beat the Broncs 49-7 at home.
Alhambra at Yuma High
Kickoff: 7 p.m. today
Records: Lions 4-3; Criminals 2-5
Last week: Alhambra beat Browne 28-14; Yuma High lost to Gila Ridge 21-0
Players to watch: Junior running back Jermaine Shannon rushed 30 times for 172 yards and three touchdowns in Alhambra's win against Browne. On the year, Shannon has 963 rushing yards. ... With Alhambra running a triple-option style offense, defensive lineman Alec Sanchez and Chance Hamilton will need to stay their ground and not get pushed off the line for the Criminals.
Yuma High coach Tom Fox's comments: “We haven't seen (the triple-option). You only see a team like that once a year. Physically, we'll be fine. We just have to be disciplined.”
The lowdown: The past two weeks, the Criminals have had a strong defensive performance. Yuma High allowed 14 points in a win against Southwest and held Gila Ridge to 21 points — all in the second half. ... Alhambra has rushed for more than 350 yards four times this season. ... Last year, Alhambra beat Yuma High 50-29.
