Tanque Verde, AZ

2A San Pedro: Tanque Verde Hawks

2022 record: 5-6 overall, 4-1 in the 2A San Pedro (second). Lost in the 2A state playoffs first round in the program’s first playoff appearance.

Head coach: Jeff Bollnow, first season at Tanque Verde and overall. Served as defensive coordinator at Cienega and Sahuarita in recent years. He is a Mountain View grad who went on to play at Cornell College. His father Kirby Bollnow is an esteemed high school football referee entering his 16th season.

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Key returners:

TANQUE VERDE COACH JEFF BOLLNOW

TANQUE VERDE QB GRAYSON BRADSHAW

TANQUE VERDE RB/LB MICHAEL MCKENNA

Coaching staff:

Notes: Jeff Bollnow will try to pick up where Jay Dobyns and his staff left Tanque Verde, which made its first postseason appearance in program history last season. Dobyns resigned after three years as the Hawks’ coach, citing personal reasons. … Bollnow served as defensive coordinator at Cienega under Pat Nugent and Sahuarita under Jake Price. … Josh Lopez, son of Chris Lopez, a member of Arizona’s Desert Swarm defense, is a senior wide receiver/free safety with the Hawks. Chris is a former assistant who was part of Dobyns’ staff. … New offensive and defensive line coach Pete Delgado was the head coach at Baboquivari the previous four seasons. … Tanque Verde has only four home games and plays its first two and last two games on the road. The Hawks open their 2A San Pedro schedule with a home game Sept. 15 against Palo Verde, which is at the 2A level this season after playing at 3A last season.

Keep an eye out for: QB Grayson Bradshaw, who has a strong arm and mobility. Tanque Verde was predominantly a running team in previous years, but the new coaching staff is looking to have the offense more balanced. Bradshaw worked on his timing with his receivers during the 7-on-7 season in June and was impressive.

TANQUE VERDE

head coach: Jeffrey BollnowHawks compete in the 2A San Pedro. *Region game. Games at 7 p.m.

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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon. He became an educator five years ago and is presently a special education teacher at Sunnyside High School in the Sunnyside Unified School District

Toss on your cowboy hat and boots, hoist yourself onto a horse, and hit the riding trails at these two long-running Arizona dude ranches.

My wrangler-guide, Matt Byrnes, looked back at me from his saddle as our two horses walked in line along a dusty trail flanked by towering cacti. “Ready to ride?” he asked. In an attempt to strike a cowboy-cool tone, I answered, “Yup.” At Brynes’s command, our horses took off like a pair of four-legged Ferraris, galloping down the trail and into the curves they had committed to memory. I clung to the saddle, feeling the power of the horse, and for a minute I was a cowboy riding to the rescue in an old Western movie. This is the experience at Tucson’s White Stallion Ranch, one of more than a dozen Dude Ranches in Arizona, where guests can sample the trappings of old cowboy life while enjoying the benefits of a full-service resort.

The term “dude” actually originated as an insult—what real cowboys called Eastern city folk back in the 1890s—clumsy overdressed posers who came out west acting like they knew it all. Since then, dude ranches have evolved to welcome visitors, both clumsy and skilled, with a variety of experiences ranging from high-end resorts with trail rides supplemented with spa treatments, to working cattle ranches with rugged horseback wilderness adventures.

The increasing popularity of experiential travel has been a boon for dude ranches, with singles, couples, and families all coming out to saddle up. The Tucson area, with its rich cattle ranching history, has long been a popular destination for dude ranches. And spring is a great time to get out and hit the trails before summer heats up.

Below are a couple of my favorite dude ranches near Tucson—great destinations for a weekend escape or a week-long cowboy adventure.

White Stallion Ranch

Near the edges of Saguaro National Park, White Stallion Ranch began as a working cattle ranch in the early twentieth century, first welcoming guests in the 1940s. Nowadays, the ranch covers 3,000 acres of facilities and trails, has 43 guest rooms, and owns one of the largest herds of horses in Arizona. With a flock this big, you know they can find one that’s just right for you to ride, from a calm, plodding trail-walker to an energetic loper eager to sprint into the sunset.

