With Arizona high school football season in the final stretch, the Star shares our weekly look back at the best of last week while charging ahead toward what we might be able to expect from programs across Tucson and surrounding communities this week.
Team of the Week
Rio Rico pulled off one of the biggest Southern Arizona upsets of the season, knocking off fellow 4A Gila opponent Cholla to win its third game of the season. With the victory and Sahuarita’s win over Pueblo, the Mustangs were able to clinch the region title for the second time in three years.
The Hawks played spoiler in convincing fashion, beating the Chargers by 29 points at home behind another solid performance from senior quarterback Sebastian Castro, who completed 16 of 20 passes for 265 yards and four touchdowns. Senior wideout David Puig was the star of the show, recording four catches for 96 yards and two touchdowns, taking two kickoffs back for touchdowns, as well as a punt return for a score.
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Play of the Week
On Sahuarita’s third drive on Friday night, the Mustangs faced third-and-medium from their own 39-yard line. Head coach Jake Allen drew up a shot play from junior quarterback Dane Hartnett to junior receiver Angel Cruz. In tight coverage, Pueblo senior defensive back Dariuss Taylor broke up the pass, only to see another Mustangs receiver, junior Roman Tellez II, corral the ball out of the air following the deflection for a 34-yard gain. Sahuarita scored its second touchdown of the game two plays later.
Stat book
Three Southern Arizona football players had outstanding two-way performances on Friday, making significant impacts on both sides of the ball.
Marana's Jeffrey Smith III bulls his way into the end zone through Yuma Catholic's Wesley Porter (3), left, and Colton Rush (10) in the second quarter of their game in Tucson on Sept. 11, 2026.
Marana junior Jeffrey Smith III, who always seems to make an impact on offense and defense, continued to do just that in a 35-10 win over Mountain View. Smith carried the ball 13 times for 105 yards and three touchdowns while also recording 16 tackles, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble.
Sahuarita junior quarterback Dane Hartnett also plays safety for the Mustangs, and on top of his 13-for-17, 206-yard, two-touchdown day, he also managed to haul in an interception and record four tackles.
On the other side of the field going against Hartnett was Pueblo senior wideout and corner Jesus Enriquez, who rarely came off the field for the Warriors. Enriquez, one of the top receivers in the state on the stat sheet, recorded six catches for 170 yards and three touchdowns. Defensively, he logged five tackles and an interception with a 35-yard return.
Mac’s Friday Fact
Desert View's Darvice Armstrong (42) and Anakin Rivera (28) swarm over Mountain View's Vincent Nguyen (12) for a sack in the first quarter of their game on Sept. 18, 2026, in Tucson.
Two teams, 5A No. 7 Desert View and 4A No. 19 Sahuarita, clinched region titles on Friday. The Jaguars comfortably cruised to a 42-14 win over Cienega, securing their second straight region crown. The Mustangs earned their second region title in three years with a 48-28 win over No. 25 Pueblo, punching their ticket to the playoffs for the first time since 2014, barring a meltdown loss to Cholla this Friday.
Quotable
“We have gone through a lot, so this win means so much to us. I’m so proud of these guys. We gave it our all; we played our hearts out… We’ve had so few players this season because of injuries and guys who couldn’t make it because of personal reasons, so I’m just so proud of my teammates for this win.” — Rincon/University senior WR/CB Omar Anekwe told AllSportsTucson.com on Friday after the Rangers earned their first win of the season over Empire.
Mac is the Arizona Daily Star's Community Sports Reporter. Reach him via email at mfriday@tucson.com
Mac Friday
Community Sports Reporter
Sahuarita surges past Pueblo to secure 4A Gila Region crown
