Ralph Amsden
With Marana’s Dezmen Roebuck shattering the all-time Arizona state receptions record, which was set last year by ALA Gilbert North’s Brandon Phelps, and Notre Dame Prep’s Cooper Perry breaking Jake Smith’s school records, and finishing 3rd all-time in career receiving TDs, I think it’s time to ask the question- who is the best receiver in Arizona High School Sports history?
Before I reveal my thoughts, I called in some help from some media friends to give me their take on the best wideouts they’ve covered in their time around AZ prep football…
Brad Cesmat (CEO, Sports360AZ)
“Former NFL Pro Bowler Ron Jessie who played for the Yuma Criminals would have to be on that list. Vance Johnson from Cholla would be on there too. Not only was he an impact player at University of Arizona and in the NFL, he was also an Olympic-level long jumper. Bobby Wade (Desert Vista), N’keal Harry (Chandler) and Duce Robinson (Pinnacle) would have to be on that list as well.”
Alec Simpson (Catapult, former Arizona Varsity analyst)
“While covering the 2020, 2021, and 2022 classes in Arizona, there’s one wide receiver prospect that stands out amongst the rest of the pack, and that’s Brenden Rice out of Hamilton.
He went on to play at both Colorado and USC, then the NFL with the Los Angeles Chargers, but it was clear even under the Friday Night Lights, he was a Sunday player. Rice could stretch the field vertically and run past some of the region’s top DBs at all of (then) 6’3 200 pounds, and he had this unique combination of natural suddenness and explosiveness for someone of his size, and it made him a problem in the open field. Physicality when he attacked the football in the air, along with his violent blocking presence is really what sold me on Rice.”
Eric Newman (Daily Sun)
“My initial answer is Jihad Marks from Desert Edge. I was pretty new to covering high schools, and he was faster than everyone he played at the 4A level. All they needed to do was get him the ball on a screen, or have him hit a go route and he was getting yards.”
James Poovey (Epic Sports TV)
“Ja’Kobi Lane from Red Mountain. It’s all about making a play, especially in high school football, and Ja’Kobi was THE playmaker during his Red Mountain tenure. The kind of guy who did not need help folding that bedsheet, he had that wingspan!”
Lee Patterson (KATO- AM)
“At the junior college level I’d have to say Tristan McClelland at Mesa Community College- a 2013 Marcos de Niza grad.
He was a big kid. 6’4, 225. Ran well, caught everything. Caught 72 passes that hear and had 11 TDs. Tough to defend.”
Eliav Gabay (Sports360AZ)
“It’s between Duce Robinson and Jakobi Lane, but I’m rolling with Duce Robinson.
Not only because you HAD to double him, and his versatility as a receiver to go after deep balls or play in the slot, but because of the overall impact he had on winning.
Blocking, strong motor, communicator, leader- and he’s as smart as he is physically imposing. Not to mention, being a baseball star as well in his time at Pinnacle.”
Jordan Spurgeon (Sports360AZ)
“Ja’Kobi Lane because he does some things on a football field that no one should be able to do at that position. He’s been catching footballs one-handed from all angles since he first started walking. It seemed like every week he would go viral on social media for a ridiculous catch. He also does all the regular things receivers need to do at a very high level. USC is lucky to have him and the whole country will know his name by the end of this season.”
Jason Jewell (Brophy Head Coach, former Head of 24-7Football on Scout)
“Man, there’s been many. Kids that come to mind are Christian Kirk, and Devon Allen. I really loved Chris McGaha.
Mekel Wesley was awesome, but not best I’ve ever seen. Kerry Taylor was really good. All the Taylors were (Kendall, Kolby). Drew Terrell too. Dion Jordan was a freak athlete, but not best receiver ever. Davonte Neal has to be in the mix. Javon Williams was a stud. Jalen Brown was smooth! Mark Andrews has to be up there. Plus you have Cam Denson and N’Keal Harry. You made me think back in the archives!
My criteria are consistency, reliability and if you can just make plays baby!”
