View photos and details about the Star's selections of Southern Arizona's best defensive players.
Name: Austin Goddard
Position: Defensive line
School: Ironwood Ridge
Grade: Senior
The 5-foot-11-inch 230 pound former linebacker caused chaos for opponents up front. Goddard led the Nighthawks with 12 tackles for loss and three sacks. He also forced a fumble and broke up a pass.
Name: Justin Holt
Position: Defensive line
School: Salpointe Catholic
Grade: Junior
A second-year starter for the Lancers and a prospect for the Arizona Wildcats, Holt registered 68 solo tackles including seven for a loss. The 6-foot-2-inch 285 pound senior also had 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble.
Name: David Serrano
Position: Defensive line
School: Sahuarita
Grade: Senior
The 6-foot-1-inch 185-pound senior led the state with a whopping 20.5 sacks, five of which came in one game. Serrano also had 13 tackles for a loss, forced three fumbles and intercepted a pass.
Name: Derek Sommers
Position: Defensive line
School: Cienega
Grade: Senior
At 6 feet 4 inches and 307 pounds, Sommers averaged 6.8 tackles per game and had his best outing in the regular-season finale when he registered nine tackles, had two sacks and recovered a fumble.
Name: Ruben Figueroa
Position: Linebacker
School: Sunnyside
Grade: Junior
Figueroa averaged a state-best 16.1 tackles per game and registered at lead 20 or more in four games. The 5-foot-10-inch 185-pound junior also had seven sacks, caused two fumbles and recovered another.
Name: Taylor Powell
Position: Linebacker
School: Salpointe Catholic
Grade: Senior
A four-year starter at middle linebacker, Powell had another stellar season, averaging 12.5 tackles per game. The 6-foot 220-pound Nevada commit also rushed for 617 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Name: Mitch Reilly
Position: Linebacker
School: Pusch Ridge Christian
Grade: Senior
Reilly, a 6-foot-1-inch 190-pound do-it-all player, led the Lions with 11.3 tackles per game, 24 tackles for a loss and 12 sacks. The senior also intercepted two passes forced three fumbles and recovered three more.
Name: Will Walker
Position: Linebacker
School: Cienega
Grade: Junior
The quarterback to Cienega’s defense, Walker averaged 8.2 tackles per game. The 5-foot-11-inch 215 pound junior also intercepted two passes and had one sack as the Bobcats reached the Division II state semifinals.
Name: Albert Green IV
Position: Defensive back
School: Sabino
Grade: Senior
With a trip to the state playoffs on the line, Green IV had his best performance of the year when he intercepted three passes and scored three touchdowns in a 56-14 win against Pueblo to close out the regular season. The senior finished with seven interceptions overall.
Name: Terrence Johnson
Position: Defensive back
School: Cienega
Grade: Senior
Johnson, a two-sport star who has a scholarship offer for football from UA, was a threat on both side of the ball but his bigger impact came on defense, where he intercepted five passes including two returned two for a touchdown.
Name: Omar Lloyd
Position: Defensive back
School: Sahuaro
Grade: Senior
The anchor to Sahuaro’s defensive backfield, Lloyd had a team-high five interceptions, two of which came in a 21-13 win at Sabino, giving the Cougars their first victory against the Sabercats since 2003.
Name: Anthony Peralta
Position: Defensive back
School: Sunnyside
Grade: Senior
Peralta rarely left the field for the Blue Devils. The four-year player averaged 12.7 tackles per game and broke up six passes. Peralta also scored 11 touchdowns accounted for more than 700 yards of offense.
Name: Derik Hall
Position: Utility
School: Sahuaro
Grade: Senior
Hall was a play maker to say the least – no matter what side of the ball he was on. The 6-foot-1-inch 200-pound senior returned two interceptions for touchdowns, had three sacks and three tackles for a loss.
Name: Austin Perkins
Position: Punter
School: Tucson High
Grade: Senior
An all-around utility, Perkins saw time at several different positions with the Badgers, from quarterback to defensive back to punter. The senior averaged 44.2 yards per punt and had three go at least 60 yards.
Coach of the year: David Rodriguez, Sahuarita
Four years removed from a winless campaign, Rodriguez led the Mustangs to an undefeated regular season and just their second trip to the state semifinals in the last four decades. Sahuarita outscored opponents 518-193 and won 12 straight games. Rodriguez has gone a remarkable 36-9 in four seasons at Sahuarita and had his team in the postseason for the third straight year this fall. While there was plenty to remember about the 2014 season for Rodriguez, the signature moment had to be when his Mustangs rolled past defending state champion Lakeside Blue Ridge 42-0 in the first round of the Division IV state playoffs, giving him his first postseason win. It was also Sahuarita’s first since 2004.
Cienega running back Francisco Dicochea, left, is among the 14 members of the All-Southern Arizona first-team offense. Click the photo above to view the rest of the selections.
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