WEEKLY BLOG: 9/2/22

After waiting out a 75-minute lightning delay, it took another quarter-plus for Corona del Sol to get going. But, once the Aztecs did, they used an accurate passing attack along with a relentless defense to defeat Mesa, 24-10 at home in Tempe on Friday night.

Corona del Sol returned quarterback Connor Ackerley and 1,000-yard rusher Jonathan Kubat. The Jackrabbits' game plan was to keep those potent offensive players on the sidelines for as long as possible. It worked in the first half as Mesa held the hosts to a pair of three-and-outs.

In between those, Mesa (0-1) put together a 13-play scoring drive that took eight minutes off the clock. The Jackrabbits converted a pair of fourth downs. One was on a quarterback keeper by senior Manny Pino and the other was on a personal foul during a field goal attempt. After facing another fourth down at the 5-yard line, Jordan Hagen kicked a short field goal for Mesa's first points. MHS outgained Corona, 49-7 in the first quarter.

Junior St. Cyr (who is a junior) was the workhorse back for the Jackrabbits. He got a block from his left tackle and took a carry 26 yards for a touchdown to give Mesa a 10-0 advantage in the second quarter.

"That was our game plan the whole week," Mesa head coach Chad DeGrenier said. "We executed to perfection in the first half. Second half, we sputtered a little bit. I'm so proud of our kids and this is going to build from here."

It was the first varsity start for Pino, who also showed he can be a dangerous dual threat. He ran for 50 yards on 15 attempts.

"He did a good job," DeGrenier said of Pino. "Quick throws. We took a couple chances up top. We have a young line that did a really good job tonight."

Corona del Sol (1-0) broke its scoring drought with an 80-yard drive before the half. Ackerley completed all six of his attempts on the possession before taking it himself on a short bootleg run to make the halftime score 10-7.

"(Head) Coach (Jake) Barro gave me opportunities to throw the ball," Ackerley said. "We made some adjustments off the first two drives and we found stuff we liked and it worked."

That touchdown signaled a switch in momentum which carried over into the second half.

"We had to regroup," Barro, who took over as Corona del Sol's new head coach in January said. "We started the game sloppy and uncharacteristic of ourselves. By coming together and regrouping, we were able to shift that momentum."

Mesa's second half possessions resulted in three punts, two turnovers, and getting stopped on downs once.

On the Aztecs' first drive in the third quarter, they took the lead for the first time. Ackerley got a quick pass off to senior Owen Janssen and he took it down the left sideline for a 35-yard touchdown.

"Owen had a great night," Barro said. "That kid is going to turn some heads all year."

Janssen (six receptions for 109 yards) also had a nice punt return (which was unfortunately called back due to a penalty).

After that, Corona del Sol did it with defense. Matthew Orthmann recovered a fumble and Tristan Shafer later had sacks on back-to-back plays to force Mesa to punt from its own 6-yard line.

"I pulled on their tackle and I visioned it and it happened," Shafer said. "Matt Orthmann made that second sack for me. Without him, that wouldn't have happened."

Shafer, a senior, made a position change this offseason from safety to defensive end. Although he is a little undersized for it in the 6A Conference (5-11, 190), he brings the combination of speed and strength.

Corona del Sol also has a pair of lockdown corners in Brandon Holmes and Keyvon Thomas. Mesa rarely challenged Thomas, a junior who made First Team All-region last year. Holmes finished with a team-high seven tackles.

"When they needed to throw, we did a good job locking it down," Barro said. "Brandon Holmes on one side and Keyvon Thomas on the other side both did a great job tonight."

Ackerley threw his second touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to Bennett Matsler. The senior caught the short pass, got free of the defender and rolled into the end zone for the score. Ackerley's high-game in passing last year was 190 yards and he threw for 254 in Friday's opener while completing 18 of his 22 attempts.

Barro had eight months to get his charges ready and they were. With a full offseason, it also gave time for the new staff to evaluate the talent there and more importantly, the chemistry.

"I feel like the coaches did a really good job in building this culture," Shafer said. "It all started at Camp Tontozona (in July)."

Next up for Mesa is a road game against its biggest rival - Mountain View (0-1). It's a rivalry that has seen families send their sons and their sons sons to the same school. Mesa linebacker Mcky Peters is a third generation Mesa High football player.

"Everybody played with each other (in youth ball)," DeGrenier, who coached at Mountain View from 2011-15 said. "There's generational guys on both sides of the ball. We're excited and we'll get back on the horse and get ready to go."

For Corona del Sol, next Friday brings a chance to see where it's at among the best of the best. Chandler (1-0), which has played in the last six state championships (winning five of them) is next up for the Aztecs. CHS destroyed one of San Diego's best teams on Friday, 63-7.

"I've heard Chandler is pretty good," Barro deadpanned. "You know you're going to get one of the best teams in the country. It'll be good for us as a program to see where we're at."

First Quarter:
Mesa - Jordan Hagen 22 yard FG, 2:45
Second Quarter:
Mesa - Junior St. Cyr 26 yard run (Hagen kick), 9:40
CdS - Connor Ackerley 3 yard run (Carston Kieffer kick), 4:16
Third Quarter:
CdS - Owen Janssen 35 yard pass from Ackerley (Kieffer kick), 7:37
Fourth Quarter:
CdS - Bennett Matsler 14 yard pass from Ackerley (Kieffer kick), 6:36
CdS - Kieffer 22 yard FG, 2:39

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