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

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By Don Ketchum, aia365.comNo. 1 SCOTTSDALE SAGUARO. How doyou figure out whether the Sabercats arecapable of winning another championship?Start with 45, yes, 45, returninglettermen. All-purpose player ChristianKirk has at least 37 Division I scholarshipoffers. Saguaro might not be as talentedas Division I brothers Phoenix MountainPointe and Chandler Hamilton or DivisionII neighbor Scottsdale Chaparral, but it ispretty darn close.No. 2 QUEEN CREEK. The Bulldogs wonit all in 2012 and were runners-up toSaguaro a year ago. With nearly as manyreturnees (35) as Saguaro, there’s no reasonto discount their chances of reachingthe big game again. Having one of thebest running backs in the state – WestonBarlow – definitely is a plus.Division III Preseason RankingsNo. 3 GILBERT WILLIAMS FIELD. Steve Campbelldoesn’t have a 68-13 record in seven seasons as theBlack Hawks’ head coach by chance. He knows how toput together a solid team. He has another with a defensethat swarms to the ball. The inexperienced offensewill need to grow up in a hurry. The team has 35players back from its team that was the No. 1 seed enteringlast year’s tournament.No. 4 GOODYEAR DESERT EDGE. Gone are star receiverElijah Marks, linebacker Ismael Murphy-Richardson and quarterback Anthony Hernandez, butcoach Rich Wellbrock has a good stash of firepower returningwith promising sophomores Tehran Thomas atquarterback and Roshaun Johnson at running back. If afew young receivers step up, all should be OK.No. 5 GILBERT HIGLEY. Coach Eddy Zubey says histeam is going to throw deep and score fast. The defensefaces more of a challenge – preventing opponentsfrom doing the same. Zubey said the Knights“have the potential to be a very solid team and makesome noise come playoff time.’’No. 6 ORO VALLEY CANYON DEL ORO. The Doradoshave been one of the most consistent programs insouthern Arizona for quite some time, and this year’sversion should be able to make its mark. The team hasSaguaro celebrates their victory in the 2013 Division III state finals (photoby Mark Jones/maxpreps.com).page 28a combined 15 or so starters returning, but needs to developdepth quickly.No. 7 GLENDALE CACTUS. With two wins, long-timeCobras coach Larry Fetkenhier will join the 300-victoryclub for his career, but it is playoff wins and maybe evena state-title triumph that he covets more. Cactus hasgood experience on offense, particularly up front, butdefense is another story.No. 8 PEORIA. Former Peoria quarterback Will Babbenters his third season leading the Panthers’ program.The team always has been strong offensively, and thisyear appears to be no different. Babb needs a few leaders,and one of them should be quarterback AnthonyGuevara, who had six starts last season.No. 9 TUCSON SABINO. The steady Jay Campos returnsfor another year guiding the Sabino ship. TheSabercats have good strength and speed, but havequestion marks in the offensive line. If Campos can getimprovement in that area, the team should be able tomake a playoff run.NO. 10 SURPRISE SHADOW RIDGE. The team had astrong playoff run in 2013, finishing 9-3. But coach RicoTipton departed and Ray Karvis leads the team now.The Stallions look strong in the skill positions and havedecent depth. Developing an offensive line will beamong the team’s most important story lines.
