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gry, but after having to watch the semis and
finals for the first time in almost a decade,
they figure to be ravenous in 2016. Hamilton
finished 10-2 last year, but it's stunning, late
loss in the quarters to eventual champ Centennial
left a bad taste. Coach Steve Belles,
two wins shy of 200 in his career, has some
pieces to work with in righting the wrong from
last mid-November. It starts with a big, smart
quick O-line led by Sr. Tyler Stephens, Sr.
Jack Patterson, Jr. Hunter
Wayginnes and Sr. Jacob Barnard, That line
is the springboard for a commitment to the
run, which features backs Jr. Jawhar Jordan
and Sr. Tyler Alexander and a top-notch receiver
in Sr. Chance Brewington. Interior D-
linemen Sr. Joshua Bosolet and Sr. Jared
Darby are deemed unblockable by Belles.
Hamilton seeks some replacements at linebacker
and in the secondary. There are lots
of players to choose from. If those pan out,
watch out.
Perry: For the Pumas to keep up in with
their region brethren, they need to execute
more of the basics, according to coach Preston
Jones. On defense that means eliminate
an excess of big plays and creation of more
turnovers. On offense it’s scoring in the red
zone and taking care of the ball. Those
things happened quite infrequently last year
in a 4-7 season that finished with seven successive
losses. Perry returns ample skill
players led by Sr. Nate James, Jr, Cutter
Hatch, Jr. Brock Purdy and Jr. Kenny Fultz.
The latter trio combined for nearly 1,200
yards rushing and Purdy shared time at quarterback
in 2015, passing for better than
1,000 yards. James' stats stood out the most
with 51 receptions for 974 yards and 8 TDs.
Offensive and defensive lines will be a work
in progress from the outset. Sr. Clayton Nocella,
a linebacker, is the Pumas' top returning
tackler.
DESERT VALLEY REGION
Boulder Creek: Nowhere to go but up in
2016 for the Jaguars. They have a new
coach in Anthony Casarella. He's tasked to
make inroads for a program that produced a
1-10 record on the field and qualified for
postseason in team-thin D-I (17 teams, 16
made the playoffs). Boulder Creek lost a
bunch of starters to graduation and transfer,
including a solid starting quarterback. The
good news is its new region features three
teams who competed in D-II last year plus
Horizon, the only team it defeated on the
field last year. The schedule isn't as rigorous
so odds of improvement are high. Leading
returnees are receivers Sr. Tristen D'Angelo
and Willie Muller and Sr. Tyler Mackey and
Sr. Wyatt Henderson, linebacker and D-lineman,
respectively.
Desert Mountain: The Wolves begin the
new season with their third head coach in as
many seasons. David Sedmak, an assistant
at Desert Mountain for two seasons, comes
Spencer Rattler, Pinnacle (photo by Kevin Abele of maxpreps.com)
over from a one-year stint as head coach at
Scottsdale Prep. Sedmak has been on the
job less than two months after getting hired
in mid-June to replace Mike Morrissey, who
left for a job in Illinois. Sedmak takes the
reins of a team 6-5 in D-II last year. Top returning
players are quarterback Sr. Austin
Nuessle and wide receiver Sr. Kade
Warner. Nuessle passed for 2,479 yards and
29 TDs. Warner had 96 catches for 1,142
yards. Other weapons are versatile RB-R Jr.
Josh Walker and and receiver Sr. Brett Teller.
Leaders on defense are strong safety Sr.
Rourke Freeburg (81 tackles, 3 sacks) and
linebacker Sr. Cody Liebeskind.
Horizon: The Huskies also tote a new
head coach with Ty Wisdom coming over
from Valley Vista. Wisdom served as offensive
coordinator at Valley Vista and replaces
Kris Heavner. Horizon has been offense
minded, but improvement on defense is
paramount. Horizon gave up 515 points last
season, nearly 300 more than it scored. Horizon
has allowed 330 points or more each of
the last three seasons. That worked with a
prolific offense two of those seasons, but last
year the sub-par defense was glaring. Horizon
is going to be young, but has some talent.
Speedy Jr. Dylan Lizarraga, a receiver
-slotback, OL Jr. Hunter Weber and DE Jr.
Justin Segura are players to build around.
Mountain Ridge: The Mountain Lions
look to rebound from a 3-7 season, one that
ended with a win to snap a six-game losing
streak. Bobby Green begins his 11th season
as head coach. Top returning players are
QB Sr. Elijah Lorence and DL Sr. Gabe King.
Lorence passed for 1,994 yards and 13 TDs
and added 806 yards rushing, 9 TDs.
Lorence will work on reducing interceptions
(16 last year). King is a monster up front. He
led in tackles last year with 91 and contributed
7 sacks. Mountain Ridge opens the
season with a home game vs. Tucson High,
a much friendlier slate than last year. Mountain
Ridge faced Skyline, Marcos de Niza
and Saguaro in consecutive weeks. Those
were three of D-II's final four.
Pinnacle: There's plenty to be excited
about for the Pioneers even though they
were one-and-done in postseason last year.
The playoff loss was a heartbreaking, double-overtime
decision to Brophy. Longtime
coach Dana Zupke possesses one of the
best young quarterback's in the state in So.
Spencer Rattler. Rattler passed for 2,381
yards and 19 TDs last year. Sr. Dalton
Cash and Sr. Nick Spohn weren't Rattler's
top targets last year, but should emerge as
those in 2016. Helping protect Rattler in the
pocket is O-line college recruit Sr. Ben
Thomas, (6-3, 300). The leader on defense is
cornerback Jr. Dylan Stevenson (37 tackles,
5 INT). Zupke is confident in an experienced
offensive line and an athletic secondary, but
the Pioneers need to fill linebacking spots
and be more disciplined on defense. Better
balance on offense is a goal to alleviate
focus on Rattler.
Sandra Day O'Connor: Keeping a postseason
streak alive. That's what the Eagles
are striving for as coach John Rodriguez's
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