D-III QUARTERFINALS: Can Saguaro be stopped?
November 13, 2014 by Andy Morales, AZPreps365
No. 8 Canyon del Oro (9-2) at No. 1 Saguaro (11-0)
Oro Valley Canyon del Oro lost by a combined five points to Division II powers Oro Valley Ironwood Ridge and Vail Cienega and then went on a six-game streak to get back into the top eight.
The Dorados defeated No. 9 Buckeye Verrado 38-21 in the first round to set up a trip to play Scottsdale Saguaro in the quarterfinals where QB Noah Soto will have to continue his high level of play to give CDO a chance.
Saguaro hasn't lost a game since Sept. 30 of 2013. Since then, the Sabercats have won 24 games in a row including the 2013 D-III state championship over Queen Creek. Saguaro defeated No. 16 Tucson Sabino in the first round 55-14. QB Kare Lyles threw for over 300 yards in the win and Christian Kirk rushed for 166.
No. 5 Queen Creek (9-2) at No. 4 Desert Edge (10-1)
Queen Creek got past No. 12 Tucson Catalina Foothills 51-0 to set up their trip to Goodyear Desert Edge. Senior QB Bryce Dobbs has almost 1,500 yards passing but the bulk of the Bulldog's offense comes from senior back Weston Barlow (2,029 yards/29 TDs).
Desert Edge destroyed No. 13 Prescott Valley Bradshaw Mountain 63-6 in the first round to keep a nine-game win streak alive. The Scorpions are primarily a running team with over 4,000 yards on the ground. Two sophomores (Tehran Thomas and Roshaun Johnson) have more than half of that total between them.
No. 11 Cactus (9-2) at No. 3 Tempe (11-0)
Glendale Cactus defeated No. 6 Peoria Sunrise Mountain 52-38 to set up their quarterfinal match with Tempe. The Cobras have a group of players clogging up the top of their stat chart rather than just one or two standouts. Junior QB Preston Guerra will be asked to keep the offense even to try to hold off Tempe.
Tempe is undefeated for a reason. Senior QB Emanuel Gant has 2,735 yards passing and 31 TDs to lead the Buffaloes. He has three main targets which drains the defensive resources of many opponents. Include RB Davonte Dorsey and his 900 yards rushing, and this is a difficult team to prepare for.
No. 10 Moon Valley (10-1) at No. 2 Williams Field (10-1)
Phoenix Moon Valley lost to Tempe by only eight points in the regular season and then beat No. 7 Peoria 40-32 in the first round. The team must feel their low ranking does not truly describe the team.
Senior QB Shannon Burton has 1,868 yards passing and 1,236 yards rushing. Oh, and he also has 33 tackles for the Rockets.
Gilbert Williams Field has one big loss to Saguaro this year (42-7) and that's it. The Black Hawks defeated No. 15 Buckeye 49-14 to set up their match with Moon Valley. Braedyn Bushman has 2,314 yards rushing and 30 TDs to lead the team.
