BY PETE MOHR | SEPTEMBER 1, 2010
Cienega’s vengeful Bobcats here in Sept. 3 Falcons opener
‘Cats remember last-play ‘miracle’ that cost them an unbeaten ’09 regular season
CSHS – “Are you ready for some football?!” The Falcons sure are! But in their Sept. 3 home opener, they’ll be the underdogs to the visiting (Vail) Cienega Bobcats, who crushed (Sierra Vista) Buena Vista, 56-15, in their first game, Friday night, Aug. 27. Falcon Field kickoff, 7 pm.
You can be certain that Head Coach Nemer Hassey and his ‘Cats haven’t forgotten the 33-32 last-play heartbreak the Falcons laid on ‘em at Cienega in last season’s inaugural. Head Coach Chad DeGrenier dug deep down into his bag of tricks and came up with a Paul Walsh-to-Dillon Classen-to-Joree Schneider scoring play that drew the Falcs even, 32-32. Bryce Redmond’s P.A.T. plumb-lined the uprights, and the ‘Birds were off and wingin’ to a perfect 10-0 regular season. This writer never expects to see a more exciting football game at any level.
You don’t have to remind starting quarterback Bryce Kinsler, a sophomore, that he’s the key to the Falcon “O”: he’s quietly confident – and ready. And a lot of his confidence comes from knowing that five teammates up-front have taken a virtual blood oath to protect him: LT, senior Co-Captain Alex Yazdi; LG, senior Chris Noel; C, senior Joey Hughes; RG, senior Andrew Miller; and RT, junior Saul (“Sah-ool”) Monteone. Plus two hard-nosed blockers at fullback: junior Cameron (“Mr. O.T.”) Larson and running back senior Austin (“The Stin”) Stephens. Larson and Stephens give the Falcons a solid, potential ball-controlling tandem.
“Those guys are awesome!” young Bryce volunteered to Sonoran News after last week’s scrimmage. Falcon fans need to show Bryce the same patience another sophomore quarterback received six years ago. Remember that in his senior season, Phillip Aholt (CSHS ’07) led Cactus Shadows to a perfect 15-0 – and its first football State Championship.
Some 30 years ago, a ladyfriend accused my heart of being “incurably romantic!” I plead, then and now, “Guilty, as charged.” So it is, thinking from that same heart and not with my head, “Crow,” your fearless prognosticator, sez … Falcons, 27 - Bobcats, 24. “Caw! Caw! Caw!”
A SCRIMMAGE IS … A SCRIMMAGE: Falcons were sharp in their Aug. 26 scrimmage against host Cortez and “new” Shadow Ridge; but they’ll play for real on Sept. 3 against powerful Cienega. (L-r) back-up quarter back sophomore R.J. Anderson, senior receiver John Leonard, starting quarterback sophmore Bryce Kinsler and running back senior Austin Stephens. Photo by Pete Mohr