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.”
chaparral its not worth playing us again and embarassing your selfs. we are just the better team let it be and move on with your lifes.
Baloney. Saguaro lost most of their talent after last season and knows they’ll get their butts handed to them this year. That’s why they are hiding. Sanders has been bloviating in the press about how bad he wants to continue playing Chapperal - now everybody can see that he was spewing BS.
Well, well, well. An interesting predicament we have here. This whole situation is funny to me, because Saguaro had to petition to stay at 4AI (because their enrollment would qualify for 4AII) and that Chaparral’s enrollment SUDDENLY ballooned to 2100 from 1700. Someone in the office who ‘fudged the numbers’ so Chaparral remained in 4AI to stomp everyone (or in this case TRIED and FAILED) to stomp everyone, must have quit and the truth is now there. Hmmm……poor Chaparral…..now they will compete with teams they should have for the last 5 years or so, and are complaining that this rivalry is dead. What about Coronado-Saguaro? Those schools were playing each other for 5-6 years before Saguaro-Chaparral. I didn’t see any ‘hub-bub’ about that rivalry ending. Ragle should blame the new “person” or “persons” in charge of finally submitting the real enrollment instead of picking on a shoudl be 4AII school. What’s next? Chaparral vs. Higley????
we have benn trying to get u guys on our schuedule for the past 3 months and ragle has kept saying no becuase he and the football team are afraid of failure to us once agian.sanders has been trying to play 5A teams but they keep denying to play us just like chap so dont come out there saying sanders is afraid to play u guys cause he is not he just wants a little more competition and for a team to score more than 0 points against us.
Sanders is a COWARD.
quit bs saying sanders is a coward when u dont know what u are talking about. ragle is the coward and is ashamed of his self and his team for how bad they suck.
Sorry Charlie! You have got to be kidding. You had the chance to make a statement on the field not once but twice and both times went home with your tail between your legs. As a matter of fact the tv cameras even show you walking with your head down carrying your RUNNER UP trophy upside down after you got destroyed in the championship game. Nice show of class from a coach that is so desperate he now runs his mouth for the papers. Keep telling yourselves that your building a dynasty with your field house and artifical field. Saguaro will continue to bring home the trophys and rings!
Thanks Sanders for Ruining 20 years of the best Rivarly in Arizona.
Why does Sanders even have a say on who they play. He already tried to bail on his team a couple of months ago for another job. He’s been at Saguaro for 2 years. Big freakin deal. The AD’s should decide not Sanders
Yes, you are right, Saguaro lost it major talent and also has the number to be a 4A-2 team as Chaparral heavily recruited using top players from Cactus Shadows in order to play in 5A-2 where they belong. Saguaro has beaten you 4 straight times so I think it’s time to move on and not try to get even by playing a team in a lower division just to get even.
I hope Sanders sticks to his guns and never plays you again!
Saguaro would rip Chaparral a new one again this year if they played. I think it’s great that Ragle and the other clowns at Chap are so wound up. It must be a pretty bitter taste in their mouths after the two trouncings they received last year.
I wouldn’t blame Coach Sanders even if he didn’t want to play them this year. What’s left to prove? Give someone else more deserving a shot.
Saguaro’s varsity team in 08 was good. but chaparral’s freshman and jv team blew out saguaro. Coach Sanders just wants to end on a good note. Ragle knows that his team can dominate saguaro now. Sanders is scared of losing.
They won by 12 points and simply exposed that Saguaro could not stop the up the middle run! Chap came into Saguaro with the same record I recall 8-0. Two way starters DJ Foster and Lucas Petrullo for Saguaro were out with broken bones. These two were the backfield and defensively the core. Chaparral freshman did not “blow out” Saguaro. With twice as many kids suited up, they barily won using chicken tactics while pounding on their chests. There chant “We have money” sums up their whole football program.