For the first time, the Great American Rivalry Series—alongside the United States Air Force —visited Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson, AZ to provide national prestige as the Salpointe Lancers and the Sunnyside Blue Devils met for the 26th time in this historic gridiron match up. Salpointe holds the lead in the series 13-11-1. Adding to the excitement, this was a big district match up for both teams.

MVP

Conner Siegel

Salpointe Catholic

SCHOLAR ATHLETES

Bobby Way

Salpointe Catholic

Bobby Way is a two-year letterman in football and lacrosse for Salpointe. He has a 4.1 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society. Bobby serves on the student council and his community service includes volunteering with Casa Maria and “Games for the Greater Good.” Upon graduation, Bobby plans to attend Princeton University and continue with football. He is pictured with his mother, Jana Way. Air Force Lt. Colonel David Bunz presented his award.

Alfred Leon

Sunnyside

Alfred Leon plays defensive back for Sunnyside and is a three-year letterman on the varsity football team and a letterman in track. Alfred has a GPA of 3.2. He supports Special Olympics and is a member of the Blue Devil “Buddy Club” mentoring elementary and middle school students. Next year, Alfred plans to attend Northern Arizona University and pursue a degree in business administration. He is pictured with his mother Sandra Leon and his brother Alex Leon. Air Force Technical Sergeant Christopher Borum and Technical Sergeant Javon Pharms presented the award.

GAME SUMMARY

The Blue Devils opened the fourth by driving to the Lancer 9-yard line. However a false start and a key defensive stop on second down squashed the drive. Sunnyside then missed a 34-yard field goal. "I thought our defense played tremendous tonight," Salpointe coach Dennis Bene said. "When you play Sunnyside, you just have to be patient and keep picking away." Later in the quarter, Salpointe forced a Sunnyside fumble on first-and-goal from the Lancers' 2. Craig came up with the recovery, setting up Salpointe's game-winning drive. Sunnyside coach Richard Sanchez said his team did not take advantage of the opportunities it had. "They played well and we didn't," he said. With 8:27 left in the game, Salpointe marched 98 yards in 18 plays, with quarterback Dan Slania running it in from 1 yard. The Blue Devils thought they had created a turnover of their own on the play prior to the touchdown. Salpointe's Johnny Pena leaped toward the goal line from the 2 only to be caught in midair by a group of Sunnyside defenders. He was driven back and lost the ball, but officials called him down. "That was a drive for the ages," Bene said. "It came down to our kids' will. That was their whole season right there."