Chandler keeps winning — but just barely
As we wind down the Arizona high school football season, Week 12 supplied fireworks. Statements. Comebacks. Fillins. Shockers.
Let's wind back through and look forward to what's ahead:
Biggest takeaway
Let's just get right to it. What's going on with Chandler? OK, the Wolves are still winning. They've won 45 in a row now, the longest active winning streak in Arizona and not far from the nation's current longest, which is 51, held by Kirtland (Ohio). But the Wolves are winning by the skin of their teeth. They needed a field goal with about four minutes to go to beat Gilbert Highland 10-7. This coming a week after beating Casteel 21-17, which fell to 4-5 after losing to Desert Ridge 22-12. Highland was playing without quarterback Gage Dayley, who was in concussion protocol. The Wolves' defense has saved what has been a sporadic offense this season to keep the winning streak intact. But they look like the underdog coming into the big showdown on Nov. 12 at 9-0 Chandler Hamilton. They've been getting away with making too many mistakes — penalties, fumbles, dropped passes — in the past three games. They won't be able to get away with it against Mike Zdebski's best team since taking over at Hamilton. It's hard to imagine that Hamilton was 3-7 and didn't make the playoffs for the first time in its history just a few years ago. As for Highland, humans don't put teams into the Open. A computer does. But if I was the computer, I'd have the Hawks in the eightteam Open to make it even more of a gauntlet. Three straight losses to unbeaten Basha, Hamilton and Chandler probably sends them to 6A. Who wants to play this battle tested team in 6A?
Biggest statement
Basha's sophomores are way ahead of their time. The trio of QB Demond Williams Jr., WR Bryson Dedmon and RB/DB Miles Lockhart were total difference makers for which Mesa Mountain View didn't have an answer in a 44-30 win that completed 10-0 regular season for the Bears, who now get three weeks to get ready for the Open with next week being a bye week for them. There also is a bye week before the Open quarterfinals begin. Mountain View's best bet was to grind out long drive, keep the clock moving and give Williams as few chances as possible to be on the field. Williams was a maestro with the ball in his hands, making plays with his arm and legs. Being a sophomore and dialing up plays like this now just shows that there really is no ceiling to his game and he'll be one of the most recruited quarterbacks in the nation next year. Williams was 23 of 27 for 342 yards and two TDs with no interceptions and ran for 83 yards and a TD. Dedmon had 10 catches for 150 yards and a TD and ran for a score.
Best response
Scottsdale Chaparral quarterback Brayten Silbor doesn't have to get on social media and bemoan the fact that he's being severely under-recruited. He let's his right arm do the talking. He did it again in a 48-6 rout of Peoria Centennial, completing 22 of 26 passes for 351 yards and six touchdowns. The Coyotes double-teamed Grady Hickey, so Silbor found Gavin Higley five times for 190 yards and four TDs. Centennial has fallen to 3-6, a record not seen in Coyote country since coach Richard Taylor's building days early in his Centennial career. This is not the same Centennial team and who knows if it is now headed back down to 5A after this season. The Arizona Interscholastic Association started the Open Division three years ago because Centennial was dominating 5A and Scottsdale Saguaro 4A so much and the AIA wanted to create more parity and generate more excitement in the playoffs. But the Coyotes are only going to get demoted, because the AIA goes year to year to either promote or demote teams based on what they're doing on the playing field.
Best fill-in
With Nick Gehrts unable to lead Waddell Canyon View in the biggest game in its short history because of a positive COVID test, it called on Rudy Pacheco to take over as interim head coach. Pacheco became famous in 1985, when he took a five-loss Glendale Apollo team all the way to the state final in the biggest classification, before losing 14-7 to Phoenix St. Mary's. Apollo had stunned a highly favored Tempe McClintock in the semifinals that year. On Friday, Pacheco led Canyon View to a 56-21 win over Glendale Raymond S Kellis for the 5A Northwest Region championship. That might not be enough to put the Jaguars into the postseason, because they came into the game ranked No. 20 in 5A. The top 16 teams go. At this point, it looks like only Saguaro from 5A will be moved to the Open. Canyon View finishes against Avondale Agua Fria, which was ranked No. 19. Big-school conferences don't reward region champs with automatic state playoff berths in the 16-team brackets.