White Stallion offers lessons to both beginners and experienced riders, including cattle-penning training sure to awaken the cowboy within you. For those less serious about a future in wrangling, sign up for their Wine & Cheese rides or the Beer & Cheeto rides to enjoy a relaxing picnic in a stunning desert setting.

The highlight of my stay, aside from my gallop around the property, was attending White Stallion’s weekly rodeo. An exhibition rodeo rather than, say, competition style. This event shows off the talent of staff horsemanship in challenges like barrel racing, roping, and steer-wrestling.

After the horseback riding, the ranch cooks up cowboy-worthy outdoor barbecues to supplement the restaurant’s menu. After which you can swap tall tales in their western bar, catch a movie in their small theater, or shoot some pool in their rec room. A heated outdoor pool, hot tub, tennis courts and spa services complete the resort-side of the White Stallion dude ranch experience.

Tanque Verde Ranch

My family and I have been visiting the Tanque Verde Ranch just outside of Tucson for decades, ever since I was a kid. And we’re not the only regulars. On a recent trip, I spoke with one family who has been coming to the ranch annually for the last 55 years, now on their fourth generation of young riders getting into the saddle for trail rides.

At Tanque Verde, opened in 1921, ranch cattle still graze across 60,000 acres of leased U.S. Forest Service lands, but the main business is now hosting guests on its 640-acre property. A large corral complex with 150-plus horses and a big team of wranglers gives Tanque Verde the feel of a cavalry training operation. Riding classes are offered for beginning and advanced riders, after which you can show off your skills in walking, loping and adventure rides around the nearby hills.

Left unchanged since my youth, the breakfast cowboy cookout means taking a trail ride to a clearing with a covered wagon surrounded by picnic tables and cast-iron griddles. There, staff cook up flapjacks and dispense coffee and hot chocolate as they wave away excess smoke with their cowboy hats. The aroma of sizzling bacon and smoke from mesquite-fueled fires mix with the scent of sagebrush scrub and dusty horses.

These days, Tanque Verde has developed into a full-service resort, with an expansive menu of daily activities including mountain biking, tennis, yoga, archery, riflery, and even silversmithing workshops. The rooms are mostly still rustic, but you won’t be spending a lot of time there with all the action going on. One Tanque Verde tradition that has endured though is the communal dining. Large tables in the main lodge have hosted generations of guests who continue to share stories of their cowboy adventures along Tucson’s Sonoran desert trails.

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TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — For the last three years, Tucsonans have fought development on the northeast corner of Houghton and Tanque Verde. Amanda Bradley is one of more than 2,000 residents living nearby who signed a petition against the planned development.

“There was a lot of open space out here and the zoning reflected the spaciousness of the area,” Bradley said.

The property owner wants to put 33 single-family homes into the area. This would look different from the large suburban ranches in the surrounding neighborhoods. It would fit more people into less space.

“We’d like to be outside of the busier areas with less traffic and more space,” Bradley said.

Residents nearby are worried this would increase traffic on the already busy intersection.

“There’s a lot of traffic because people use Houghton to go to the High School as they rebuilding more homes along the south of Houghton, a lot of people go through here to get to town,” said Zohreh Saunders, member of the Tanque Verde Trails Homeowners Association.

The proposed development would be on an existing floodplain, which usually mitigates flooding during monsoon.

“I think most people were objecting to the flooding, traffic, and the fact that it didn’t really fit in with the neighborhood,” Saunders said.

The area is also home to unique plants and desert life.

“Every time I see a development go up, it’s a destruction of that habitat,” Bradley said.

Tucson’s Zoning Examiner agrees with neighbors and does not support the nature of this development. But City Staff support the planned development, with a few exceptions. They're asking the property owner to take certain steps to prevent flooding and protect the natural habitats.

Moving forward, the City Manager will release his conclusion about this development. Then, the City says it’ll go before the Mayor and Council in mid-October for their final decision.

