11/20/2009 12:08:00 AM Prep Football: No. 12 Bears 'ready' for
4A, DI state quarterfinal
Andy Rosas, right, and the rest of the 12th-seeded Bradshaw Mountain football team will head south to face No. 4 seeded Vail Cienega in today's Class 4A, Division I state tournament quarterfinal. Game time is 7 p.m.
Les Stukenberg/The Daily Courier
Two seasons ago, the Bradshaw Mountain football team went to Tucson in the Clas 4A, Division II state quarterfinals and lost 34-20 at Santa Rita.
This year, heading south again for the 4A, DI quarterfinals at Vail Cienega, the Bears are going to change things up.
"I learned that if you want to play in Tucson and you're going to travel four and a half hours, you better go the day before," Bradshaw Mountain coach Chuck Apap said.
Apap's team was up 7-0 in the early going back in 2007 after traveling the day of the game, only breaking up the trip with a stop in Phoenix.
"You're still on the bus for four and a half hours," Apap said. "Your legs are heavy."
Running back Ben Pigg gave the Bears the lead that night, but Apap said it soon looked like Pigg and the rest of the team were running in slow motion.
So this year, the team left Thursday and stayed in a hotel with activities planned on Friday morning, thanks to the team's booster club picking up the cost of the overnight trip.
In the 2007 game, the Bears were the No. 5 seed, facing the No. 4. This year they will be a bigger underdog. As the No. 12 seed, they toppled No. 5 Peoria last week and take aim at the No. 4 Bobcats tonight.
"Peoria was 8-2 at the time we played them," Apap said. "This team is 10-1 and we're ready to play them... We'll be ready to play them and go on to the next round. That's what the plan is."
BMHS, with last week's win, is now 6-5. But it has a growing list of solid victories over state qualifiers from No. 14 Agua Fria to No. 10 Kellis to Peoria.
Cienega's only loss all season was 33-32 against Cave Creek Cactus Shadows in the second game of the year. The average score in its games is roughly 41-18, including that defeat. The Bobcats routed No. 13 Nogales in the first round 51-14.
Apap feels his Bears are ready to advance again.
"We're right where we want to be and we're very happy with everything," he said. "Everything is hitting on all cylinders."
Quarterback Jordan Mills leads the Cienega offense with 18 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He has passed for 1,504 yards and completed 67 percent of his throws.
The Bobcats also have running back Willie Willis, who has 1,346 yards rushing at 8.31 per carry. He has hit the end zone 22 times.
Receiver Trent Simon has hauled in 11 of Mills' scoring strikes.
Bradshaw Mountain has quarterback Tyler Audsley, who has thrown for 15 touchdowns against four picks.
Still, against Peoria, it was his running that factored in, going for 107 yards on 10 carries. He has 568 yards on the ground with seven scores this year.
When he goes to the air, Audsley's favorite target has been James Reyes, who has 614 yards - about 60 percent of Audsley's total yardage - and 11 of the 15 touchdowns in the passing game.
And finally, the Bears have bruising runner Mychael Eikenberry, fresh off a 143-yard performance on 24 carries at Peoria.
He scored twice last week and has found the end zone in eight of 11 games this year.
Reader Comments
Posted: Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Article comment by:
Another helping of CROW, please!!
Funny thing that Mingus has won more than one playoff game in Tucson after driving down the day of. Guess Chucky isn't the coach that Bob Young is! Congratulations on yet another mediocre year, BMHS! Send the loudmouth back to Michigan!
Posted: Sunday, November 22, 2009
Article comment by:
good luck b ears
Thomas....after checking the records APAP has only had a 51% in winning seasons his whole career. Making this once again another 500 season for Bradshaw. I'm just stating the facts, maybe you should check yours! Oh and BTW, my name is Bryan.
Posted: Sunday, November 22, 2009
Article comment by:
Thomas Neely
Hey (good luck b ears) what wrong YOUR kid don't play maybe doesn't work hard at pratice .Do you help any in any sports or are you reliving the past did you play 30 ago and still mad because you didn't play alot i am sick of you WHINERS that bad mouth the coaches who are doing their best they are High school coaches coaching high school kids i know what i am talking about i've coached thousands of kid over 16 years and it's parents like YOU who take the FUN out of sports just shut up and let your kid have FUN if you have nothing to say that is GOOD sit down and shut up. Oh yea afraid to give your name hahaha
Posted: Saturday, November 21, 2009
Article comment by:
good luck b ears
Looks like APAP has had another 500 season.....6-6....Get a clue!
