Sahuarita, Willcox, and Bisbee All Win on Friday Night

Friday night brought a broad set of results for teams across southern Arizona, with Sahuarita, Willcox and Bisbee among the communities celebrating victories. Sahuarita edged Sahuaro 28 to 24, Willcox shut out Tombstone 54 to 0, and Bisbee blanked Santa Rita 20 to 0. The wins added to a busy local sports landscape that included close games, overtime finishes, dominant defensive performances and youth teams advancing through Little League competition.

Sahuarita’s 28 to 24 victory was one of the tighter games on the regional scoreboard. Other notable results included Tucson’s 24 to 23 overtime win over Buena, Benson’s 16 to 14 victory against Veritas Prep and Pusch Ridge Christian Academy’s 28 to 24 win over Florence. Cienega defeated Nogales 49 to 6, Douglas beat Empire 47 to 0, and Ironwood Ridge topped Casa Grande 47 to 13. Marana also earned a 28 to 7 win over Canyon del Oro, while Mica Mountain defeated Sunnyside 56 to 16.

Several teams produced especially one sided results. Lincoln Prep lost to Catalina 54 to 0, Cholla shut out Kofa 24 to 0, Sabino beat San Tan Foothills 27 to 0, and Rio Rico defeated Amphitheater 48 to 7. O’Connor beat Salpointe Catholic 36 to 7, Pueblo defeated Copper Canyon 51 to 14, and Snowflake handled Catalina Foothills 55 to 7. Flowing Wells also scored 61 points against Maricopa, winning 61 to 20, while Tanque Verde beat Trivium Prep 19 to 6.

Willcox’s football win over Tombstone was part of a larger stretch of success for the community’s youth sports programs. The Willcox 10U softball team won the District 8 championship in Bisbee for the second consecutive year, finishing the tournament with a 4 and 0 record. Willcox outscored its opponents 46 to 3, including a 13 to 3 championship victory over Mt. Graham. The result sent Willcox to the state tournament in Cottonwood, scheduled to begin July 9.

Mt. Graham had reached the championship game by fighting through the elimination bracket after losing to Willcox 10 to 0 in the opening round. Bisbee finished third with a 2 and 2 record, while San Pedro placed fourth at 2 and 2. Marana earned a place at the state tournament as District 5’s representative, and Sahuarita Copper Hills, unbeaten at 3 and 0, qualified for District 12. The tournament results gave several southern Arizona communities a path to statewide competition, with Cottonwood set to host the 10U softball event.

Baseball teams from the Tucson area also added championship results and elimination games to the weekend schedule. Copper Hills won the District 12 9 to 11 Minors title by beating Rincon 11 to 8 in a seven inning championship game, earning a state tournament berth in Flagstaff beginning July 9. Bisbee defeated Nogales 13 to 9 in another 9 to 11 game. In other results, Douglas beat Sierra Vista 7 to 3, Nogales defeated Mt. Graham 9 to 5, Santa Cruz edged Sierra Vista 5 to 4, and Douglas beat San Pedro 6 to 5 in the 8 to 10 division.

A separate set of high school results from the Aug. 30 weekend showed the region’s teams continuing to battle across classification lines. Salpointe Catholic held off Marana 20 to 18, Buena defeated Cienega 38 to 31, and Mountain View beat Tucson High 21 to 20 in overtime. A blocked extra point proved decisive in that Tucson game. Canyon del Oro shut out Browne 49 to 0, Flowing Wells defeated Douglas 56 to 10, and Mica Mountain beat Poston Butte 41 to 8. Catalina Foothills defeated Ironwood Ridge 21 to 17, while Walden Grove won the Copper Cup against Sahuarita 36 to 10.

That same weekend also saw victories by Sunnyside over Vista Grande, Desert View over Sunrise Mountain, Sahuaro over Empire, Cholla over Yuma, Pusch Ridge over ALA Ironwood, Bisbee over Cortez and Tanque Verde over Morenci. St. David defeated Baboquivari 59 to 0, Valley Union beat Desert Heights 36 to 16, and Ray edged San Manuel 28 to 26. The schedule ahead included Salpointe visiting Tucson, Buena traveling to Skyline, Mica Mountain visiting Canyon del Oro, Nogales playing at Rio Rico, and Bisbee traveling to Douglas. Other upcoming matchups included Morenci at Willcox, Desert Sunrise at Sahuarita and St. David at San Manuel, giving southern Arizona fans another full slate of local rivalries and regional contests.