For the next two-year block – and likely longer - the rivalry between Scottsdale neighbors Chaparral and Saguaro is no more.
Chaparral athletic director Corey Newland and football coach Charlie Ragle went to Saguaro on Wednesday to try and keep it alive, but Saguaro coach John Sanders would not sign the agreement.
“From the beginning he never wanted to play us,” Ragle said.
Sanders said he was told six weeks ago that the teams would not be playing, and he moved on in order to set up his season schedule. He said there was no contact from Feb. 6 until Wednesday between him and anyone at Chaparral regarding the game.
Newland refuted that, citing a phone call over spring break initiated by Sanders. Newland said he sent an e-mail to coaches and administrators from both schools - including Sanders - this month to let them know he was working out a plan to have the game played.
“He’s a liar,” Ragle said of Sanders. “He called Corey two weeks ago. He’s lying.”
Sanders said Newland would not give him a day to go over the agreement, so he did not consent to the continuation of the rivalry.
“They just showed up with a piece of paper,” Sanders said. “I can’t just say (to the other teams) ‘Screw you all, Chaparral decided to do this.’
“At the beginning we wanted to play them. On (Feb. 6) I was told that Chaparral was out, so I had to go about getting my schedule.”
The agreement needed to get done on Wednesday because the 5A conference met Thursday to figure out the schedules. It is often tough to schedule games between 4A and 5A schools, but based on the rivalry aspect, it likely would have gotten done.
Both schools’ administrations agreed to the game, Newland and Ragle said.
“I thought (Sanders) was on board, too,” Newland said. “I figured he was on board.”
There is still some wiggle room.
Saguaro only has nine games scheduled after recently losing Glendale Cactus from its list of games.
Chaparral has 10, but Newland said he would play Saguaro “to help a sister school out.”
“I would definitely be inclined to do that,” Newland said. “Is John going to want to do that? Probably not.”
Newland offered to play a neutral site game at Scottsdale Community College and split the revenue between the schools. The past two regular-season games have drawn around 5,000 fans each.
Sanders said his team is not trying to dodge Chaparral, and that he put a ‘boatload’ of 5A-II schools on his scheduling wish list for next season. After not hearing anything for weeks about playing Chaparral, he figured the issue was dead.
After four straight losses in the rivalry, Sanders said Chaparral was eager to get something done because “they have nothing to lose and everything to win. If I lost four in a row, I’d be waiting on Ragle’s doorstep every day asking him to play marbles” in order to get a win.
Sanders said he doesn’t even consider the matchup a rivalry any more.
“For it to be a rivalry, the other team has to win once in awhile,” he said. “They haven’t for two years. It used to be a rivalry.
“Life goes on without Chaparral. We had a great battle. It’s over because they’re in 5A now. We’ll let it rest.”
Ragle was livid at the suggestion that the game is not a rivalry any more.
“Tell the 8- or-9,000 people (that go to the games) that this shouldn’t continue,” Ragle said.
Saguaro won both games in blowout fashion last season, but beat Chaparral by three and six points in two contests in 2007. Saguaro’s last loss was to Chaparral in 2006.
“Don’t tell me it’s not a competitive rivalry,” Ragle said. “That’s someone hiding behind excuses. This game is bigger than me and John Sanders.”