In a statement, Jim Portner of Projects International Inc., on behalf of the property owner, New Era, LLC said: "Our proposal is a small step toward implementing the principles of sustainable development and smart growth that form the foundation of the adopted general plans for both the City of Tucson and Pima County. Our proposed density is a fraction of that which is acceptable for a major nodal intersection like Houghton at Tanque Verde. In the simplest terms, this rezoning is a choice to either exercise and further the principles of Plan Tucson (the City’s General & Sustainability Plan), or to instead continue the old ways of doing things, adding to the low-density sprawl that already overburdens our community’s infrastructure and public services."

The development would be in Ward 2, of council member Paul Cunningham. In his newsletter, Cunningham said "I won’t be supporting any development at Tanque Verde and Houghton that increases flood hazards. I also won’t be supporting a proposal that violates the spirit of the 2016 agreement without the agreement of the neighbors."

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The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:

Residents of the Tanque Verde Unified School District (TVUSD) should vote “yes” on Proposition 494 in the upcoming election. Without a “yes” vote, TVUSD will lose more than $2.25 million in education funding. This would be detrimental to district students and the Tanque Verde community. The Tanque Verde valley, and TVUSD, are Arizona gems; they are precious and should be protected. With a history dating back more than 150 years, the Tanque Verde valley is a unique community; and particularly desirable in terms of residential real estate. Many of our neighbors, including my own family, moved to Tanque Verde for the same reasons: a quiet community and the quality of life; for the spectacular views of Tucson, and the surrounding Santa Catalina and Rincon mountain ranges; but most importantly we moved to Tanque Verde for the schools.

The TVUSD schools are known for their excellence. Agua Caliente Elementary, Tanque Verde Elementary, Emily Gray Junior High, and Tanque Verde High School are “A” schools, according to the Arizona Department of Education. They consistently rank among the highest academic scores in the state. The district has been recognized for many awards, including its fiscally responsible administrative practices and garnered the award for excellence in financial reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association.

A 1980s amendment to the Arizona Constitution imposed revenue control limits restricting the district’s ability to properly fund the Excellent Education our district constituents expect; this funding helps get local dollars straight to our schools. The disparity in funding from one district to another across the state is fundamentally unfair.

While education funding may be a constant political pawn at the state capital, it isn’t here at the Tanque Verde local level. This is far less of a politically divided issue than one may think. I’ve had neighbors across the political spectrum ask me very similar questions about Proposition 494, and I’ve replied the same way to each: “Vote ‘yes’ on Prop. 494.” While we may not always agree on the path to take, in our discussions it’s clear that we all want a similar result: excellence in education at TVUSD. To achieve this goal, we need to vote “yes” on Prop. 494.

Some have questioned if approving such a revenue override is giving TVUSD permission to overspend its budget. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In a recent review of the TVUSD budget by the governing board, administrative costs and non-teacher salary overhead spending were very low, as a percentage of total budget. In short, TVUSD has been and will continue to be good stewards of the financial investments the Tanque Verde community has made in the students of our community.

A “yes” vote for Proposition 494 is a vote in support of continuing the district’s maintenance and operations budgets consistent with funding that has been in place since 2014. To be clear, this is not a new tax; it is approval to continue a levy that directly funds district programs and initiatives that are not being funded by the state or federal government, including: music and arts at all of our schools, the Advanced Placement (AP) courses at the high school, the gifted education program at the elementary schools (often referred to as the GATE program), science labs at all four schools, and school nurses and librarians, among many other beneficial programs.

Without a “yes” vote on Proposition 494, the funding for all of these programs will end. No more art and music enrichment. No more advance science and math programs. On-site emergent medical care at each school will end. Some teaching positions may have to be eliminated or salaries dramatically cut, and class sizes will be increased. Without Prop. 494, excellence in education ends.

Vote “yes” on Proposition 494, vote “yes” on continuing to invest in Tanque Verde’s future.

Thomas Trask is a candidate for Tanque Verde Unified School District, No. 13, Governing Board.

