2014-15-aia-football-sollenberger-azpreps-report-highres

Joseph (East Valley stops at Marcos de Niza, Mesa Mtn.View and Corona del Sol) and Roy Lopez, an assistantunder Joseph at Marcos and most recently head coach atMarcos de Niza. This year's team will need to grow andimprove quickly to match last year. Three starters are backon each side of the ball, none with large roles on offenseand mostly limited opportunities. Jones likes the size overallquickness and strength of the squad. Players looking tofill big shoes of graduates on offense are Mike Premraj atrunning back and Colton Gonzales at receiver. LinebackerZach Lamatrice (28 tackles, 5.5 sacks) had a solid year ondefense. The Wildcats need to be up to speed when sectionplay begins in October in what should be a hotly-contestedbattle for the top spot.Marcos de Niza: The Padres couldn't repeat their regularseasonvictory vs. Chaparral in the quarterfinals and settledfor a 7-5 finish. Assistant Sean Morin, who was interimcoach in the postseason, now is the coach and has muchto work with in rallying the Padres. More than half thestarters on both sides of the ball return. The defense hasits leader in linebacker Andrew Rodriguez (147 tackles, 3sacks) plus steady linebacker mate Jacob Hernandez (136tackles). Spearheading the secondary is Byron Murphy (60tackles, 3 interceptions). Luke Nguyen and Malique Sharpshould serve the offensive backfield well. Nguyen had anearly even split of touches (79) rushing and receiving with764 yards and 8 TDs.Campo Verde: The Coyotes have good numbers, butneed to retool quite a few positions to approach last year'ssuccessful 9-3 season under coach Max Ragsdale.Campo Verde nearly turned around an ugly loss toMesquite on the final night of the regular season twoweeks later in the quarters. The defense returns somevery good frontliners. The biggest -- literally -- is defensivetackle Finton Connolly (6-3, 280). Connolly was good for90 tackles and 5 sacks. In the next wave is middle linebackerMarcus Vaivao (90 tackles). The bulk of last year'sskill position standouts graduated so that leaves it to playerslike running back Zach Wheeler (376 yards, 2 TDs)and receiver-defensive back Erik Hildebrandt to step up.Hildebrandt had 68 tackles and three picks in the Coyotes'secondary and played a backup role on offense. Two veteranoffensive linemen lead that unit -- DJ Kauer andColton Johns.Football Division II PreviewPoston Butte: The Broncos have a new coach, not yourordinary one, either. The coach that began the program --Mike De La Torre -- has moved on to become principal atsection-rival Campo Verde. That move made way for longtimeBlue Ridge coach Paul Moro to head south and try hispage 24hand in D-II. Moro is the second-winningest coach of alltimein state history behind Vern Friedli. Moro has a stalwartrunning back in Brandon Hatfield (1,146 yardsrushing, 322 yards receiving and 19 total TDs) and a prolificdefender in linebacker Chris Musselman (117 tackles).Two good pieces at the outset, but it takes much more.Russell Corriveau played well at quarterback (1,272 yardsand nine TDs) for the 3-7 Broncos. Building the type oflines Moro is used to in his tenure will be primary task andkey to whether or not the Broncos can contend in the upcomingweeks.Westwood: The Warriors enter year three with coachSpencer Stowers, who saw more success from his squadat the D-II level than at D-I. Westwood was 6-4 last yearand grabbed a late win over Poston Butte for its first winningseason since 2007.That marked a five-win improvementover the first season-- 1-9 in 2012 in D-I.SeCTion ViiChaparral: The Firebirds reached the D-II (5A-II) titlegame for the fifth time in six years in 2013. A late departureby Dave Huffine as coach in the spring led to defensive coordinatorConrad Hamilton getting the nod as his replacement.Hamilton was head coach for a year at NorthCanyon in 2011 and fashioned a 6-5 campaign from theRattlers. Chaparral returns quarterback Sean Paul Brophy,who with a talented corps of receivers, passed for 2,167yards and 18 TDs. Brophy will be targeting mostly a newset of receivers with the top three all graduated. Runningback also will feature players who have big shoes to fillafter a couple senior backs completed their careers. TheFirebirds have a standout offensive lineman in KeenanWalker to anchor the line. The defense has leaders in lineman-linebackerBrandon Jamison (48 tackles, 5.5 sacks),defensive back Kurt Shughart (58 tackles, 4 picks) andlinebacker Robbie Kleifield (93 tackles).Notre Dame Prep: The Saints return a small senior classin trying to bust the playoff barrier under third-year coachGary Gregory. The Saints are 11-10 over the last twoyears, 6-5 in 2013. There are a smattering of playersacross both sides of the ball that turned in numericallygood seasons. Senior running back Connor Grahamrushed for 787 yards and 13 TDs and receiver Alex Manovhad 21 catches for 316 yards, 4 TDs. Linebacker BrendanWhite and cornerback Scooter Bankofier are back on defense.A weapon if the Saints fall short in the red zone orbeyond is kicker Grayson Naquin, one of the elite at hisposition in the state. Naquin made 5-of-7 field goals lastyear and connected on a 51-yarder.