VarsityXtra

I recently spoke with Gavin Rodriguez for a VarsityXtra story next week.The former Corona del Sol quarterback/kicker is at Hastings College, an NAIA school in Nebraska.A solid quarterback and one of the best kickers in the East Valley last year, Rodriguez had his leg broken when he attempted a game-tying field goal in the closing minutes against Basha in November. The injury required a rod and screws to be inserted into his leg, and though Corona won that game in overtime and reached the playoffs, the Aztecs had no shot of going anywhere without Rodriguez.It also effectively killed any chances of being a Division I kicker.But he’s on scholarship at Hastings and getting plenty of playing time as the Broncos kicker and punter, and was named Special Teams Player of the Week this season, and Hastings is ranked 19th in the NAIA college football.The rod is still in his leg. The plan is to have it removed when he returns here during December break.

It’s not here in the East Valley, but Friday night’s game between Glendale Cactus and Peoria is one to keep an eye on.Peoria is ranked No. 3 and Cactus No. 4 in the latest 4A-I Tribune rankings, a flip-flop of last week. Peoria has blown out everyone it’s played - albeit against weaker opponents - while the Cobras needed to rally from a 17-point halftime deficit to beat Tucson Canyon del Oro two weeks ago and then slipped past Sandra Day O’Connor last week.Both teams have fine running backs (Peoria’s is Jamal Miles, Cactus’ is Mike Brown) and this always-heated contest is definitely a statement game.The guess from here: Peoria 27, Cactus 17.

Chandler Hamilton has set out to build a football program second to none. The Huskies have done just that in a decade of existence. Three state titles. Two runners-up. Five title-game appearances. Three national television appearances.Kudos to principal Fred DePrez, the architect of this juggernaut. DePrez has pulled out all the stops to make this a reality by making sure the Huskies doors are open to anyone who wants to be a Husky. Save divine intervention from Brophy

This occurred to me Thursday night’s Basha-Westwood tilt, so I’ll throw it out there in the interest of inciting intellignet, tasteful discourse:Most of the 5A and 4A schools played last Thursday night because of the Jewish High Holiday called Yom Kippur. Both schools (and most others in the E.V.) had school Friday. Many practiced Friday.Should everyone have played on Friday instead?Games last until nearly 10 p.m., and many schools have significant bus rides back home. Crowds are thinner, and kids are expected to be back in class at 7 a.m. the next morning.Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashana are the two holiest days of the year. For those of Jewish faith, they should have every right to decide for themselves whether to play, in this case, on Friday night (the Holidays fall on different days of the week each year), or not.Shouldn’t schools which deem themselves as having a significant Jewish population be allowed to decide for themselves whether to play a day earlier (or later)? Shouldn’t schools with minimal Jewish populations decide for themselves?No doubt a handful of students (at least) per school could potentially miss a game (though not regularly since the holidays rarely fall on a Friday night). But the vast majority of schools are unaffected by these holidays.Should religion alter the schedule?

Nobody’s on the roof with a megaphone shouting "Playoffs."Nobody should be.Yes, Desert Mountain has played Boudler Creek and North Canyon, not exactly the peak performers of football programs.But a victory is a victory in north Scottsdale, and for a program in complete disarray the past two years, Tony Tabor will take his 2-1 record.Enrollment numbers aren’t great (but getting better). Injuries are starting to mount. The schedule gets enormously tougher.But Friday’s game against Phoenix Central is winnable, as is next week against Phoenix Camelback.Tabor is looking longer term in resurrecting a dormant program, but for this season, it has to be about the present, because Mesa Red Mountain, Phoenix Brophy and Mesa Desert Ridge and Glendale Mountain Ridge are upcoming.Five wins this season isn’t unthinkable, and what a boost it would be for a program which has won a total of six games in the previous three years.

Wondering who the contenders are in the 5A-I state title chase?The picture will be much clearer after Thursday.Three games involving what are essentially the only six remaining players (sorry, Chandler, Phoenix Desert Vista and Mesa) take place in a Yom Kippur-induced early week.No. 1 Chandler Hamilton battles No. 2 Mesa Red Mountain; No. 3 Phoenix Brophy battles No. 4 Mesa Mountain View; and No. 5 Mesa Westwood battles would-be No. 6 Chandler Basha.Here’s hoping Red Mountain gives Hamilton a game. It would be nice to think there is still some intrigue left in the season before we hit region play.

While one month into a season is usually far too early to start handing out all-region, all-conference, all-state honors, etc., an exception has to be made this year.You can pencil in Tempe Marcos de Niza running back Harrison Evens right now for all such awards then go over his name again with ink.Through three games, the senior has touched the ball only 22 times on offense but has ended up in the end zone on six of those occasions. That

The first power points come out the week of Sept. 24, giving every team an early read on where it stands in the playoff race.It will be interesting to see how many teams from the newly formed 5A-II Pima Region make the postseason. Given the weakness of three other 5A-II regions, here’s hoping all five — Horizon, Desert Ridge, Pinnacle, Skyline and Marcos de Niza — make it.No. 3 Marcos and No. 4 Pinnacle seem like shoe-ins, and Desert Ridge’s schedule should put it in the hunt. Horizon has lost a pair of games to 5A-I teams but should gain significant power points from those games. Don’t count out a Steve Casey-coached team.Skyline looks to have the toughest road, but a win tonight against Glendale Mountain Ridge could be all the Coyotes need to punch their ticket. The Pima is easily the toughest region in 5A-II. It should reap the rewards come November.

Top-ranked Scottsdale Saguaro’s 24-13 win over Tucson Sahuaro didn’t look overly impressive, but coach John Sanders said he was just happy to get the win and get out of there.He said making the trip to Tucson is always an adventure, and inclement weather made this trip even more of a burden. The game started an hour late because of the stormy weather and the quarters were shortened to 10 minutes because of the threat of lightning.The hour delay wasn’t the biggest obstacle, though. Sanders said it was tougher going without a set pregame routine, as the game’s start time was continually in flux. Overall, the defense played well, allowing less than 100 total yards, with a big chunk of that coming on a halfback option pass.Special teams is the biggest concern right now, as poor kickoff and punt return coverage gave Sahuaro good field position all night, Sanders said.Should an 11-point win over a mediocre team be cause to worry? Nah, not really. Considering the circumstances, taking the ‘W’ and putting the game in the rearview mirror is probably a good idea.Another close one this week against Avondale Agua Fria, though, and questions will surely arise as to whether there are chinks in the armor.

Although 18 total points through two games is probably evidence enough that Cave Creek Cactus Shadows isn’t anywhere near the offensive juggernaut of last year, two instances from Friday night’s 38-11 loss to Glendale Cactus stood out.In the first half, the Falcons attempted just four passes, instead favoring an option running game (it didn’t help matters that starting quarterback Dylan Classan was knocked from the contest on the second offensive series.)And, in the second quarter, coach Chad DeGrenier punted on a third-and-long situation in his own territory. DeGrenier is one of the state’s most innovative play-callers - and I’m willing to bet he’ll figure out a way to get the offense going - but it’s been a struggle for him to do everything he wants to with such a young team. The silver lining? A team full of green sophomores went 0-10 with Cactus Shadows in 2004 before winning the state title last year as seniors. This 2007 team already has a win and is much further along than the 2004 squad.But still, punting on third down? Somewhere, Phillip Aholt and Kyle Watkins are cringing.