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Best in the West 2023: Nov. 17 Spotlight

Only a handful of teams remain standing as champions will be crowned over the next few weeks. With the state semifinals on the horizon this weekend, we dig into some of the big matchups happening in the West Valley this Friday night!

 

Game of the Week: #8 Hamilton @ #1 Liberty

For the second consecutive year, the Liberty Lions hold the top seed in the Open Division Playoffs. Also for the second consecutive year, the Lions open the postseason against a team they beat in the regular season.

LHS handily took care of business against the 8-seeded Hamilton Huskies in the season opener, 56-20, en route to a program-defining season that featured a 9-0 record against Arizona opponents and won those games by an average score of 44-7.  Senior quarterback and defending Gatorade Arizona Player of the Year, Navi Bruzon, threw for three touchdowns and rushed in another while Nevada transfer, Jon Wilson, made his presence known in Arizona with 209 rush yards and three TDs of his own.

And now Liberty faces the daunting task of trying to defeat the seven-time AIA State Champions for a second time this year. Hamilton junior QB, Rich Lucero Jr. was thrust into taking over the offense nearly a month ago against Casteel and went 2-1 as the Huskies’ primary QB. He’ll face a stout Liberty defense that features junior, Caden Branston, who racked up a pair of tackles for loss in the season opener against Hamilton, and a stout senior, Zane Tallman, who led LHS in tackles in Week 1 which evolved into 66 total tackles on the season. And don’t take your eyes off of four-year starter, Keaton Stam, or the Lions’ standout sophomore, Hudson Dunn, who leads the team with 11.5 sacks.

Alongside a staggering ground game that features a combined 27 touchdowns from Bruzon and Wilson, Liberty’s receiving core has only continued to get better through the season and no defense has found a way to slow them down. Senior, Braylon Gardner leads the team with 10 reception touchdowns alongside 959 receiving yards. Fellow seniors Chris McKivitz and Ryan Wolfer have also been reliable options that defenses have struggled to cover. Plus, senior Ryan Jezioro, has accumulated seven touchdowns after missing the first four games of the season due to injury.

This is Liberty’s fourth straight season qualifying for the Open Division Playoffs and just the second meeting between these two powerhouses all-time. The winner moves on to the Open Division semifinals on a neutral field against either four-seeded Chandler or the fifth seed, Highland.

 

#6 Desert Mountain @ #3 Centennial

For the fourth time in program history, the Centennial Coyotes have qualified for the Open Division Playoffs but are still in search of their first victory in Arizona’s premiere postseason bracket. After spending most of the season as the AIA’s top-ranked team, the seven-time AIA state champs look to earn that win against the only 5A Conference team in the Open Playoff, Desert Mountain.

A flawless season that featured four shutouts was spoiled in the final week of the season against fellow Peoria school, Liberty. Desert Moutain also only has a single blemish on their schedule and shined on offense by scoring at least three touchdowns in every game this season. The Centennial defense has been a substantial bright spot though through senior safety, Iverson Small, who not only led the team with 99 tackles but also found a way to snag five interceptions in 2023. Washington commit, Noah Carter, has been a menace all year, stacking up ten sacks and 51 total tackles. 

Senior running back, Tony Greer, has been electric for the Coyotes offense this season with 100 carries for 761 yards and seven TDs. Sophomore quarterback, Kainan Manna, continues to improve as a leader for CeHS. The s’more threw for 1,631 yards as 15 touchdowns while only giving up a single interception. His favorite target has been Noah Carter, who has reeled in 27 catches for 606 yards and seven touchdowns. But defenses can’t take pressure off of senior, Kenneth Worthy either after a 548-yard season that featured four scores of his own.

This is the first meeting in program history between Centennial and Desert Mountain. The victor of this game moves on to the Open Division semifinals on neutral field to battle either #2 Basha or the seven-seed ALA – Queen Creek.

 

#11 Campo Verde @ #5 Apollo

One of the most impressive teams in the 5A Conference this season has been Glendale’s Apollo Hawks. This Friday night, AHS has a chance to earn the program’s third semifinal appearance and what would be their first since their lone state championship appearance in 1985.

Following their only loss on the season against Sunnslope in week two, the Hawks have won every contest by 21 points or more. After winning their opening-round game against #12 Casa Grande, they face the 13-seed Campo Verde. While CVHS is only 6-5 this year, their five losses come against two of the top eight seeds in the 5A Conference, two Open Division qualifiers, and the only team who has beaten Apollo this year, Sunnyslope.

The star of Apollo’s standout season has undoubtedly been senior running back and UArizona commit, Adam Mohammed, who has collected an unfathomable 35 rush touchdowns this year on 148 carries for 1,861 yards. Mohammed has also been used in the pass game with junior quarterback, Sylus Stevenson, who has thrown two of his 15 touchdown passes to Mohammed. Senior defensive end, Damien Khaivilay, has been a monster attacking the ball with 25 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, and 63 total tackles. And don’t get too greedy throwing around senior, Trey Smith, who has racked up five interceptions for 107 INT yards.

This is the first all-time meeting between Apollo and Campo Verde. The winner moves on to the 5A Conference semifinals against either #1 Higley or #8 Millennium, hosted by the higher seed.

 

#7 Notre Dame Prep @ #2 Desert Edge

Flirting with an Open Division seed all season long, Desert Edge ends up as one of the favorites for the 5A Conference crown. An impressive 8-2 season only saw losses to Open Division #3 seed, Centennial, and 5A #4 seed, Cactus. DEHS eventually earned the second seed and defeated 15-seed Buena in the opening round.

The quarterfinals now set up a rematch against their week two opponent, Notre Dame Prep, which was one of NDP’s six losses this season in one of the most difficult schedules in the 5A Conference. Desert Edge squeaked out a 35-28 victory against Notre Dame Prep back on Sept. 1 as senior cornerback, Aundre Gibson, rushed for 101 yards and two TDs while senior receiver Kezion Dia-Johnson caught eight passes for 137 yards and a touchdown.

Meanwhile, the defense will have to limit NDP’s senior quarterback, Noah Trigueros, who kept the Saints in the game earlier this season with four touchdown passes and has played a consistent season. The defense will lean on their stars such as senior DE and OLB, Kansas commit Deshawn Warner, who has broken through for 14 sacks and 18 TFL while also causing a whopping seven fumbles. 

This is the eleventh meeting between Desert Edge and Notre Dame. The winner moves forward to battle either #3 Horizon or #6 ALA – Gilbert North in the 5A semifinals at the high seed.

 

Be sure to head out and support your local teams this Friday night! Also, keep watch at Sports360AZ for all of our high school football content including Bleacher Talk, Zone Read, AZ Audibles, Recruiting Roundup, and more.

Join the conversation on Twitter using #FridayNight360AZ and follow @Sports360AZ to keep up with the action from across the state on Friday nights!

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