Jonathan Melendez is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism Student assigned to cover Sierra Linda High School for AZPreps365.com 

Sierra Linda High School is facing desperate Metro Tech at home Monday night. 

This will be the Bulldogs' last home game of the season so friends and family will be in the stands celebrating the seniors as they play in their final regular-season home game.

The roster is comprised of 12 seniors who are set to graduate in May. 

Sierra Linda faced the Knights last year and won 2-1 at Metro Tech High School. It's looking to have a repeat of last year and bring momentum into its playoff push. 

The Bulldogs are 3-1-1 at home with their only home loss coming to No. 3 Lake Havasu. Sierra Linda is No. 18 in 5A.  

The Sierra Linda seniors are not lacking motivation to defeat the Knights. At practice you can see them playing with extra hustle, chasing missed shots and getting right back to the line to continue the drill.  

Playing for their families is a key component for the team and its seniors. The stakes are high, and the pressure is on them to perform in front of a large crowd as they look to end their regular season with a win. 

Coach Daniel Ramirez has been with the seniors since they were freshmen so winning for them on their celebrated night is extra motivation.

“Our main focus right now is keeping them focused,” said Ramirez. “We gotta send them off right.”

The Bulldogs are no strangers to winning but Ramirez makes sure to remind them to keep their focus especially when facing underdog teams. 

Senior night is one of the most important nights of an athlete's career. “Everybody's going to be out here for us and we gotta show them what we are about,” said Daniel Camacho, a team captain.  

When asked what has changed between last year's final game and this year, team captain Diego Moran added, “We play more as a team. It's not a one-man team. It’s a whole team and we all touch the ball.”  

Making sure that the team succeeds as a whole and uplifts each other is a big theme that the group has for themselves. “We are all good, we are all-star players, and we are all showing out,” Camacho added. 

As of right now Sierra Linda qualifies for the play-ins for the second year in a row and is looking to take this season further than before. Its record is 6-4-1.  

Sierra Linda finished last season 8-4 and ranked 18th. The Bulldogs are also in fourth place in their group as Metro Tech clings to fifth place.  

Sierra Linda is scheduled to face the Knights at 6 p.m. Monday.