Claudia Collins (Sports360AZ)
“Brandon Phelps immediately comes to mind. I think his stat lines and records speak for themselves. In ways he looked like the underdog, and in my opinion outlets didn’t have him ranked high enough amongst players in his class in the state and nationally. I mean he had over 4,000 receiving yards and 51 touchdowns to break two records previously set by Christian Kirk. Off the field he’s just a smart kid, he’s a leader with a good head on his shoulders. I also admire his choice to stay committed to UofA and continue his football career there instead of potentially following Jefd Fisch to UW (especially because I believe he grew up a UW fan).”
Zach Alvira (HypaMark, former Times Media)
“There are so many good players. I think I can answer this in two ways. The best receiver, in my opinion, that I’ve seen (key word) is likely Bobby Wade. My sister was friends with him and we lived right by Desert Vista before moving to Gilbert, so we were at every home game. He didn’t disappoint. He may have created the term “big play ability” and he helped Desert Vista become a powerhouse early on.
The best receiver(s) I’ve personally covered would have to be Kyion Grayes or Brenden Rice. Both were incredible for Chandler and Hamilton. Amazing catches, amazing leaders and once again, big play ability. Not to mention off the field they were two of the best people you’ll ever meet. Just to be clear, I only went with players I’ve personally seen. I don’t count watching on TV. Had to be in person.”
Kevin Derryberry (Zone48)
Brett Quintyne (C-Town Rivals)
“Terrell Brown would be the best WR that I covered. He had great speed and made some defensive backs tilt in their shoes. He wasn’t the biggest WR but he was able to get out of double coverage when needed, and had two 1,000 seasons on some below average Basha teams.”
Mark McClune (AZFamily)
“Great question. For a career, Christian Kirk, Hayden Hatten, Davonte Neal, Duce Robinson, DJ Foster, Jake Smith, Jihad Marks, Gunner Romney, Mark Andrews, and Ramses Rivera (took over a playoff game.. want to say it was against Queen Creek.. That’s a just off top of my head.”
Jason Skoda (the Talon, Former Times Media)
“(I started in Ohio) Let’s go LeBron James. It was so silly. He was playing the equivalent of 4A football. Just ran down the seam and his QB threw the ball up.
In Arizona, Jalen Brown. Incredible body control for making adjustments.”
Eric Sorenson (Sports360AZ)
“Christian Kirk. The way he transformed his body, and game, over four years at Saguaro was remarkable. He trained like an NFL player at 16. Elite route runner who I never saw get caught from behind.”
Jared Cohen (former Sports360AZ)
“Austin Hill because he was an athletic freak and had a great size, skill combo. Juron Criner never dropped balls.”
Jordan Hamm (Sports360AZ)
“N’Keal Harry, Christian Kirk, Tyler Johnson, Mark Andrews and Brenden Rice are the first to come to mind.
I think it has to be Kirk, three 1,000 years, almost one his freshman year, and then he has that senior year receiving with 25 rushing touchdowns on top of that.”
Cody Cameron (Sports360AZ)
Fabian Ardaya (former C-Town Rivals)
“Not Arizona, but Tyjon Lindsey remains the biggest freak athlete. In retrospect N’Keal Harry (Chandler) was just so much bigger than everyone else that it wasn’t fair.”
Chris Eaton, aka Gridiron Arizona
“I’m going with Duce Robinson from Pinnacle. He brought the rare combination of size (6-6 height) with athleticism (played 3 varsity sports). Can high point the ball with those long arms and get more than his share of 50/50 balls. I’m looking forward to seeing what he does these next 2-3 years at USC.”
Alright, it’s clear we have a more robust debate than I originally thought, and only history will tell if Cooper Perry and Dezmen Roebuck are thought of in the same light as some of the state’s previous greats. Here are the players that I think deserve to be in the conversation, based one what I felt they were best at relative to other players at the position:
Hands: In 13 years of covering Arizona high school football, and Dezmen Roebuck has the best hands I’ve seen at the position. Ja’Kobi Lane deserves an honorable mention here, but some of the things Roebuck has done in games, and in 7 on 7 competion, are mind-bending. To a lot of people, catching the football is the most important thing a receiver can do, so Roebuck definitely belongs in the conversation of best ever.
