(Rischard Davis/Andy Morales/AZPreps365)

For the fifth time in the last seven years, the Dust Devils of Santa Cruz Valley opened up a season with a 2-0 record and the team is putting up points at an alarming rate. The Dust Devils beat San Tan Charter 61-0 last week and Coolidge 42-18 Friday night at home for a 103-18 margin of victory and the fast start has proven to be an indicator for success for the program.

Rishard Davis went 3-6 in his first year as a head coach but he went 9-3 in 2015 with a quarterfinal finish, 12-1 in 2016 with a semifinal run, 12-1 in 2017 with a runner-up finish and 10-3 last year with another semifinal run. He missed the playoffs in 2018 with a 4-6 record but that team had difficulty scoring until the final two weeks of the season when the team scored 150 points and gave up none in back-to-back victories.

Davis is 51-20 since 2014 and 41 of those victories came with his team scoring 40 or more points in a game. 23 of those wins came with 50 or more points scored and 14 came when his team scored over 60 points. He has three victories with over 70 points scored and two with over 80 points. His runner-up team of 2017 beat Tombstone 89-0.

On top of it all, the Dust Devils averaged just two wins in the five years before Davis arrived. It has to be one of the biggest turnarounds for a program in the state.

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His top running back, Hunter Ogle is close to 500 yards rushing in his first two games this year with seven touchdowns including 254 yards against Coolidge with four TDs. Jr. RB Ricardo Alaniz also came up big Friday night with 111 yards rushing with a 31-yard TD run.

The game was tight in the first half with Santa Cruz taking a 14-12 lead into the locker room and the Bears managed to keep things close despite giving up four fumbles in Santa Cruz territory.

Steve Calvin scored on a 50-yard run to give Santa Cruz a 7-0 lead with 9:58 in the first quarter and Ogle punched in a 10-yard run wi7h 36.4 seconds left in the opening quarter for a 14-0 lead.

Coolidge (1-1) is led by Sr. QB Jacob Gunter and he hit Tad Lynch and Jose Ruiz from 14 and 30 yards out to keep the Bears in the game. His 30-yard throw to Ruiz came as the clock expired in the half.  The Bears missed on each conversion attempt.

(Jacob Gunter/Andy Morales/AZPreps365)

 

Gunter finished with 195 yards and three TDs in the game but Ogle provided the separation with TD runs of 40, 2 and 84 yards in the third quarter to help the Dust Devils build a 3-12 lead and Alaniz put the team up 42-12 with 2:02 left in the game. Gunter hit Connor Ferguson from 20 yards out with 1:01 left for the 42-18 final margin.

Calvin added 65 yards rushing for Santa Cruz, Greg Rodriguez rushed for 31 yards for Coolidge and Lynch pulled down 72 yards receiving and Ruiz added 69 more.

Santa Cruz will play Heritage Academy Laveen (0-2) next Thursday night to open up 2A Gila Region play and expect another big scoring night with Heritage Academy giving up scores of 39-0 and 67-0 this fall.

Rodger Schenks led Globe to a state title in 2002, was the head coach at San Tan Foothills and has experience at the highest level as an assistant coach at Hamilton. He led the Bears to an 8-3 record last year and he will have the team ready for their 3A Central Region opener when American Leadership Academy – Ironwood (0-2) pays Coolidge a visit next Friday.

The Bears have to be one of the favored teams in the 3A race this year with the experience on the roster and a schedule that allows for growth. Turnovers should not be an issue the rest of the way.

(Rodger Schenks/Andy Morales/AZPreps365)