Isaac Robertson is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Skyline HIgh School for AZPreps365.com

During summer workouts for the Skyline football team, the annual schedule was released and an eager Coyotes team rushed to see the results.

After analyzing the schedule, there was one specific game the team circled on its calendar, their final game of the season against the Sunnyslope Vikings.

The matchup versus Sunnyslope would represent the third consecutive year these two teams would meet. The previous two matchups were pivotal for both squads, as the winner would move on to the playoffs. The loser’s season would end.

Sunnyslope came out on top in both of those games, winning thrilling matchups 40-37 in 2022, and 42-38 in 2023. Both times, the Vikings ended Skyline’s seasons.

The Coyotes were determined to change the outcome this season.

“That’s a personal game for me and I want to do some s---- [in] that game, like seriously. I want to [get] a touchdown, receiving yards, pancake blocks, whatever I can do,” senior wide receiver and safety Zavier Flores said before this year’s game.

Flores, along with other Skyline seniors, were witness to Sunnyslope ending the Coyotes’ previous two seasons. Simply marking the game on the calendar is not nearly enough to stress the importance of this matchup.

How does a team maintain its composure when eagerness to compete in such an imperative matchup is on the horizon?

“We’ll prep for them [Sunnyslope] as if it were a playoff game and we were undefeated and they were undefeated. Just go about our business no matter what,” Adam Schiermyer, Skyline’s head coach, said before the game.

“We do want to finish on a strong note to lead into the offseason and spring and obviously into next year with our underclassman,” Schiermyer said.

Schiermyer even established a connection with the head coach of Sunnyslope, Sam Jacobs. The two talked to one another after last year’s matchup.

“They’ve been phenomenal games, both of them coming down to the last play for the last two years. I would like it not to be that way for us this year. He [Jacobs] doesn’t want it to be for them [either],” Schiermyer said.

The mutual respect between the two coaches shows just how competitive the previous two games were, and both teams know how meaningful a game such as this can be.

It was apparent the teams would treat this game as the biggest of the year, but with only two recent matchups under their belts, the word “rivalry” might be difficult to throw around.

“I mean, it’s an upcoming rivalry. ... If we can turn them into our rivals, it would be the startup of a rivalry, especially if we continue to play them,” Flores said.

Schiermyer held a more neutral opinion.

“I don’t know if it’s considered a rivalry yet. I think we’re going to get the same type of matchup we had the last two years where you can’t give away any possessions,” Schiermyer said.

The verdict came Nov. 8, when Skyline and Sunnyslope finally played their highly anticipated game.

For the third consecutive year, Sunnyslope won, this time 35-14.

After the game, Skyline wide receiver Timmy Bancroft acknowledged the loss.

“Losing to these guys three years in a row, especially what’s happened after the past years, is just hard,” Bancroft said.

Schiermyer was more philosophical.

“Life is hard. It’s not easy and you’re going to have some good times and have some bad times, no matter what everybody does,” he said.