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Friday Night Notebook: Records falling, new powers rising

Entering week three of the big school high school football season, there were plenty of storylines to follow.

The best teams are starting to show out and the best players are making their names known.

A new WR record + an upset

Congrats to Marana wide receiver Dezmen Roebuck, for setting the all-time Arizona career receptions record. He made his 283rd career catch against Higley in the first half.

Roebuck is currently committed to play for the University of Washington.

The star reciever played out of his mind against Higley, with two touchdowns in a 36-28 victory over 5A favorite Higley. He also had the game sealing pick with 2:07 left in the game. And his brother Sean caught a 75 yard touchdown pass, and through one to Dezmen on a trick play. We keep saying it, but watch out for this Marana team…

 

School records are cool too.

Another elite wide receiver is Notre Dame Prep’s Cooper Perry. He surpassed current ASU WR Jake Smith in the NDP career receptions category Thursday night in a 44-24 victory over Millenium.

 

Perry is committed to play at Oregon. Notre Dame Prep (3-0) is looking like a team that can win the 5A title this year. Jake Smith won an Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year award at NDP. Perry could absolutely earn that honor this year.

A near upset

Through two weeks, many media members ranked Hamilton as the second best team in Arizona.

On Friday night Boulder Creek didn’t care about the outside noise, nearly beating Hamilton, until the Huskies found the end zone to regain the lead with 25 seconds left. Hamilton escapes 44-41.

 

This is adversity for Travis Dixon’s squad. Pulling out the win is going to be huge for Hamilton down the road. Many media members have them ranked 2nd in the state. Through three weeks, I still agree. Richard Lucero can flat out throw it all over the field. 

Upcoming QB battle

Mountain Pointe is having a great start to the season. The Pride are 2-0 against Arizona teams (lost last week to a very good Cathedral Catholic team in California). Tonight, the Pride beat Casteel 27-20.

Robert Knorr is leading this offense at a high level. However, ASU commit Michael Tollefson transferred in 10 days ago from California and could be taking the reigns soon. It’s possible both guys play for a few weeks. It’s also possible that Knorr keeps the job as the team keeps winning.

Mountain Pointe is loaded with talent. The right quarterback move can propel them to a championship. Heck, there might not even be a “wrong” move at quarterback.

Awesome moment in Flagstaff

Great story here, captured by Eric Newman! Stephen Dick gets in the game for the Eagles after missing last season with a brain  tumor. This is what high school sports should be all about!

 

Happy Birthday Coach G

Happy birthday to Chandler head coach Rick Garretson! His team rolled to a 42-12 victory against Westwood.

I don’t see many people talking about this team. That’ll change… it always does.

Unbeaten teams to monitor

Of course, Liberty is still the best team in the state. So not much to say about them, because we will be talking about them at length all season long. Tonight it was 49-20 win over Mesa Mountain View.

Thunderbird is 3-0, with a 41-7 win over Apollo tonight. There are 31 seniors on this team who love playing together. Elijah Little is a running back who should be in the conversation as the best in the state. He had 3 touchdowns Friday, including a 71 yard score. There is some magic brewing for the Titans… the kind of magic that can lead to a gold ball in December.

Brophy is 3-0 after beating Centennial 28-14. It’s not a surprise by any means, but it does mean that the culture Jason Jewell has built is connecting with all of the talent this program has. Open division is highly likely. A run in the Open, absolutely in the cards.

Perry is 3-0 following a big win over Queen Creek 21-12. Kael Snyder is a sophomore making his name known all over the state as the signal caller for the Pumas. Joe Ortiz has his culture built in year three. The premier region will be a gauntlet, but this team is built to make some noise.

Horizon is still on a roll with a new coaching staff, moving to 3-0 with a win over Kellis 44-21.

Arcadia beat Benjamin Franklin 27-26, with a late touchdown. This unbeaten team knows how to win close games. That’ll pay off in the post season. 

Snowflake is always winning. 3-0 to open the season, with a 42-0 win over Show Low.

Noteworthy losing records

2005 is the last time Saguaro football finished a season below .500. Following a 50-0 loss to Basha, the Sabercats sit at 0-3. Darius Kelly has his work cut out for him if he wants to avoid a below .500 finish. 

The bright spot for Saguaro: many starters are underclassmen so talent (if they stick around) will develop in the years to come.

Centennial is now 0-3. Losses to Hamilton, Highland, and Brophy don’t mean this is a bad team. It just means that the Open division is likely out of the picture.

After week 5, coach Richard Taylor expects 10+ transfers to start for this team. So, the Coyotes will be primed for 6A Title run. Not many teams (if any) in 6A that don’t make the Open can hang with this squad.

Notable scores

Eastmark 51 – Mesquite 0

Seton Catholic 40 – Valley Christian 14

Vista Grande 26 – St. Joseph (CA) 24

Prescott 42 – Northwest Christian 41

ACP 62 (NEW SCHOOL RECORD) – Estrella Foothills 28

Pinnacle 44 – Corona del Sol 12

Cactus 41 – Sandra Day O’Connor 30

Related posts:

Arizona Sports News online

Brophy Blemished but Not Broken Despite Sollenberger Loss Arizona Sports News online

Zone Read: On To The Quarter-Finals Arizona Sports News online

Zone Read: January Musings

Ja’kobi Lane – 2022 J.D. Hill Wide Receiver of the Year