Route Running: This is where Cooper Perry, pun unintended, separates himself. Ever since Cooper Perry’s sophomore season, it became increasingly evident that one-on-one coverage was going to be something that Perry feasted against. Maybe it’s his Lacrosse background that allows him to understand angles and open space, as well as catch angles and high-pointing, or maybe he was just born with those instincts, but Mountain Pointe’s Jalen Brown is the closest I can recall to having this elite skillset.
Speed: Brophy’s Devon Allen was an Olympic Hurdler for a reason.
Acceleration: Notre Dame Prep’s Jake Smith had the best first step of any Arizona high school wide receiver I’ve ever covered. I’m not sure I could even come up with a second name here. It’s why Smith was so dangerous in the running game, and why he was named the National Gatorade Player of the Year.
Athleticism/Agility: Desert Vista’s Bobby Wade is my favorite football player in Arizona high school football history, and his athleticism and agility is what I felt made him special- but the question was who is the best I’ve covered, and anyone being honest with themselves knows that Saguaro’s Christian Kirk might be one of the best athletes this state has ever seen, regardless of sport. Brenden Rice from Hamilton belongs in this deiscussion as maybe one of the most physically gifted Ariazona high school football players of all time, and I’d also give a head nod to Chandler’s N’Keal Harry as someone who belongs in this conversation. It’s not often you have a football player athletic enough to be out here breaking backboards.
Toughness: Wide Receivers aren’t always the toughest players on the field, but there are a few that I’ve felt could have made elite safeties based on the punishment they either doled out with the ball in their hands, or the punishment they were able to endure. Trevor Russell at Casa Grande is one of the toughest I covered at the position, and Chandler’s Johnny Johnson III was probably the scrappiest possession receiver I’ve watched from the sidelines, but the title here goes to someone that was tough enough to switch positions in college, and become one of the best at that new position in the NFL over the last decade- Desert Mountain’s Mark Andrews.
After the Catch: Christian Kirk, again. But on his heels would be Salpointe Catholic legend Camerson Denson.
Awareness: When I think of a player that was always in the right place at the right time, and always made the big play, I think of Hamilton’s Kerry Taylor- but I didn’t cover Kerry Taylor’s high school career, so for me, this is either Desert Mountain’s Kade Warner, or Higley’s Coleman Owen. It’s no surprise that both Warner and Owen went from being ignored by D1 programs to being impact players at programs like Kansas State and University of Ohio. The combination of Jacob Conover throwing to Gunner Romney at Chandler was also one of the all-time mind melds that seemed unstoppable in big games.
Coleman Owen is now the third Bobcat in program history to reach 1,000 receiving yards in a season, joining LaVon Brazill & Donte’ Foster! #OUohyeah | @Colemanowen_ pic.twitter.com/uBzwNuqrOk
— Ohio Football (@OhioFootball) November 29, 2024
Big Play Ability: If I said this was a toss up between Pinnacle’s Duce Robinson and Desert Edge’s Jihad Marks, who do you think would come down with it? I also had the pleasure of seeing Maricopa’s Jacob Cowing up close a few times, and it’s possible that at a more visible program, he’d be considered among the all-time greats.
Most Well-Rounded: There’s not a lot that ALA Gilbert North’s Brandon Phelps couldn’t do, and there’s a reason he’s all over the top levels of the AIA record books. I think Phelps belongs in this conversation alongside Christian Kirk and Corona del Sol’s Ricky Pearsall.
Best Part-Time WR: There are three players that I believe if they had made WR their primary position, would be in the all-time great conversation, and those are Hamilton’s Cole Luke, Brophy’s Isaiah Oliver, and Saguaro’s Byron Murphy. All three made the NFL as defensive backs, so they probably made the right choice.
Final Verdict: As hard as it is for me to say anyone is “greater” than Christian Kirk at anything as an Arizona High School Wideout, if I could only line up two players on the outside, I’m going with Dezmen Roebuck and Cooper Perry. Roebuck to work us down the field, and Perry to finish things off in the red zone. I can’t even blame recency bias- to me, they’re that special, and we were blessed to be able to have them around in the same era.
But this is a fluid debate, and things can certainly change with the level of talent that keeps increasing in Arizona year-over-year.
After all, it’s already time to start thinking about where Hamilton 2028 WR Roye Oliver III could end up on this list.
