Citizen Staff Writer
TC VARSITY
CHRISTOPHER VECK
sports@tucsoncitizen.com
It’s hard to believe the Tucson High football team is only weeks removed from a multi-season losing streak.
The Badgers (4-4, 1-0) held visiting Sierra Vista Buena to minus-1 rushing yard Friday in beating the Colts 38-20 in a Class 5A Southern-II game.
“Since I’ve been here, that’s the most tenacious and the quickest that we’ve been,” Tucson coach Vincent Smith said.
Tucson used that speedy defense – which regularly greeted Colts quarterbacks in the backfield – and a balanced offense to score 38 unanswered points, turning a 12-0 deficit into a big lead.
Buena led 12-7 at halftime behind two touchdown passes from Billy Grant. But it was all Badgers in the second half as they used the run and pass.
“This isn’t Texas Tech; we can’t be going long all the time,” Smith said. “Once we settled down and got back into the system, things started clicking for us.”
With constant pressure from the defense, Buena failed to score in the third frame while the Badgers racked up 21 points, including the second rushing score of the night from Markes Reed, who ran for 122 yards.
“I just told my line to ram it down their throat,” Reed said. “Once we had the lead we could run the ball the whole game.”
Tucson also added two 4-yard touchdown passes from Peter Borquez to Daniel Malone.
“I think I calmed down,” Borquez said. “I was kind of off the first half.”
The fourth quarter started off with a bang as Tucson blocked a Buena punt. William Mills recovered the ball in the end zone for a score.
The Badgers finished their run with a 30-yard field goal.
Buena (1-7, 0-1) got its last end zone splash with a 3-yard run from backup quarterback J.T. May.
Tucson recorded three sacks and recovered a fumble.