Cienega vs. Canyon del Oro

Coming into this season, Cienega head coach Nemer Hassey has talked about becoming one of the elite teams in the 4A division.  It starts with not only being competitive with teams like the Dorados but beating them.  In their only loss this season the Bobcats proved they are going in the right direction, losing to 4A power Scottsdale-Chaparral 23-20 (Chaparral is 5-0).  With senior quarterback Seth Mejias-Brean passing for over 200 yards per game and their defense allowing just under 13 points per game, Cienega is ready to continue their positive movement against the Dorados. 

With one loss against playoff rival Glendale-Cactus, the CDO Dorados are once again making a point that they belong in the state championship for the 2^nd year in a row.  Their five opponents have a combined record of 11-10 (two with winning records), which proves they are not beating up on the children of the poor.  Head coach Pat Nugent will be the first to tell you that last year’s lopsided victories over the Bobcats were not easy feats.  Head coach and counterpart Nemer Hassey will make sure his guys remember the sting of those losses. 

The Dorados and the Bobcats sport state rankings of 19 and 20, respectively (MaxPreps.com), making this arguably one of the more even matches at this point in the season.  Both teams have experience and playmakers on both sides of the ball.  The question is, is Cienega ready to be amongst the elite in Arizona?  Is CDO poised to make another run for the state championship?  Those answers will come throughout the course of the rest of the season, but we’ll get a hint on Friday night.  See you at the game.