Preseason 4A1 Preview
Regions listed in predicted order of finish
Desert Sky- Saguaro, Queen Creek, Apache Junction, McClintock, Cactus Shadows
Notes… Saguaro’s big rivalry game was lost when Chaparral moved up to 5A2. Saying that the Sabercats loss a ton of talent is an understatement. It is impossible to replace all of the D1 kids they lost but they will still have one of the biggest OLs in the state to run behind. Kody Innes, Cyrus Hobbi, Jordan McDonald, J.J. O’Malley and Dallas Noriega will keep this potent ground game churning. Queen Creek always plays a tough schedule; which should help in their transition up to 4A1. Layne Bourgeous had 8 sacks last year and will be a leader on both sides of the ball. They must replace almost every starter. Don’t underestimate Apache Junction, they will be right in the hunt in this region. They have an awesome running game and QB Nate Scola is back to run wild; he is their leading returning rusher. McClintock will be led by LB Hayden Tippett but they must quickly find a replacement for do-it-all QB Eric Urry. It doesn’t help that promising young RB Anthony Shivers transferred to Marcos. Speaking up transferring, Cactus Shadows lost the state’s leading returning WR when Danny Trittler went to Chaparral. QB Dillon Claussen to Trittler was one of the few bright spots last year. Claussen does return for his 3rd year under center.
Top Players: Kody Innes OT Saguaro, Jordan McDonald DE Saguaro, Cyrus Hobbi OL Saguaro, Layne Bourgeous DL Queen Creek, Nate Scola QB Apache Junction, Cy Maughmer DT Apache Junction, Hayden Tippett LB McClintock, Dillon Claussen QB Cactus Shadows, Tommy Murphy DB Cactus Shadows
Player of the Year- Nate Scola – QB/LB Apache Junction
Kino- Cienega, Nogales, Sahuaro, Marana, Desert View
Notes… Cienega is the runaway favorite in this region. They are loaded at every spot offensively with two of Southern AZ’s top weapons in Ronnie Burton and Trent Simon leading the way. They just need to find a QB to fill Seth Mejias-Brean’s shoes. Nogales was the only other team in this region to finish above. 500 last year. They averaged 40 points a game offensively last year but lose top RB Andy Garcia. New coach Scott KcKee looks to breathe new life into a Sahuaro program that went just 208 last year. Every good team has a good o-line and the Cougars will be big up front. Marana also welcomes in a new head coach as Anthony Coronado takes over for Willie Dudley. Last year they started off slow going 0-4 but this year’s early schedule doesn’t hold to a candle to last year’s. Amphi, Marana Mt. View, Cholla and Pueblo are much more manageable then Santa Rita, Peoria, Chaparral and Palo Verde. Desert View doesn’t return much from last year’s 2-8 team. They scored just 13 points per game and gave up over 30.
Top Players: Ronnie Burton RB Cienega, Jordan Christiansen OL/DL Cienega, Trent Simon WR Cienega, Larry Caswell OL Cienega, J.J. Gorosave LB Cienega, David Nicasio TE Cienega, Camilio Villegas WR Nogales, Kevin Rosas RB Nogales, Andy Bachelier LB Nogales Matt San Angelo OL Sahuaro, Niko Kittrell WR Sahuaro, Jordan Austin OL Sahuaro, Louis Payne OL Marana, Josh Boak LB Marana
Player of the Year- Ronnie Burton – RB Cienega
Sonoran- Canyon del Oro, Sabino, Catalina Foothills, Flowing Wells, Pueblo
Notes… This appears to be a two team race between CDO and Sabino but Catalina Foothills and Flowing Wells had solid years in 2008. CDO looks like the early favorite but will have some transition now that former head man Pat Nugent took the job at Pima CC. Former assistant Dusty Peace takes over. Other then QB, they are solid at every position and one of Tucson’s top prospects in the 2010 class in Josh Robbins and possibly the top prospect in 2011 in RB KaDeem Carey. Sabino has been one of the class teams in Southern AZ for years and this year Coach Campos has the tools to make a deep playoff run. Keanu Nelson is one of the most coveted players on the West Coast. He can line up at a variety of spots and is a d-coordinator’s nightmare. Catalina Foothills lost a lot of their offensive firepower and head coach but their schedule is manageable enough to finish near .500 again. Flowing Wells quietly went 5-5 last year and had quality wins over Amphi and Nogales but were only competitive in only one of their losses, giving up 48 points or more in all but one loss. Yet another new head coach will take the reigns in this region as Mark Bruenkant takes over. Pueblo struggled to a 2-8 record last year but were competitive in most of the contests. They too have a new head coach in Michael Chadwick.
