Eric Sorenson
The extremely late night which was the “Bijan Robinson Show” in the west Valley forced the “Friday Night Rewind” to take an early bye week. It’s good to no longer be behind the chains moving forward.
So, here’s what I saw from #FridayNight360AZ this week.
Purdy Amazing…A little birdy inside the Perry football program told me late Thursday night senior quarterback Chubba Purdy had been sick this week and may not play against O’Connor.
Not only did the Louisville commit play, he dominated as the Pumas (3-1) jumped out to a big halftime lead and never looked back throttling O’Connor 41-21 on homecoming in a game which was put to bed halfway through.
.@chubbapurdy doing it all:
??? passing TD’s
? rushing TD33-0 @perrypumas over @oc_eagles nearing halftime. #FridayNight360AZ
— Eric Sorenson (@EricSports360AZ) September 14, 2019
“Last night it kicked in, my throat started hurting really bad,” Purdy told me after the game Friday. “I got like 13 hours of sleep [Thursday] and I still couldn’t function but at the end of the day today I started feeling better. I was taking some medicine so I decided to come out here and play with my teammates.”
Purdy believes he made improvements this past off-season in terms of his knowledge of the offense, ability to go deeper through his progressions and put more touch on his passes.
Pretty scary considering the 6-foot-3, 210-pounder rolled up over 4500 total yards and scored 58 touchdowns last fall.
It was the first time I’d seen Purdy play live in person and what stood out to me wasn’t just his unique lateral quickness for a player his size but how smoothly he throws the deep ball, sometimes even when the Pumas’ offensive staff moved the pocket with different formations.
Expect Perry to be 5-1 when they play old nemesis Chandler on October 4th.
Lucky 13 On Friday the 13th…Big congratulations to Valley Christian head coach Kirk Sundberg and his Trojans who snapped a 13-year losing streak to Arizona Lutheran Academy Friday night in the southeast Valley.
And just like that, QB Vinnie Lagatta finds Haagsma for the 8-yard TD.
36-6 Trojans | 6:47 2Q #VXLive pic.twitter.com/y2ZZGP3R0s
— Zach Alvira (@ZachAlvira) September 14, 2019
VC led 42-6 at halftime and never looked back in the 49-13 route. The 3-0 Trojans are clicking on all cylinders having outscored their first three opponents (Scottsdale Christian, Chino Valley and now Arizona Lutheran) 138-13.
Look out, 3A.
Three and Out…Three scores which caught my eye from Week Three.
1. Centennial bounces back, taking out Cienega 38-14 in southern Arizona. Well, you knew it had to happen to someone and unfortunately for Bobcats, they felt the wrath (again) from the Coyotes.
Centennial scores ona Jayden Young 3 yd run. Kick is good 31-7 at the start of Q4 pic.twitter.com/2yjxz9h0dn
— Coyote Football (@Cehsfootball) September 14, 2019
After falling to the unstoppable monster that is Mater Dai (CA) a week ago, you knew head coach Richard Taylor would have his team ready to go in Vail. The three-time defending 5A state champs lead 31-7 after three quarters.
In a unique scheduling quirk Centennial will return to the Tucson area next week to face Ironwood Ridge.
2. Higley goes to the Pacific northwest and pounds Rainier Beach (WA) 57-30. It’s been a struggle for the Knights, who gave up 107 points in lopsided losses to Alemany (CA) and Horizon to open the season.
Following a bounce back win last week over Marana Mountain View, Higley kept things rolling out of state.
“We played good football,” head coach Eddy Zubey said to me after the win Friday. “[Our] starting offense scored on every possession they had the ball and our starting defense only gave up one score.”
Mr. Do-It-All Isaiah Eastman had another monster game with multiple touchdowns for the Knights who will make the cross-Valley trip to Goodyear to take on Millennium next week.
3. Speaking of the Tigers…how about the 48-14 beat down of Goodyear neighbor Desert Edge to improve to 3-0. Jalan Early’s 2-yard rushing touchdown made it 28-0 in the second quarter AT Desert Edge. What a brutal two-game stretch for Jose Lucero’s team after getting run over by Salpointe last week.
As for Milliennium, head coach Lamar Early’s defense has only allowed 34 points through the first three games but the road gets much trickier taking on a rejuvenated Higley squad, who seem to have a little of their swagger back in Week Four, before heading to Peoria in two weeks to face Centennial.
