Previewing the 5A Southern, 5A Sonoran regions

It's time for two-a-days, a continuing series, examining each region in Arizona for the 2019 high school football season.

5A Southern Region

Sierra Vista Buena, Vail Cienega, Oro Valley Ironwood Ridge, Marana, Nogales, Tucson Sunnyside.

Ironwood Ridge. Coach Matt Johnson is gone, but cupboard was not left bare for new coach James Hardy.

Cienega. Lots of top talent graduated from region championship team, but coach Pat Nugent doesn’t know what rebuild means.

Marana. Second-year coach Louie Ramirez feels this well-connected team can go deep in the playoffs behind quarterback Kai Spencer.

Ironwood Ridge senior quarterback Octavio Audry-Cobos. He is 6-3, 205 pounds, and adept at running and passing the ball for big plays.

Aug. 23, Ironwood Ridge opens at home against its former coach, Matt Johnson, and Marana Mountain View.

5A Sonoran Region

Tucson Cholla, Tucson Desert View, Tucson Empire, Tucson Flowing Wells, Marana Mountain View, Tucson Rincon/University.

Mountain View. Went 5-0 in region but didn't get in the playoffs because region champs weren't automatic qualifiers.

Flowing Wells. This team will try to outwork opponents with several players going both ways.

Empire. It returns six quality two-way players who should make life easier for new coach George Kelly. Desert View junior RB Jacob Ramirez. The 5-8, 200-pounder ran for 1,144 yards and 11 TDs last year. Sept. 6. Two weeks after facing his former school (Ironwood Ridge), Mountain View coach Matt Johnson takes his team to Gilbert Higley, one of the best teams in 5A.