Bears down: Pinnacle blanks La Cueva in interstate rematch

An angry Pinnacle Pioneers team came to the Duke City — or at least it seemed like it based on their performance.

The Phoenix-based power in Arizona’s Class 6A took out a year’s worth of frustration on La Cueva with a 44-0 victory at Wilson Stadium on Friday night. One year prior, the Bears staged a miracle rally in Arizona, scoring 15 points in the final 127 seconds of regulation en route to a sometimes chippy, double-overtime victory.

“I don't know (about) angry, but it definitely felt like that game got away from us,” Pinnacle coach Dana Zupke said. “We felt like we had the game towards the end, but Cam Dyer, Mason Posa are amazing players and they just took over, and honestly, the whole La Cueva team just didn't quit.

“That haunted us, but I also think it helped us on our journey.”

This is a far different La Cueva squad, however, with former star quarterback Dyer now at Arizona State and defensive leader Posa making a name for himself on the Wisconsin depth chart.

However, the Bears aren’t accustomed to taking shellackings of this nature often, and that was reflected through coach Brandon Back’s postgame demeanor. In his mind, living in the past is an exercise in futility.

“I'm so tired of listening to everybody talk about a different team (from last season). It has nothing to do with being a different team. You come out and you do your job or you don't do your job,” Back said.

“That's all it comes down to. We didn't do our job tonight. I don't care who played for us last year.”

The gap between Pinnacle and La Cueva was apparent early. The Pioneers scored on their first three possessions to race out to a 21-0 lead late in the first quarter. By halftime, that lead was 37-0 and the final two quarters were little more than a formality with a running clock. Pinnacle quarterback Drew Varsano feasted on the La Cueva secondary, throwing for 214 yards and four touchdowns — to four different receivers — in the first half. Varsano spent most of the second half on the bench after leading an early touchdown drive.

The Bears didn’t help themselves, either: Two blocked punts and a lost fumble led to 17 Pinnacle points, and La Cueva quarterback Monty Melendez was running for his life on offense. He completed just 3 of 16 passes on the evening and was shaken up on more than one occasion by a physical Pioneers defense. It wasn’t just Melendez who struggled — the Bears mustered just four first downs in the opening half. It was a back-to-the-drawing-board-type game for a program that’s been among the state’s best in recent years.

“We came out, and they smacked us in the face early, and we didn't respond well,” Back said. “We’ve got to do our job better. I've got to do a better job. The coaches have got to do a better job. The players have got to do a better job. But it's about where we're at. We're in 2025.”

La Cueva, 0-2 after an opening-week loss to Volcano Vista, has a bye next week before returning to play against Sandia on Sept. 12.

La Cueva rocked by Pinnacle at Wilson Stadium: Photos