Is it too early to talk playoff picture?

There are three distinct seasons within a football season. The first season consists of “Freedom” games. Freedom games are games that count towards power ranking but have no effect on region standings. Freedom games can also be conference games however.

The second season is made up of “Region” games and the top team in each region will get an automatic bid to the state playoffs. That means a team can go 0-5 in Freedom games but still earn the top spot in a region even if that team finished 5-5. It’s possible to go 4-6 and still win a region.

The third season, of course, is the postseason.

Cienega went 4-6 last year and missed the state playoffs. Watching other teams play in the postseason was territory the power-program was not used to but that nightmare appears to be over thanks, in part, to a 42-0 win over Flowing Wells Friday night because that win gave the Bobcats a 4-0 record. Going back to last year, the Bobcats have won seven in a row.

The magic number of wins to make the playoffs appears to be seven for the 5A Conference. Every team that reached that mark in the old D-II alignment made the playoffs last year. One team squeaked in with a 4-6 record but seven is the safe bet.

Flowing Wells, on the other hand, finished 9-2 last year with the two losses coming to eventual D-IV state champion Pusch Ridge and state runner-up Northwest Christian.  It was simply a dream season for the Caballeros but the program has been moved to the 5A Conference this year. Still, Flowing Wells (2-2) is in the Sonoran Region which consists of Cholla (1-4), Marana (2-2), Poston Butte (3-1) and Desert View (4-0). That region remains wide open although Desert View has become the early favorite.

Cienega dominated every aspect of the game against Flowing Wells, outgaining the Caballeros 305 yards to 47 in the process. Flowing Wells was hampered by several quarterback exchanges that continually set the team back into long third-down situations and Cienega just kept coming.

Cienega led 21-0 after the first quarter and never looked back. Jamarye Joiner rushed for 29 yards (one touchdown) and threw for 66 more to lead the team. The junior transfer saw limited action due to the score differential and Tyler Hammons saw some quality time under center. The senior threw for 57 yards with two touchdown passes.

The rushing attack was evenly spread out with senior Dakota Poe rushing for 31 yards and two scores with sophomore Terrell Hayward adding 35 more. Sophomore Thomas Webb saw some action at QB late in the game and he rushed for 47 yards. Senior receiver Aaron Sauls pulled down 40 yards while seniors Nico Jordan and Kaleb Bost each had touchdown grabs for Cienega.

Flowing Wells senior RB Jose Suarez rushed for a game-high 55 yards.

Flowing Wells will travel to Deming, New Mexico next Friday. The Wildcats are 0-4 on the year but a very difficult region game against Marana will follow. Cienega will host Tucson (3-2) next Friday and that will be followed by a trip to Salpointe (3-1). It’s a stretch that will define both teams.

The initial AIA/MaxPreps rankings will be released on Tuesday, Sept. 27. Here are the Top 20 teams from Southern Arizona based on my observations. Rankings and records updated from Friday’s games:

 

Tucson Top Twenty

1: Ironwood Ridge (4-0)

2: Sabino (3-1)

3: Cienega (4-0)

4: Catalina Foothills (3-1)

5: Salpointe (3-1, lost to Tucson)

6: Mountain View (3-1, lost to Salpointe)

7: Tucson (3-2, lost to Mountain View)

8: Canyon del Oro (3-1)

9: Desert View (4-0)

10: Marana (2-2)

11: Pueblo (3-1)

12: Pusch Ridge (3-1)

13: Amphitheater (2-2)

14: Thatcher (4-1)

15: Sunnyside (2-3)

16: Flowing Wells (2-2)

17: Walden Grove (2-2)

18: Santa Cruz (4-0)

19: Benson (3-1)

20: Tombstone (2-1)