Sollenberger Classic Teams Magazine Cover Return Home

Sollenberger Classic, Teams,
Magazine Cover Return Home
By Jose Garcia
azpreps365.com
The placement of Arizona high school football teams and the Sollenberger
Classic are returning to their roots.
Beginning this year, divisions and sections are out, and classifications
and regions are back in as the new homes of teams. Also returning
home after a one-year hiatus and two years in Nevada is the
Sollenberger Classic.
In the spirit of the homecomings, this year’s edition of the Sollenberger
AZ Football Prep Magazine is also turning back the clock with
the design of the magazine’s cover. Before Barry Sollenberger, the
Arizona Interscholastic Association’s historian, passed away in 2005,
the cover pages of his preseason football magazines had a familiar
look.
With Barry’s pre-2005 issues in mind, we went with a similar look
for this year’s cover, with mug shots of some of the state’s best players
and a centerpiece photo.
We did so, because Arizona is once again hosting the football
event, the Classic, that honors Barry’s 30-plus years of covering and
archiving AZ’s high school sports history.
After Barry died, his good friend and publishing partner, Dave
Kukulski, continued to produce an AZ preseason football issue. Two
years ago, azpreps365.com jumped in to help continue Sollenberger’s
AZ Football Prep Magazine, an Arizona football tradition that
Barry started in 1971. Barry also teamed up with friend Steve Paynter
of paynterpics.com for the magazine’s photos.
This year’s cover centerpiece photo of Basha quarterback Ryan
Kelley was shot by Paynter. One of Barry’s magazine sponsors, Cox
7, rejoined us this year with an ad that features its Thursday night
2016 high school football season broadcast schedule.
Flagstaff Coconino High School is the site of this year’s Sollenberger
Classic on Aug. 20. The event will spotlight returning West
Valley state champions Centennial and Desert Edge and a rematch
of last year’s playoff overtime nail-bitter Brophy won over Pinnacle,
avenging a regular season final second loss to Pinnacle.
Two football games in one day at one site, a perfect day for Barry.
Barry and his good friend, former Tempe Marcos de Niza coach
Ron Cosner, used to attend two football games every Friday night.
2016 Sollenberger Classic
The Aug. 20 games between Brophy-Pinnacle and Centennial-
Desert Edge will start at 1 and 6 p.m., respectively.
azpreps365.com will live stream each game. After the first game,
stay tuned to azpreps365.com for a sit down interview with Arizona
high school football coaching legends Pat Farrell, Karl Kiefer, Bill Mitton,
Jim Murphy, and Jesse Parker.
Sollenberger Classic results
2006: The first game honoring Barry was held at Sun Devil Stadium
on the campus of Arizona State University. Chandler Hamilton,
the 2005 AIA 5A Division I state runner-ups, defeated Mesa Red
Mountain 21-7.
2007: The Phoenix Brophy Prep Broncos hosted Tucson Salpointe
Catholic at Phoenix College on Thursday, Aug. 23. The Broncos
defeated Salpointe Catholic 33-17 to take hold of the
Sollenberger Classic Trophy.
2008: Phoenix Brophy
Prep, the 2007 AIA 5A D-I
state champions, defeated
Las Vegas Bishop Gorman,
the 2007 NIAA 4A state
champions, 16-6. The game
was played at University of
Phoenix Stadium, home to
the Arizona Cardinals.
2009: The Sollenberger
Classic was played in Reno,
Nevada at MacKay Stadium
on the campus of the University
of Nevada, Reno.
AIA 5A D-II defending state
champion Peoria Centennial
defeated NIAA 4A defending
state champion Reno Mc-
Queen 51-20.
2010: The Hamilton Huskies and Bishop Gorman Gaels made
their second Sollenberger Classic appearance in 2010 at NAU’s J.
Lawrence Walkup Skydome. The Huskies, the AIA defending 5A-I
state champion, defeated the Gaels, the NIAA defending 4A state
champion 24-17 in a tightly contested game.
2011: The Sollenberger Classic was hosted at University of
Phoenix Stadium. This marked the first year the Classic featured two
games. In the first game, the NIAA Class 3A runner-up, Moapa Valley,
defeated the AIA Class 3A defending state champ Show Low 28-
26. In the second game, the NIAA Class 4A defending state
champion, Bishop Gorman, defeated the AIA Class 5A-II defending
state champion, Chaparral, 42-22.
2012: University of Phoenix Stadium was host for the second
straight year and third time in the history of the Sollenberger Classic.
In the first game, the AIA D-IV defending state champions, Blue
Ridge High School, defeated the NIAA Class 3A runner-up, Moapa
Valley, 23-14. In the second game, the AIA D-I state champion Desert
Vista defeated the NIAA 4A Sunset Region runner-up, Palo Verde,
20-10.
2013: Fertitta Field on the campus of Bishop Gorman High School
played host to the 2013 Sollenberger Classic, presented by Station
Casinos. In the first game, 2012 AIA D-I state runner-up Mountain
Pointe defeated 2012 NIAA D-I Champion Bishop Gorman 28-21. In
the second game AIA D-II state semi-finalist Salpointe Catholic defeated
2012 NIAA D-I State Runner-up Liberty 48-7.
2014: The Sollenberger Classic, presented by Station Casinos,
was again held at Fertitta Field on the campus of Bishop Gorman
High School. In the first game, 2013 NIAA D-I champion Bishop Gorman
defeated 2013 AIA D-I quarterfinalist Brophy Prep 44-0. In the
second game, 2013 AIA D-I champion Mountain Pointe defeated
2013 NIAA Division I runner-up Reed 66-13.
Cover photo credits: Mountain Pointe’s Isaiah Pola-Mao and
North Canyon’s Austin Jackson/Mark Jones, maxpreps.com;
Bagdad’s Israel Loveall and Round Valley’s Sullivan Udall/Jim
Willites, maxpreps.com; Ralph Frias/Safford High staff; Sabino’s
Drew Dixon/Andy Morales, azpreps365.com.
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