Top Players: Josh Robbins WR/S CDO, KaDeem Carey RB CDO, Jared Tevis DB CDO, Garrett Henderson LB CDO, Jesse Caldwell OL CDO, Keanu Nelson WR/CB Sabino, David Duron LB Sabino, Ethan Shozda OL Sabino, Mike Poindexter DL Sabino, Rolly Escarcega LB Catalina Foothills, Aaron Denogean LB Flowing Wells, Richard Allegria OL Pueblo, Ben Sanchez DB Pueblo, Scott Bouchard LB Pueblo
Player of the Year- Keanu Nelson – RB/CB Sabino
West Valley- Peoria, Bradshaw Mountain, Kellis, Agua Fria, Sunrise Mountain, Copper Canyon, Dysart
Notes… Big changes in the West Valley Region. No more Peoria/Cactus. Millennium moves up to 5A2, Sunrise down, Dysart and Kellis up from 4A2. Honestly, this is as hard a region to pick as any in the state. Peoria has to be the favorite for no other reason then they are Peoria. They always have speed but have a ton of replacing to do. They had to replace multiple three year starters. Bradshaw Mountain could contend. They were solid last year and have a big o-line and a good RB back to run their wing-t offense. Kellis may be the sleeper in this region. Do not be surprised to see them contend for the region title. WRs Traveon Freeman and Erik Sydney are dangerous weapons. Agua Fria squeaked into the playoffs last year despite being 4-6. To their credit, they played one of the toughest schedules in 4A1. Paul Patterson returns at QB and Kelly Epley likes some of the young runners he has in his program. How will my boy Mike Segovia do in his first year at his first head coaching job? He knows he has work to do at Copper Canyon but there are athletes on campus. They have been solid in other sports and while they don’t have the athletes of the top tier teams in this region, they will be much more competitive than last year. Not enough can be said about the job Josh Mitchell did last year at Dysart. Winning five games there was enough for me to name Mitchell my 4A2 coach of the year. He has confidence and some key players back and will have to build from that.
Top Players: K.J. Bowen WR Peoria, Paul Patterson QB Agua Fria, Cody Dodson LB Agua Fria, Roman Lopez OL Agua Fria, Traveon Freeman WR Kellis, Chad Snider QB Kellis, Erik Sydney WR Kellis, Martell McKinney RB Kellis, Greg Fritz DL Kellis, Dallas Sandberg OL Bradshaw, Devon Martinez DL Bradshaw, Devon Begay OL Bradshaw, Cole Sampson K Bradshaw, Mychal Eickenberry RB Bradshaw, Preston Brooksby OL Surnise, Scott Nichols DB Sunrise, Blaine Griffin RB Copper Canyon, Billy Bushong OLB Copper Canyon, Tiandre Hunter DE Copper Canyon James Hubbard QB Dysart, Bryce Jones DL Dysart
Player of the Year- Traveon Freeman – WR Kellis
Western Sky- Prescott, Sunnyslope, Apollo, Shadow Mountain, Moon Valley, Glendale, Independence
Notes… While a top prospect or an elite team may not emerge out of this region, it actually looks like it will be very competitive, with several teams with the tools to win it. Prescott returns two all region RBs and looks to be the front-runner. A brutal early schedule last year had the Badgers at 1-3 but they rattled off 6 straight wins and their offense got on a roll. Don’t count out the Sunnyslope Vikings. They have a big bruising RB in Jesse McGrath and an experienced QB in Ben Maraz. Apollo was sub .500 last year but was competitive in every loss. While they may lack star power, they have enough talent to compete in this league. If Shadow Mountain was in this league a year ago, they may have been the front runner to win it. They must replace a mammoth offensive line and a very good RB. Coach Sekoch is high on Ian Juede. Moon Valley takes heavy losses to graduation but Coach Smith has a reputation for having his teams well prepared and well coached. Mike Dewitt is their top returning player. Glendale went 2-8 last year, beating Cortez and Flagstaff. Their offensive production must seriously improve for them to be competitive, as the scored over 14 points in just two games last year. Donald McGruder was all region at three spots. Independence struggled to a 1-9 record last year, giving up 46 points per game while only scoring 12. Their lone win was against T-Bird.
