The Bears open their bid to repeat as 3A champions with fewer question marks than they had last year.

Outlook: Sahuarita helped its playoff hopes last week with a come-frombehind 27-26 win over Globe.

Outlook: Just nine miles separate these two longtime rivals, but there has been a big divide in talent the last few years.

Outlook: The defending champion Bears had their supremacy in the South taken away earlier in the season with a loss to Seton.

The Bears open their bid to repeat as 3A champions with fewer question marks than they had last year.

Outlook: Adversity comes but once a year for the Bears. In each of the past two seasons, Coolidge lost just one game.

Address: 800 W. Northern Ave., Coolidge; Records: Snowflake 6-4, Coolidge 8-1; Gametime: 7:00 p.m.

Address: 350 W. Sahuarita Road, Sahuarita; Records: Coolidge 5-1, 3-0 3A South; Sahuarita 5-2, 3-1; Gametime: 7:00 p.m.

Address: 800 W. Northern Ave., Coolidge

A Coolidge Unified School District official said this week it would not have hired former Higley High School teacher Alfonso Padilla had a state database indicated he was under investigation or had been disciplined for alleged inappropriate contact with a student through the use of a computer.

It was supposed to be Eagar Round Valley’s passing game against Coolidge’s rushing attack. That’s the way it turned out.

Host Coolidge had no problem with Tucson Empire as the Bears beat the Ravens 49-6 in a 3A South Region game.

The defending 3A state champs won their second straight game after a rough start by pounding the host Tigers.

Coolidge routed visiting Safford in a 3A South Region game.

Visiting Coolidge hung on for a win in a 3A South Region game. The Bears (6-2, 5-0) scored first on a 48-yard touchdown run by Brad Jackson, but the kick failed.

Key matchup: The Bears’ Brad Jackson is one of the best running backs in 3A. The Elks’ Travis Trickey is one of the best linebackers in 3A.

A search firm looking for a superintendent for Coolidge Unified School District has narrowed the pool of 19 applicants to six.

The Coolidge roster is dotted with offensive playmakers, but one name that wasn't on that list was tight end Andrew Ashford.

Coolidge made a goal-line stand on fourth-and-inches with a little more than a minute left Friday night, and ran out the clock to beat Winslow 28-24 in the semifinals of the 3A playoffs at Mesa Community College.

Outlook: The Bears won’t be looking ahead to the playoffs this week.