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The Star is counting down the top high school football players in Southern Arizona. Up today: Tanque Verde offensive tackle Jack Endean.

Name: Jack Endean

Rundown: Endean is a 6-foot-6-inch, 280-pound junior at Tanque Verde.

Who he is: Unlike most kids, Endean’s earliest memories of football was around an NFL team. Not just any team, but Al Davis’ Oakland Raiders.

Endean’s father, Ty Endean, served on the medical staff for both the Raiders and the NHL’s San Jose Sharks. After the Endeans moved to Tucson, Ty became the team doctor at Cienega during the height of Nemer Hassey’s tenure with the Bobcats.

“He took me to NFL training camp when I was 10, and he showed me that you can watch and learn a lot about people by watching them. That’s something that I’ve always had to my benefit. I’ve been raised around football, whether it was training camp or being around the guys at Cienega,” Jack Endean said. “I could see what to do and what not to do. That’s something I’ve always been blessed with.”

Endean inherited his size from his father, who was an offensive lineman at Sacramento State and played briefly in the NFL.

“He realized he wasn’t capable of that talent, but he knew he wanted to be around football,” Jack said. “That’s when he went to medical school and then with his fellowship, that’s when he was able to work with the Raiders, and he’s been doing that ever since.”

Jack Endean knew he was destined to play football, especially given his imposing stature.

“I’ve been big my whole life, so I’ve always been told that I can’t do many things outside of football,” he said. “Playing football gives me a chance to have fun, but also be aggressive, and that’s a good thing because I won’t get in trouble for it. … It also gives me a platform. I’ve always wanted to use it to help other people and show how football can be used to better your life.”

Endean began his high school career at Salpointe Catholic, where he played behind current UCLA lineman Bruno Fina and Oregon’s Jonah Miller, among others. He learned how to “turn on that nasty switch,” Endean said.

“If you’re a big kid in Tucson, a lot of times you’re able to dominate a smaller opponent, but you have to play with that nasty attitude, because on the next level, all those kids are just as big, just as strong and just as fast as you, and that mental and emotional side is where that separation comes; Jackie’s got that,” said Tanque Verde coach Jay Dobyns, a former Arizona Wildcat and ex-assistant coach at Salpointe Catholic.

Endean’s offensive line coach at TVHS is Jeff Kiewell, who played for the UA and the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.

“Tanque Verde is just a good school, especially academically, which is always a good thing. Coach Dobyns is just an amazing person, and he cares about each one of us as people,” Endean said. “He cares more about us as people than players, and he’s just someone you can depend on, someone who can show you how to be a man, and he’s just a great football coach.”

Added Endean: “It’s just nice to play for people who went from Tucson to playing in college and even some of them in the pros. They know what they’re doing and understand that sometimes Tucson doesn’t get the most love, so they can show us how to do that.”

Endean will sit the first game of the season against Santa Rita because of the Arizona Interscholastic Association’s transfer rule, though he’s planning to appeal the ruling.

“It’s out of my control, so I don’t try to worry about it. … I’m trying to be a players coach as much as I can. Not going to lie, it’s kind of difficult, but it’s out of my control,” Endean said. “I see it as a positive and I just want to help the other guys and get a chance to learn.”

Proof he’s good: Endean already has scholarship offers from both Arizona and Cal. He has also visited Michigan, Michigan State and SMU, and plans to return to those schools for unofficial visits.

“I’m just trying to get some film to get out there,” Endean said. “I pass the eyeball test and my workout tape is good, but I just need a highlight tape to validate it.”

He said it: “Jackie is that kid you’re looking for. He’s that kid that every program wants, and it starts off the field. He’s a great young man, treats people the right way, he’s a great student and he’s got interest sbeyond football. On the football field, he’s just a workaholic and an old-school gym rat that just can’t get enough practice, reps, work to try and improve. Those are the kind of kids you want to surround yourself with, especially in high school.” — Dobyns

Contact sports producer Justin Spears at 573-4312 or jspears@tucson.com. On Twitter: @JustinESports

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