With Arizona high school football season in full swing, 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
On the same day the Lancers retired star alum and NFL running back Bijan Robinson’s iconic No. 5, Salpointe Catholic went out on their home turf and rolled over Tucson High.
The Lancers won 45-20 over the Badgers, coached by Salpointe’s former running backs coach, Zach Neveleff.
Salpointe senior back Adrian Jett rushed 21 times for 136 yards, while senior OJ Flores handled the goal-line duties, rushing five times for eight yards and two touchdowns in true fullback fashion. Senior receiver David Rushing caught two touchdowns on five catches for 97 yards.
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Salpointe Adrian Jett (4) scores a touchdown for the Lancers during their match against Marana, Aug. 27, 2026.
Salpointe moves to 2-0 on the season after wins over Marana and Tucson High, but stares down the barrel of their biggest challenge in one of the state’s premier programs, Chandler, on Friday night in its second straight home game.
Play of the week
In the middle of the second quarter during Friday’s game between Mica Mountain and Canyon del Oro, Thunderbolts’ junior quarterback Brenton Baker stepped up in the pocket, looking deep for fellow junior receiver Eli Palma in the end zone, roughly 30-35 yards away.
Mica Mountain's Eli Palma (11) can’t keep the ball out of the hands of Canyon del Oro's Damarion Lee (7) as the Thunderbolts give up the interceptions in the second quarter of their game, Tucson, Ariz., September 4, 2026.
Baker aimed the ball for the home sideline, but Palma cut inside at the last second. In an effort to make up for the change of direction, Palma jumped up into the air and got his right hand on the ball while falling backward. He deflected the ball away from Dorados’ junior defensive back Damarion Lee, but Lee managed to corral the ball out of midair and come down with a beautiful interception in the end zone for a touchback.
Stat book
Mountain View junior running back Drake Davis has already recorded two games with 150-plus rushing yards this season and is currently third in the stat in the 5A Conference.
Davis rushed 19 times for 152 yards and two touchdowns in his team’s Week 1 30-13 loss to Tucson High, but bounced back in Week 2 with 208 yards on 18 carries for two more touchdowns. Mountain View beat Phoenix Trevor G. Browne 39-13.
Davis rushed for 1,422 yards on 197 carries for 12 touchdowns as a sophomore. He had seven 100-plus-yard games in 2025.
Mac’s Friday Fact
Santa Rita and first-year head coach and star alum Cam Gaddis finally got over the hump on Friday, beating fellow Southern Arizona native and first-year head coach Zach Davila’s Desert Christian squad 7-6.
The Eagles were on a 26-game losing streak dating back to 2021. Santa Rita canceled its 2022 season due to low program numbers and played a JV season in 2023. The Eagles’ last win was on Oct. 15, 2021, a 40-6 win over Catalina, which snapped a 12-game losing streak at the time.
Quotable
“This game meant a lot, not just ot us as a football community, but to the entire Eagle community… We understand that winning is never easy, especially when you’re trying to accomplish something this program hasn’t done in five years. We knew that first win was going to take a complete effort, and I’m proud of the way our team continued to fight.” - Santa Rita head coach Cam Gaddis told AllSportsTucson.com in reference to the team’s first win since 2021.
Mac is the Arizona Daily Star's Community Sports Reporter. Reach him via email at mfriday@tucson.com
Mac Friday
Community Sports Reporter
Local teams host key matchups against out-of-town opponents
