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2016 2A Football Preview
By Jose Garcia
azpreps365.com
NORTH REGION
Alchesay: Jalin Parrish and Brandon
Newcomb have been tied at the hip since
Newcomb returned as Alchesay’s head
coach in 2014, when Parrish was named
the starting quarterback. Heading into Parrish’s
third year as the starting QB, Newcomb
wants Parrish to continue bringing
some stability to the Whiteriver program
and to his position. Playmaker Tyreck
Cosay, a returning second-team All-Section
player, DL TJ Henry and OL Anakin Parker
are also capable of shouldering the leadership
roles. The season starts in August, but
for Alchesay it really began during the summer
workouts, where the level of commitment
needs to rise, Newcomb said. During
the summer Newcomb also was hoping to
fill a couple of open spots on the offensive
and defensive lines as well as find a fullback,
linebacker and free safety. “We are
expecting to be playing football in November,”
the coach said. Lineman Lloyd Cheney
wants to keep a streak intact. He hasn’t
missed a day of school since his kindergarten
days, Newcomb said. Congrats and
good luck, young man.
Region Notes: Red Mesa is coming off
back-to-back 7-3 seasons, but only four
starters and seven lettermen are back this
year. … Hopi finished 8-3 last year under
first-year coach Raleigh Namoki but graduated
a slew of skill players, and 16 of its 20
players were seniors last year. … Many
Farms went 5-5 last year, its best season
under eight-year coach John Willie. …
Pinon was 2-8 last year and will strive not to
give up the points it did last year. … Rock
Point only won one game last year but had
a chance to win four total. … Valley is looking
to finally post a .500 record or better
after winning four games in each of the past
four seasons.
EAST REGION
Miami: Was the revival of Miami into a
playoff winning program a one-year tale?
With 17 of last year’s 27 players no longer
with the team, a repeat of last year’s 9-3
breakthrough season might look bleak. But
a couple of very important pieces are still in
place, so don’t write this year’s team off.
The Maxpreps fourth leading returning tackler
in Arizona, Joe Castaneda, Miami’s MVP
last year, is back to torment teams and so is
Miami’s entire offensive line, led by Dusty
Brunson. The skill positions also weren’t depleted
even with the loss of the team’s leading
rusher and receiving yard gainer last
year, Joseph Radke. A couple of young but
experienced players, QB Zabriel Saenz and
Keegan Graff, Benson (photo by Mark Jones of maxpreps.com)
junior Gabe Gomez (638 rushing yards last
year), as well as seniors Diego Garcia
(team’s second leading wide receiver last
year) and RB/WR Jimmy Durnan can help
Miami’s offense control the clock. New
coach David Klassen spent a year coaching
and learning under Randy Ricedorff at
Show Low. The 102nd meeting between
Miami and Globe is scheduled for Sept. 2 at
Miami. “Our team lost some key players
from last year’s squad, but the boys have
been working hard to play at the same level
as last year’s team,” Klassen said.
Pima: “We should be a solid team,” said
coach Jace Hancock, whose team went undefeated
last year and won the 8-man
crown. “We are moving up a division, but
still have a solid corps of players, a strong
junior class and four dominant seniors.”
Twins Justin (6-5, 220) and Jarred (6-5,
220) Kartchner, OL/DL Hadley Schmidt, and
OL/DL Ethan Claridge are the dominant
seniors. Junior RB/CB Aaron Judd is the
other dominant player on the team. Juniors
Josh Whitaker and Ryne Lewis were dueling
for the starting QB spot. Pima’s JV team
played a handful of 11-man games last year
to prepare for this year. “We are just going
to have to regroup and learn the new teams
and see what they are running,” Hancock
(48-5 at Pima) said.
Round Valley: Sullivan Udall, “a smart
player with cutting ability,” added some
muscle in the offseason. Not only did Udall
rush for 1,555 yards, but the DB also is the
team’s returning leading tackler. At 5-6, 140
pounds, Dylan Workman was a starting
page 34
linebacker last year and wound up with 66
tackles — as a freshman. Workman will get
his share of reps at WR this year since two
of the three leading receivers last year
graduated. Senior WR Marshall Donaldson
and junior RB/LB/S Markas Adams also will
add some offensive punch to help keep the
focus off the offensive leaders. Sr. OL/DL
John Stokes is coming back from a knee injury
and should help fill one of the open
slots on the O-line. “This is a close group of
guys,” coach Marcus Bell said. “They’ve
played together a lot. They are not selfish,
and that’s a sign of a team that can be special.”
San Carlos: Ninth-year coach Shawn
Pietila returns eight starters on each side of
the ball. WR/S Dorian Ganilla, FS/HB Adriano
Steele, HB/CB Tristan Sneezy (98 tackles
last year), HB/FS Al Case Jr. (352
receiving yards and 5 TD catches), WR/DB
Raymond Sneezy, WR/CB Xavier Allen
(14.7 yards per carry in 2015), and DT/C
Lydell Clark are some of the key returning
starters who spent a lot of time in the weight
room, preparing for their tough 2016 region
schedule. Ganilla and Steele are undecided
about their college football plans. “We want
to make the state playoffs for the first time
in school history or at least win six games,
which would be the most in school history,”
Pietila said.
St. Johns: The best case scenario
panned out for St. Johns in its late summer
search for a new head coach. But now the
real work begins. Even with coaching legend
Mike Morgan returning to steer St.