Biggest breakthrough
Gilbert Christian, which moved from 2A to 3A only to return to 2A this season, won its first-ever 11-man playoff game, beating Scottsdale Christian 42-27 in the first round of the 2A playoffs. What made it remarkable was senior running back Elijio Ledesma's breakthrough performance. Playing his first season ever in football, he ran the ball 20 times for 343 yards and four TDs. Now it's on to play at No. 4 Morenci, which advance because Whiteriver Alchesay had to forfeit due to multiple positive coronavirus cases.
Best resiliency
Two weeks after having to coach themselves, Phoenix Sierra Linda had its varsity football coaches back Friday night, and the Bulldogs went on a big second-half run to put away Phoenix Carl Hayden 33-14 to claim the 4A Copper Sky Region title. It's the first region title in school history. It's the first time the school has won this many games (seven) in a season. It's an achievement built by hard work and sticking together after the Tolleson district eliminated last year's football season due to the pandemic. The year before that, Sierra Linda went 0-10. Sierra Linda stuck together, and got junior wide receiver Stephon Daily going. He had nine catches for 254 yards and four TDs. Daily was the only player who didn't go with the team to Yuma two weeks ago when coach Nate Gill was suspended over inadequate equipment being used for games. Gill's assistants, out of support for their leader, also decided to sit out the game. But Sierra Linda, guided by administrators, beat Yuma 23-21 by calling its own plays.
Wildest finish
With the score tied at 21-21 with 6.8 seconds to play, Chandler Seton Catholic attempted a 43-yard field goal. It was blocked by Mason Stromstad, who gathered the ball and ran 67 yards for the game-winning touchdown as time ran out, giving Tempe Marcos de Niza a heart-stopping 27-21 4A win.
On the rise
Scottsdale Desert Mountain went from 3-7 two years ago to 4-3 in the COVID season to 9-1 now after beating Cave Creek Cactus Shadows 31-24 in overtime for the 5A Northeast Region championship. Outside linebacker Nolan Clement had three sacks for the Wolves, who could make big noise in the 5A playoffs. They've won seven straight games under coach Conrad Hamilton, who was patient and demanding in building the Wolves back up to being a playoff team that can win more than one game in the postseason. And it starts with defense, which is Hamilton's calling card.
Making a move
Phoenix Camelback is 7-2 and, before Friday's 65-0 rout of Phoenix Alhambra, was ranked 15th in 5A, which gets them into the playoffs. Key to his turnaround season has been the acquisition of 6foot-3, 205-pound junior QB Max Martin, a transfer from Peoria Liberty, who became eligible after the fist five games. In his first three games, he passed for 732 yards and eight TDs. But the biggest game comes next week against Glendale Apollo, which is 7-2 overall. The winner takes the 5A Metro Region title.
Around the state
—Casa Grande, finding Phoenix Arcadia for a replacement game, rolled to a 50-7 rout, as Deandrey Kelley had two receiving TDs and returned a kick for a score; Jake Sylvestre had two interceptions, returning one for a TD; and Derrick Kuykenfall had five sacks.
—Glendale Cactus, heading to the Open out of 4A, rolled past Yuma Gila Ridge 64-0. The Cobras have yet to be held below 40 points during their 9-0 season. Gila Ridge was held to 9 yards total offense. Sophomore QB Braiden Lagafuaina passed for two TDs and ran for a score.
— Horizon QB Skyler Partridge passed for five TDs and ran for another, completing 75% of his passes for 217 yards in a 50-21 win over Gilbert Campo Verde.
—Liberty didn't let Brophy score a touchdown on offense and won the 6A game 21-9, behind sophomore QB Navi Bruzon.
—Tucson Sabino advanced to the 3A quarterfinals with a 29-20 win over Show Low, as Derek Sanchez, battling from a broken wrist, had an interception, five tackles and five catches for 60 yards and a TD. Linebacker Zac Tolson had 15 tackles for Sabino.
—Two-time defending 4A champion Gilbert Mesquite rolled to a 47-10 win over Benjamin Franklin Queen Creek, as Blake Corner ran 14 times for 1821 yards and three TDs, and Gerardo Seanz was 17 of 22 for 268 yards and three TDs.
—Peoria rolls into the rivalry game against Cactus with a 42-7 win over Greenway, as Isaac Moreno caught 8 passes for 255 yards and 3 TDs. That's 31 yards a catch.
—Seth Wiltbank ran for more than 100 yards and Ryker Marble passed for more than 100 yards in Eagar Round Valley's 20-16 win over Wickenburg in the first round of the 3A playoffs.