Jorge Santos
ASU Student Journalist

Saguaro Defeats Salpointe Catholic 28-7 and Captures Five Straight

December 2, 2017 by Jorge Santos, Arizona State University


TUCSON, Ariz.- Five in a row, 11 total and history made.

The Saguaro Sabercats are considerably the best football team in Arizona.

It was a like a home game for the Salpointe Lancers. The team's campus is less than three miles away, and their crowds outweighed the Sabercats by double.

But Saguaro has won four straight state championships, and nothing was getting in the way of another one.

The Sabercats proved their defensive superiority by holding the Lancers' run-heavy offense off the board and allowing a 99-yard kickoff return for the only score.

“Our kids bought into the game plan,” defensive coach Jim Camarillo said. “We had a couple extra days of practice. Our seniors really stepped up.”

Senior running back and linebacker Josiah Bradley was all over the field , but it was nothing new for him. The two-way player has been part of the varsity squad since he was a sophomore, earning three rings during his time.

“It was great,” Bradley said. “I don’t even know what to say right now. It’s just great, man.”

It was a special moment for the seniors on the team who had experienced their last football game as champions, notably quarterback Max Massingale, who accumulated four total touchdowns -- two on the ground and two in the air.

“It’s really meant so much to me just being a part of this program,” Massingale said. “There’s no words to describe it.”

Head coach Jason Mohns has been through thick and thin with the Sabercats. Mohns arrived in 2012 just prior to the passing of his father, and following a tough quarterfinal loss the year before, getting to five was an arduous task.

“There’s no lie, it was rough,” Mohns said. “Everything that could have went wrong went wrong. I went back to the drawing board and started letting my coaching staff (coach) more.”

Mohns has gone 5-0 in state title games since that season, and he brings his dad with him wherever he goes.

“He’s always with me; he left a lot of really good advice for me,” Mohns said. “My second year as head coach we lost our equipment manager Mike ‘Tugg’ Garcia, and we haven’t lost a state championship since then. I think my pops is up there and I know for a fact that Tugg has been with us.”

After the fifth one, it appears everyone is on board to get number six.

“Why not? Sounds good to me,” Camarillo said.