“If you're afraid to put it on the line because you might lose, you're never going to get to this point,” said head coach Jeff Scurren. It’s been the air attack of Rhett Rodriguez. Just 26 touchdowns to just 3 interceptions.
Now in his fourth season as a starting quarterback, the falcon senior has his team just two wins shy of that elusive state championship.
“We’re going to have to go in there we're going to have to focus on perfect execution because we can't rely on them to make mistakes because they don't really do it,” said Rodriguez.
If anyone knows about quarterbacks, it's Rhett’s father, Rich, who, yes, is the Arizona Wildcats coach. Rhett is his son first, and a recruit second.
“He’s been a great leader for them, in talking to coach Scurran,” rich Rodriguez says. “Great kid. Great young man I should say.”
“Playing for my dad has been a dream my whole life,” Rodriguez says. For me, I don't really care about being highly recruited all I cared about was getting recruited by the u of a. As long as my dad wanted me that's where I wanted to go.”
But rich isn't Rhett’s coach, at least yet not until next season. That distinction belongs to longtime southern Arizona high school veteran Jeff Scurran. “This is my 43rd year of doing this,” says Scurren.
Now though this is coach Scurren's 16th state final four, he insists that it's the work that's done inside the classroom that translates to the football field.
“The intelligence of the team is incredible. There’s a number of smart kids out here. It’s a whole lot of fun to coach. When you get this far, it is a lot of fun.”
For now, the falcons put their trust back in the arm of #4.
