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Pueblo rallied to beat Sahuarita and its former coach 14-13 to extend its winning streak to six.

Since starting the season 0-3, the Warriors have run back into playoff contention with their win streak and are near winning the Class 4A Gila Region title.

Pueblo trailed by 13 points in the fourth quarter, but a 35-yard touchdown by senior Aron German and a 7-yard touchdown run from senior Jeremiah Sandoval kept the Warriors perfect at home, according to .

Sahuarita head coach Jake Allen resigned from the Pueblo post in December 2023.

Stat book

– Marana senior quarterback Colten Meyer went 34 for 45 for 439 yards and six touchdowns (a 145.3 quarterback rating) in the Tigers’ 48-20 win over Mountain View last week.

– Elfrida Valley Union ran for 441 yards in its 40-28 win over Kearny Ray in the first round of the 1A state playoffs on Friday. Freshman James Richardson ran for 187 yards on 20 carries, senior Myles Richardson had 142 yards on 13 carries, and senior Yahir Luna rushed for 112 yards on 15 attempts. Richardson also had 50 receiving yards and 48 kickoff return yards.

– Canyon del Oro sophomore athlete Jayden Smith caught four catches for 119 yards and a touchdown, one for 69 yards.

Recruiting trail

Sierra Vista Buena senior strong safety/outside linebacker/receiver. The Mountaineers are ranked No. 6 in the AFCA Division II coaches’ poll and feature sophomore defensive back , who went to Mica Mountain.

Recruiting trail II

On Friday, Salpointe Catholic hosts Gilbert Perry, which has two UA recruiting targets in junior quarterback Kael Snyder and sophomore receiver . Snyder recently committed to Boise State.

Going social

"Most underrated kid I’ve ever coached! Appreciate all the work you have put in over the years! 6,000 and counting! Keep being great!" — Tucson High head coach Zachary Neveleff  from senior Noah Chanez, who thanked Neveleff for helping him achieve 6,000 all-purpose yards. This season, Chanez has 973 rushing yards, 559 receiving, 209 returning kicks and 60 returning punts.

Quoteable

“We look forward to this game every year, it brings out the community, gives the opportunity to play in front of our home town fans, I mean the entire town of Marana comes out, so it’s a good time to play in front of them and keeping the ‘Boot’ on top of that is just an A-plus.� — Marana head coach Phillip Steward said to about the Marana and Mountain View rivalry. The Tigers won 48-20 over Mountain View, their second straight season taking home the “Battle of the Boot� trophy.

Games of the week

No. 11 Mica Mountain (7-2) at No. 3 Sahuaro (7-2)*

Location: 545 N. Camino Seco

Notable: At 7 p.m. Friday, the defending 4A state champion Mica Mountain faces off against the highest-ranked 4A team in Southern Arizona in Sahuaro in the de facto Kino Region championship game.

Plus, with the 4A brackets coming out on Saturday, this could be for a first-round bye in the playoffs. Mica senior athlete Riley Carson leads the region in scoring, and Sahuaro junior running back/safety/linebacker Jayvion Gilbert-Rojas tops the Kino in tackles (85).

No. 1 Queen Creek Benjamin Franklin (9-0) at No. 5 Pusch Ridge Christian (8-1)*

Location: 9500 N. Oracle Road

±·´Ç³Ù²¹²ú±ô±ð:ÌýBenjamin Franklin and Pusch Ridge renew their high-stakes rivalry at 7 p.m. Friday. The Chargers and Lions met twice last season, with Ben Franklin winning the first, 31-7, but then Pusch Ridge rattled off 12 wins in a row, including a 24-13 win over Ben Franklin in the state semifinals at Mesa High, to win the 3A state championship.

This year, the game could get PRCA into the top four and home-field advantage in the tournament.

*Rankings as of ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñAV press time