Sam Lanier
ASU Student Journalist

Coronado looks to bounce back after rough loss to Shadow Mountain

September 27, 2023 by Sam Lanier, Arizona State University


Coronado going through a walkthrough prior to their game against Shadow Mountain (Sam Lanier photo/AZPreps365)

Sam Lanier is a student journalist at Arizona State University assigned to cover Coronado High School for AZPreps365.com

Coronado (0-6) are looking for a turnaround entering October. It's still playing for its first victory of the season at Shadow Mountain (1-4) this Friday. 

The Dons' 67-0 loss to Scottsdale Christian last Friday, in which they threw just the ball twice, a quarterback Nicholas Vanalstine was constantly pressured the entire game.

Coronado has not scored in four out of its last six games, and have scored 14 points this season. Head coach Rick Benjamin looks to get that sour loss out of their system and get a much needed win against another what he described as a "quick and very big" Shadow Mountain.

The Matadors are coming off a resounding 41-13 win against Madison Highland last Friday. Their record looks deceiving however, as they have been in two very tight matchups early in the season to Phoenix Christian (30-28) and Benson (38-24).

The last time Coronado and Shadow Mountain matched up last season, Shadow Mountain routed the Dons in a 49-0 shutout.

Coronado’s assistant coach Rick Jenkins stressed having a “sense of urgency” throughout this week of practice as they prep for their game on friday. Tight end A.J. Fisher said his goal for this week is to “try and not make any mistakes” as they continue to prepare for Shadow Mountain.

The Dons are a much less experienced team as they have just five seniors along with 14 freshmen compared to Shadow Mountain's eight seniors and just five freshmen.

Shadow Mountain also has the numbers advantage as Coronado doesn’t really get time to rest as they have players playing on offense, defense, and special teams with just 29 active players.

Expect the Matadors to be heavy on the ground game as running back Tavares Allen is averaging 124 rushing yards per game through the team's five games. They rank 14th in the 2A conference for rushing yards.

The Dons look to incorporate the pass more this week after being completely shut down through the air last week.

Expect more success this week from Coronado’s offense as Shadow Mountain’s defense is allowing 26 points per game.

The game will be played at Coronado High School and kickoff will be at 7 p.m. on Friday.