Surprise! Corona del Sol improves to 3-0 with shutout of Skyline: ‘We just have that underdog mentality’

“We want to change our program so teams look at us as a top program in 6A,” said senior quarterback Quade Swearingen, who was 13 of 17 for 169 yards against Skyline.

After the first three weeks, eight 6A teams remain undefeated, not counting those that have yet to kick off their seasons.

Of the eight, perhaps none is more surprising than Corona del Sol, which last had a winning season in 2015 — also the last time the Aztecs started a year 3-0. They matched that 3-0 start with a 35-0 victory over Skyline to open Region 4 play.

“We want to change our program so teams look at us as a top program in 6A,” said senior quarterback Quade Swearingen, who was 13 of 17 for 169 yards against Skyline.

“Our records haven’t shown that in the past (32-71 in the past decade), but we have the coaches and a group of guys who want to win some games and put us on the map.”

The Aztecs don’t have the big-name recruits that several unbeatens — think Chandler or Hamilton — boast, but they have used that lack of name talent to their advantage.

“We 100 percent play with a chip on our shoulder,” Swearingen said. “People don’t know what we have or who we are. We just have that underdog mentality.”

With only eight teams making the playoffs this fall, Corona del Sol might still face an uphill climb to return to the postseason in search of its first playoff win since 2008, but this change in attitude on the Tempe campus figures to last if Swearingen and the rest of the seniors have their say.

“This senior class is special. We’ve taken charge and made sure the juniors and sophomores have bought-in with this attitude change,” Swearingen said.

“We come in every week with the mindset that we’re playing a faceless opponent. We just want want to get a little better than we were the day before.”

— René Ferrán

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