By Don Ketchum

When Vail Cienega runs the ball in Saturday’s Division II championship game against Scottsdale Chaparral, chances are that Chaparral’s No. 47, linebacker Cody Ippolito, will be at the bottom of the pile.

Cienega is unbeaten at 13-0, while Chaparral is 13-1. Chaparral’s only loss was to Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas in the season opener, the Sollenberger Classic at University of Phoenix Stadium.

Because the Firebirds had won two straight championships last season and in 2009, “I think some of us thought because we had the name of Chaparral, that we would just go out there and win,’’ Ippolito said.

“In a way, it was a good experience for us. It showed that we are not invincible. We didn’t like the feeling of losing and we did not want to feel that again.’’

Ippolito predicts a defensive battle against Cienega.

“They are a great team,’’ he said. “They are physical, they’ve got a physical line, a good quarterback, a good running back and a good receiver. It’s going to be a fun game.

“Our defense is a family. Everyone on defense all works together. When one person makes a mistake, the whole defense makes a mistake. We are trying to keep those at a minimum.’’

The 5-foot-11, 220-pound Ippolito admits he likes playing the run, “but I can drop back on the pass.

“I am not perfect. There are a lot of things I work on in practice. As a defense, we try to be perfect, not allowing first downs or big plays.’’

Chaparral’s chance for another state title nearly slipped away against Peoria Centennial in last week’s semifinals. Centennial rallied from a 17-0 halftime deficit and took the lead. The teams went back and forth before Chaparral escaped with a 31-30 victory.

“That game showed we have heart,’’ Ippolito said. “We knew we would be able to pull out that game. But we made too many mistakes. We have to fix those. We need to have them fixed by Saturday, and play our hearts out.’’