Football Division III PreviewBy Don Ketchum, aia365.comSection iBarry Goldwater: “Don’t sleep on Goldwater.’’ That’s theword from second-year coach Rich Metcalf. The Bulldogsreturn nine starters on offense, led by QB Kooper Ray, TEDanny Reyes and RB Ronnie Reed. LB Zeke Palomares isone of the defensive leaders.Cactus: In a nutshell, coach Larry Fetkenhier will mainlyrun the ball, keep defenses honest with passing, have bigoffensive linemen and a hard-hitting defense. The top playersare QB Preston Guerra, WR Uriah Williams, LB BryanRamirez, DB Colton Whitmire and OL Alex Williamson.Others to watch are RB Austin Marshall, RB Jaylon James,RB Chad Jennings, LB Matt Ledesma, OL Brandon Lewis,OL Zack Kennedy, OL Kelvyn Martin and WR Xavier Villarreal.Greenway: Watch out for the Demons’ offensive line. It isready to pancake some people. Coach K.J. Anthony likesthe size of these men up front – Gabriel LaGrange (6-4,260), Jacob Brekken (6-6, 285) and Ian Fox (6-3, 265).The team expects to get improved production from LB/FBRobby Deaver, TE/LB Josh Marquez and RB/CB RomeoRobertson.Peoria: The Panthers might be as balanced as they havebeen in awhile. Coach Will Babb will count on LBs FrankieLeal (120 tackles, 16 for loss) and Donovan Yabo (81/9),RB Akeem Rutledge (800 yards, 16 TDs), QB AnthonyGuevara (6 starts, 140-yard average, 10 TDs), OL LucasEsparza and PK Kenneth Castellanos (6-7 FG, longest of53).Sunrise Mountain: Coach James Carter will rely heavilyon an improved offensive line, but needs to shore up someof his skill positions. The Mustangs’ top players are STristin Decker, QB/WR/LB Garrett Weisinger, LB MattBuckhannon, O-linemen Jacob Leonard and Mike Bralish(both two-year starters), and sophomore QB Chase Cord,who started five games as a freshman and threw for 1,300yards.Section iiCholla: It will be one step at a time for first-year coach VirgilHenderson and his team. The Chargers were winless ayear ago, but give the returning players credit – they areout to make something of themselves. The top players areOL/DL Dandre Yancey, OL/DL Jerome Doss, RB/DBArmando Vasquez and RB/DB Jamie Gallegos.page 29Douglas: New coach Riki Valdez takes over a youngteam, but one that has potential. Valdez considers BlakeRose to be one of the best QBs in southern Arizona. Thedefense will be led by FS Aaron Maytapene.Empire: In its second year in Division III, coach W.T. Jeffries’team has good skill players, but needs a strong offensiveline to allow them to flourish. The team might beable to create problems for opponents with return menEthan Eagerton and Isaiah Martin. Other key players areQB Lorenzo Sanchez, RB/LB Mike Shalvay, OL/DL EarlHastings, RB/OLB K.C. Finn and WR/DB Tommy Letarte.Sabino: Clearly the class of the section and one of thebest in the division. Coach Jay Campos’ Sabercats willhave good speed but need to strengthen their play upfront. Campos has an outstanding QB in Emilio Araiza(2,550 yards, 36 TDs, only 6 INTs). Leading tackler TylerFellner is back at LB, and sacks leader Marcus Edwards isback on the prowl from his DL spot.Section iiiApache Junction: The slate is clean for the first-yearcoach Vance Miller and the Prospectors. Miller says involvementin the program has increased 25 percent over2013. Start with Adam Abbatacola, referred to by Miller as
Page 5: By Jose Garcia, aia365.comFollowing
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Page 13 and 14: need to have more success in sectio
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Page 18 and 19: Salpointe Aims at D-II Repeat With
Page 20 and 21: By Les Willsey, aia365.comFootball
Page 23 and 24: yards and 12 TDs last year and led
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Page 35 and 36: Show Low No. 1 Pick in D-IVShow Low
Page 37 and 38: Football Division IV PreviewBy Don
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Page 41 and 42: By Jose Garcia, aia365.comNo. 1 Yum
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Page 47 and 48: By Jose Garcia, aia365.comNo. 1 Bag
Page 49 and 50: Football Division VI PreviewBagdad:
Page 51 and 52: 2013 Div. II State Championship Bra
Page 53 and 54: 2013 Div. IV State Championship Bra
Page 55: 2013 Div. VI State Championship Bra

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