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Team of the week

Mica Mountain beat Canyon del Oro 37-7 on the road Friday to win its 16th game in a row.

Although the Thunderbolts lost 31 seniors, their whole offensive line and their head coach from their 4A state championship and only returned one starter on offense and six on defense, they don’t appear to have missed a beat.

Mica Mountain's only losses since falling 55-14 at 6A Salpointe Catholic on Oct. 7, 2022, were twice on the road to CDO when the Dorados won the state championship in 2023.

This year against CDO, Mica Mountain senior quarterback Jaidyn Crist was 9 for 13 for 97 yards and a touchdown in his second start. Thunderbolts junior running back Jeremiah Anderson had 103 yards on 12 carries in his second varsity game.

Mica Mountain senior linebacker Broden Schmidt had 14 tackles, and senior defensive back Blake Beltz and junior defensive back/receiver Kaden Watson had interceptions.

Play of the week

Mica Mountain senior returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown to set the tone in the CDO game. Carson also caught four passes for 49 yards and kicked four extra points to outscore the Dorados 10-7. On Saturday, he took a recruiting visit to .

Stat book

— Sierra Vista Buena senior running back/linebacker Michael Lujan ran for 238 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries in the Colts’ 52-20 win over Mesa's Skyline last week. His longest run was 86 yards, and he had 32 yards receiving. Also, Buena senior running back/cornerback Ricardo Brooks ran for 119 yards on five carries in the win over the Coyotes. He also made five tackles.

— Salpointe junior running back/linebacker Chris Chaney ran for 217 yards on 19 carries with a long of 58 yards in the Lancers’ 30-17 win at Tucson High on Friday. Chaney also made two tackles on defense.

Astronaut flip

U.S. Senator Mark Kelly before Douglas and Benson’s 155th meeting. Douglas beat Bisbee 25-0 at home.

Quoteable

“We picked the schedule and we’ve got to own it. We’re playing a lot of good teams this season, and a lot of them early, so if our mindset is right, this will be great for us on our long term growth this season, and then as a program.� — Sahuarita head coach Jake Allen to All Sports Tucson. The Mustangs are 0-2 after . Last year, Sahuarita went 7-3 overall and 6-0 in the 4A Gila Region but missed the playoffs, so the Mustangs added freedom games like expected 4A state championship contender Walden Grove, who they lost to 36-10 in the season opener.

Games of the week

Catalina Foothills (2-0) at Pusch Ridge Christian (3-0)

Location: 9500 N. Oracle Road

Notable: Catalina Foothills and Pusch Ridge head into Thursday’s 6 p.m. game with records as pretty as the views from their campuses. Foothills head coach Daniel Sainz returned with a 21-17 win over 2024 5A playoff team Ironwood Ridge and then a 45-6 win over Phoenix North Canyon. Meanwhile, Pusch Ridge head coach Kent Middleton beat Queen Creek Crismon 28-27 to win  in five-plus seasons as head coach at the school, according to All Sports Tucson.

Scottsdale Saguaro (1-1) at Salpointe Catholic (2-0)

Location: 1545 E. Copper Street

Notable: Saguaro knocked Salpointe out of the playoffs in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2023, with the 2017 and 2018 games coming in the state championship. The Lancers got some payback last year, but the Sabercats come to Tucson for a 7 p.m. Friday game looking to regain control of the series. Saguaro head coach Darius Kelly went to Sierra Vista Buena and Pima College and coached Catalina Foothills. Former UA offensive coordinator and current Memphis Showboats OC (of the UFL) Noel Mazzone is Sag U’s offensive coordinator.