Top Players: Brian Scates RB Prescott, Joey Mancha RB Prescott, Chris Vicente OL Prescott, Brayan Flores K/P Prescott, Matt Groff DB Prescott, Jesse McGrath RB Sunnyslope, Ben Maraz QB Sunnyslope, Mike Bolinger DB Sunnyslope, Sam Montini DL Sunnyslope, Jose Torres TE Apollo, Braden Sparks DB Apollo, Chrisdeon Ayiyi DB Apollo, Ian Juede ATH Shadow Mt., Cameron Bailey OL Shadow Mt., Mike Dewitt DL Moon Valley, Zach Sabolek DL Moon Valley, Donald McGruder RB Glendale, Martin Woods OL Independence
Player of the Year- Ben Maraz – QB Sunnyslope
4A1 Top 10
1. Canyon del Oro
2. Saguaro
3. Cienega
4. Sabino
5. Queen Creek
6. Prescott
7. Apache Junction
8. Peoria
9. Sunnyslope
10. Bradshaw Mountain
Preseason 4A2 Preview
Black Canyon- Paradise Valley, Greenway, Cactus, Washington, Thunderbird, Cortez
Notes… Easily the top region in 4A2. PV and Cactus were playoff teams in higher divisions year in and year out and they have to be two of the favorites. Greenway is back on the right track and is poised to make a run at the title. Paradise Valley is the early pick here simply because of the weapons they have. QB Kevin Spain (Hawaii commit) and RBs Jake Brown and Tyree Parker are big (200+ pounds) and physical backs that will be amongst the best in the state. Greenway was great in ’08, going 10-3 with two of those loses coming to the 4A2 champs Notre Dame. They are loaded on both sides of the ball with WR/S Ryan Harper leading the way. They must replace QB Greg Walton but have a battle going on between Daniel Rankin and Zander McKean. Cactus was one of 4A1’s top teams and I expect them to be one of 4A2’s top teams for years. Allen Woods takes over for Mike Brown and will run behind a strong OL lead by Christian Williams and Patrick Blanar. Coach Becktold and Washington High have found a way to win despite a lack of numbers and physical size. They like to spread the ball out and roll the pocket to make up for their deficiencies and it has worked. No matter who has played QB the past five years or so has ended up passing for 2,000+ yards. Daniel Gamiz returns under center. Thunderbird won just twice last year but three others were lost by 7 points or less. WR Ryan Cowles is their top returner. Coach Huelster has his work cut out for him in his first year at Cortez. He inherits a program that went 1-9 last year and was shutout four times and held to 7 points or less seven times.
Top Players: Kevin Spain QB PV, Tyree Parker RB PV, Jake Brown LB/RB PV, Ryan Harper WR/S Greenway, Ronnie Sellers CB Greenway, Chase Harpole DB/RB Greenway, Tyler Bergsten TE Greenway, Shawn Jones RB Greenway, Josh Sydzyik LB Cactus, Patrick Blanar OL Cactus, Christian Williams OL Cactus, Mike Brown DL Washington, Steven Gurrola OL Washington, Shawn Woods RB Washington, Ryan Cowles WR Thunderbird
Player of the Year- Ryan Harper – WR/S Greenway
East Sky- Notre Dame, Higley, Seton Catholic, Arcadia, Coronado, Tempe, Williams Field, Maricopa
Notes… Notre Dame is the champ until proven otherwise but if someone is going to knock them off, it is this year. They take major losses at every position but are hurting at RB, DL and LB the most with the graduation of multiple D1 players. The off-season got off to a bad start when stud center Blair Tushaus blew out his knee. The rest of the region is talented and ready to strike. Every other team in this region made the playoffs last year excluding Williams Field, who will play their first full varsity schedule this year, and Maricopa who moves up from 3A. Maricopa hired a coach very late and will be at a huge disadvantage. Tempe was making strides under Johnny Rodriguez but he was let go and Brian Walker takes over. Williams Field has a very good RB to help break them in with Brandon Warren in the backfield. The region is filled with solid QBs with Will King (Notre Dame), Colby Kirkegaard (Arcadia), Justin Sieczkowski (Seton) and Alex Buya (Coronado) under center. Higley and Seton Catholic return multiple all-region starters and could be poised to make a run at the title.
Top Players: Devon Villareal LB Notre Dame, Will King QB Notre Dame, Ian Montague OL Notre Dame, Brian Renfree DE Notre Dame, Kelvin Fischer DB Higley, Zach Welbourne DL Higley, Justin Sieczkowski QB Seton, Trevor Gleisner WR Seton, Kevin McDonald OL Seton, Zac Awender WR Seton, Kenny Wisenhunt WR Seton, Colby Kirkegaard QB Arcadia, Pat Schrimsher RB Arcadia, Connor McClain LB Arcadia, Alex Buya QB Coronado, Sergio Archoa OL/DL Coronado, O’Shea Primous WR Tempe, Demarco Jordan DB Tempe, Brandon Warren RB Williams Field
Player of the Year- Justin Sieczkowski – QB Seton Catholic
Gila- Santa Rita, Palo Verde, Amphitheater, Sahuarita, Catalina, Douglas, Cholla, Rio Rico
Notes… What a turnaround Jeff Scurran has done at Santa Rita. From 0-10 to the semi-finals and now the preseason #2 rank in 4A2. SR is talented on both sides of the ball and will be led by QB Ian Garlets. Garlets lost his favorite target, J.J. Holliday, but Greg Jones was an under-rated player on this team last year. Both the O and D lines are strong as well. Palo Verde actually won this region last year with a 21-14 win over Santa Rita. But PV lost maybe the best player in school history in Adam Hall. He did it all for the Titans and is impossible to replace. Both Sahuarita and Amphi made the playoffs last year and their schedules are manageable enough to achieve that again in ’09. Cholla and Rio Rico both went 0-10 and scored under 90 points on the year. Rio Rico will be lead by new head man Mitch Crossley, who was hired just weeks ago. Douglas was not much better, going 2-8 with a win over Rio Rico and 2A Bisbee.
