Football Preview: Cienega Bobcats vs. Sunnyside Blue Devils
The Cienega Bobcats will challenge the Sunnyside Blue Devils at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.
Cienega is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 34 points last Friday, they were much more limited against Marana on Friday. They lost 29-7 to the Tigers. While losing is never fun, the Bobcats can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Arizona football rankings (they are ranked 67th, while the Tigers are ranked seventh).
Cienega's loss came about despite a quality game from Jaden Rodgers, who rushed for 81 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries. Rodgers didn't just play on offense: he also made three total tackles and defended three passes.
Meanwhile, a victory for Sunnyside just wasn't in the cards on Friday as the team wasn't able to take the lead at any point. They lost 32-6 to Casa Grande. The Blue Devils have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Sunnyside might have lost, but man, Raymond Duarte was a machine: he rushed for 108 yards and a touchdown on only 11 carries, and also threw for 120 yards on 11 of 18 attempts. Those 108 rushing yards gave Duarte a new career-high.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Sunnyside was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 208 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Cienega has been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-4 record this season. As for Sunnyside, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-5.
Cienega came up short against Sunnyside when the teams last played back in October of 2023, falling 12-3. Will Cienega have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
