Sahuaro running back Casey McGrew runs away from Santa Rita linebacker Chris Johnson on the way to his second touchdown in the Cougars' 38-7 victory.

Kim Cota-robles for the Arizona Daily Star

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Sahuaro coach Chuck McCollum knows his team has quality runners. But the performance Friday night might have been good enough to surprise even him.

Sahuaro's runners dominated Santa Rita while opening a big lead and never looking back, winning 38-7 at Santa Rita.

"We have some runners. We have a good offensive line that works real hard, and they are not the biggest offensive line in town, but they work hard. And then we have some pretty good running backs back there who can carry the ball," McCollum said.

Sahuaro (1-0) got on the board quickly on running back Casey McGrew's 19-yard scamper.

Later in the quarter, Kiefer Thornton scored on a 4-yard run, then ran in a two-point conversion to give Sahuaro an early 15-0 lead.

The onslaught continued early in the second half when McGrew ran in from 37 yards to give the Cougars a 21-0 advantage.

McGrew added a 14-yard touchdown run shortly thereafter, proving that Santa Rita had no answer for Sahuaro's running game.

McGrew, who finished with 135 yards and three touchdowns, praised the offensive line for his ability to break away.

"Honestly, our line is phenomenal. Our line is one of the best in the state, and without them, we probably could not have done much," he said.

Santa Rita seemed to be suffering from a case of the nerves.

But by the time the Eagles calmed down, Sahuaro had opened a big lead.

McCollum said that Sahuaro has been ready to play for a while, which was a big reason for the fast start.

"We think this is a good group of kids that plays well together, and they have been chewing at the bit. We have been going since May, and they stepped on the field tonight ready to play," he said.