Top Players: Ian Garlets QB Santa Rita, Greg Jones WR Santa Rita, Jaquari Kountz OL Santa Rita, Reggie Ewesuedo OL Santa Rita, Bryce Gallion DL Santa Rita, Chris Correa RB Santa Rita, Chris Olan DL Santa Rita, Davonttay Jones DB Santa Rita, Joe Stone OL Palo Verde, Kyle Blecker DL Palo Verde, Cameren Gause WR Palo Verde, Ryan Fischella OL Palo Verde, Brad Virgen DL Palo Varde, Hassan Cross LB Palo Verde, Crispin Chavira DL Amphi, Zach Roth DB Amphi, Mike Martinez OL Sahuarita, Chris Brown DL Sahuarita, Nate Moon DB Sahuarita, Eddie Jernandez LB Catalina, Oliver Sanchez DB Catalina, Ray Morales RB Catalina, Joel Belo DB Douglas, Adrian Escobar P Cholla
Player of the Year- Ian Garlets – QB Santa Rita
Grand Canyon- Mingus, Mohave, Flagstaff, Coconino, Sinagua, Page
Notes… Everyone knows the Grand Canyon Region title rolls through Mingus. Mohave was solid in ’08 but the remaining teams in this region won a total of six games between the four of them. Mingus has a lot of rebuilding to do but this is the year to do it.
Top Players: Tanner Drake LB Mingus, Logan Islas LB Mingus, Joel Bisen OL Mingus, Travis Meyers RB Mohave, Josh Bruns OL Mohave, Kyle Barstow WR Mohave, Daniel Gallegos DL Mohave Jesse Tate WR Flagstaff, Matt Martel RB Flagstaff, Luke Rotter QB Flagstaff, Nate Zobott OL Coconino, Zeno Joyce RB Coconino, Hayden Renning LB Sinagua, Cody Chischilly DL Page
Player of the Year- Hayden Renning – LB Sinagua
Skyline- Buckeye, Liberty, Desert Edge, Verrado, Youngker
Notes… With three new varsity teams and a Desert Edge team that has struggled, Buckeye has to be the favorite to win this region. Liberty, Verrado and Youngker will be headed into their first year of a full varsity schedule.
Top Players: Randy Hale ATH Buckeye, David Banks WR Buckeye, Jamie Gastelum DL Buckeye, Robert Rangel OL Buckeye, Derrick Jefferson DB Buckeye, Angel Martinez LB Desert Edge, Keegan Whipkey QB Liberty
Player of the Year- Randy Hale – RB/CB Buckeye
4A2 Rankings
1. Paradise Valley
2. Santa Rita
3. Greenway
4. Cactus
5. Notre Dame
6. Mingus
7. Higley
8. Buckeye
9. Seton Catholic
10. Palo Verde
4A1/4A2 All State
QB- Justin Sieczkowski – Seton Catholic
RB- Tyree Parker – Paradise Valley, KaDeem Carey (JR) - CDO
WR- Trevor Gleisner – Seton Catholic, Trent Simon - Cienega
TE- Tyler Bergsten (JR) - Greenway
OL- Kody Innes - Saguaro, Cyrus Hobbi - Saguaro, Jordan Christenson - Cienega, Dallas Sandberg – Bradshaw Mountain, Patrick Blanar - Cactus
DL- Jordan McDonald - Saguaro, Cy Maughmer – Apache Junction, Layne Borgeous – Queen Creek, Mike Poindexter - Sabino
LB- Jake Brown – Paradise Valley, David Duron - Sabino, Hayden Tippett - McClintock
DB- Keanu Nelson – Sabino, Josh Robbins – CDO, Ryan Harper – Greenway,
K- Brayan Flores - Prescott
P- Dillon Claussen – Cactus Shadows
All Purpose- Nate Scola – QB/LB Apache Junction
Return- Randy Hale - Buckeye