HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL REWIND
Spotlight game
What more does Gilbert Perry QB Brock Purdy need to do to get a Power 5 football offer after his game for the ages in a 65-63 6A Premier Region victory over previously No. 2-ranked Chandler Hamilton? A week after Hamilton shut out Chandler Basha 56-0, Purdy rolled up 556 total yards and seven touchdowns (four passing). On the game’s second play, he ran 81 yards for a score. He had 364 passing yards and 192 rushing. It offset the great performances turned in by Hamilton QB and Oregon commit Tyler Shough (225 yards and three TDs) and Syracuse-committed running back Jawhar Jordan (275 yards rushing, six TDs). Even Shough was impressed enough by Purdy’s performance to tweet this out afterwards, “Offer this man! True playmaker.”
What we learned
Chandler is still the team to beat in 6A. It can make a big statement Friday in its rivalry game at home against Hamilton before the playoffs start. But who can catch the Wolves? Perry, Hamilton, Mesa Desert Ridge, Phoenix Mountain Pointe and Phoenix Pinnacle all have legitimate shots to make it to the final. It’s going to take health, speed, defense, balance and a few lucky breaks to unseat the defending state champions, it appears, with Chandler healthy again.
On the rise
At 5-4, Glendale Copper Canyon already has its most wins in a season in the school’s 11-year history. Following a 60-19 debacle to Mesa, Copper Canyon has won five of seven. And even though it won’t be enough to get into the playoffs, the Aztecs have two Southwest Region wins. Copper Canyon had only one region win in the history of the school entering coach Shawn Kemmer’s fourth season. Kemmer was 1-9 and 0-10 his first two years. He has surrounded himself with good assistants who are on the same page and has players who have bought in. Junior quarterback Chase Pope hasn't had to throw the ball 50 times a game with the running game working the way it has been.
Making a move
Glendale running back Isaiah Briggs ran for 291 yards and six TDs on just 17 carries, lifting Glendale to a 55-22 win over Camelback that gave the Cardinals seven wins for the first time since 2005. A win over Glendale Independence provides hope that Glendale could get into the 5A state playoffs. Laveen Betty Fairfax has clinched the Union Region title.
Under the radar
Tempe McClintock clinched its first winning season since 2006 with a 19-15 5A victory over Phoenix Sunnyslope. Under first-year coach Corbin Smith and with lightning-quick running back Tyrese Green making big plays, the Chargers are in position to clinch a state playoff spot. McClintock came into Friday’s game ranked 15th, one spot out of state. Lower seeds that win regions will bump bubble teams. McClintock needs to beat Maricopa (5-4) in Friday’s regular-season finale to make sure it doesn’t get bumped. “To be honest, we aren’t worried about the playoffs,” Smith said. “This team, these players and coaches, prepare for one game at a time. Last night was a huge step for our program and we have secured our first winning season in 11 years. We are now focused on a very good and exceptionally well-coached Maricopa team. I’m very, very proud of these kids and coaches and humbled by all those that have supported us.”
Around the state
» Marana junior quarterback Trenton Bourguet was 9 for 9 for 185 yards and three TDs in the first half, and his younger brother Coben, a sophomore, went 2 for 3 for 51 yards and a score in the second half of a 64-16 rout of Tucson Desert View that gave the Tigers their seventh consecutive win after starting the season 0-2.
» Chandler Seton Catholic continued its resurgent season under third-year coach Gary Galante with a 45-14 win over Casa Grande, as junior QB Vincent Wallace passed for 271 yards and three TDs and junior Nick Wade ran for 202 yards and two scores. Seton (8-1) can capture the 4A Desert Sky Region title with a win Friday over Gilbert Higley (8-1).
» Vail Cienega QB Jamarye Joiner, an Arizona commit, showed why the Bobcats are 9-0. He passed for four TDs and ran for two, including in overtime to give the Bobcats a 56-55 victory over Oro Valley Ironwood Ridge. The game featured back-to-back kickoff returns for touchdowns – first by Ironwood Ridge’s David Phelps, then Cienega’s Terrell Hayward.
» Buckeye Youngker was on the verge of beating its biggest rival for the first time in school history, but Buckeye rallied from a 39-21 deficit late in the third quarter and pulled out a 40-39 win on a 90-yard scoring drive directed by QB Joseph Perez, capping it with a 4-yard TD run.
» Sierra Vista Buena stunned Marana Mountain View 49-48 in a 5A clash, as sophomore QB Jovoni Bordon threw five TD passes, one at the end of regulation and another in OT. Buena (5-4) had a 22-game losing streak snapped early in the season, winning four in a row, before losing three straight.
» Gilbert Christian QB Nick Hershey passed for 379 yards and four TDs and had a rushing score in a 53-14 2A win over Camp Verde. WR Drew Debree caught five passes for 161 yards and three TDs. He also had 71⁄2 tackles and an interception, his eighth on the season.
» Gilbert Highland beat rival Gilbert 41-34, spoiling a great effort by senior QB Jack Plummer (288 yards, five TDs passing; 107 rushing yards).
» Anthem Boulder Creek knocked Phoenix Horizon out of the azcentral sports top 10 in 6A with a 12-10 win, ending the Huskies’ seven-game win streak. Boulder Creek’s five losses this season came against Hamilton, Peoria Liberty (8-1), Queen Creek, Phoenix Pinnacle and Mesa Red Mountain. Cole Johnson had a 51-yard field goal in the loss for Horizon.
» Tucson Salpointe Catholic beat Tucson Catalina Foothills 36-7 for the 4A Kino Region title, as RBs Bijan Robinson (151 yards, three TDs) and Mario Padilla (116 yards, 2 TDs) ran wild.
» Gilbert Higley RB Draycen Hall had 14 carries for 156 yards and three TDs and Spencer Brasch was 14 of 22 for 207 yards and four TDs in a 59-3 rout of Tempe Marcos de Niza.
» Senior QB Max Massingale completed all seven of his passes for 202 yards and a TD in a 48-0 rout of Phoenix Shadow Mountain. He has more than 2,000 yards on the season.
» Goodyear Desert Edge RB Rocky Perez had 253 rushing yards and two TDs in a 28-14 win over Glendale Deer Valley.
» Super 10 No. 1 Peoria Centennial rolled to a 42-0 halftime lead and cruised to a 49-0 rout of Surprise Willow Canyon.
» Eagar Round Valley, trying to hold onto the No. 1 seed in 2A, dominated Pima 61-8, as Markas Adams threw two TD passes to Michael Mariscal, including a 70-yarder.
– Richard Obert, azcentral sports