Eric Sorenson
And just like that, it’s over.
As we begin waiting the eight long months for Arizona high school football to return to those Friday (and Thursday) night lights, here are a few things which caught my attention from the season that was.
2023 was epic.
Give us Liberty
There were few certainties as the regular season played out but, almost unanimously, Liberty looked elite. Starting with a 56-20 Week 1 thumping of Hamilton in Peoria and ending with a shiny, new Open Division Championship trophy.
2023 Open Division State Champions pic.twitter.com/HfWgyKR0f1
— Liberty Lions Football (@LibertyFBLions) December 5, 2023
These Lions had no weaknesses and, outside of a late September close road loss at Corona (CA) Centennial, Colin Thomas’s team was mostly untouchable.
The head of the monster offensively was senior Navi Bruzon, who accounted for 53 touchdowns (53!) and over 4,000 total yards – putting an exclamation point on an incredible three-year varsity career. Defensively, fellow senior Keaton Stam tallied 97 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and a pair of interceptions. He, along with Zan Tallman (77 tackles, four sacks, three fumble recoveries, two interceptions) helped anchor the physical unit in state.
Just how dominant were these Lions?
Liberty outscored in-state opponents 568-133.
Congrats to Thomas and his staff for finally busting through that Open Division door after a number of close calls.
Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
While the ride for Saguaro wasn’t nearly as smooth as Liberty’s, #SagU found themselves hoisting a gold ball in December once again.
Worked for it. Sacrificed for it. Earned it.
Your Saguaro Sabercats are 2023 6A State Champions!#SagU pic.twitter.com/Ha32qHuK9e
— Saguaro Football (@saguarofootball) December 2, 2023
While certainly no stranger to high exceptions, many, including the “Zone Read,” wondered how Zak Hill’s debut season with the Sabercats would unfold. Saguaro overcame back-to-back October losses to Liberty and Tucson Salpointe, as well as losing senior quarterback Mason Bray to injury for a bit, but steadied the ship – punctuated by a five-game win-streak to end the season.
Jaedon Matthews carried the mail all season, finishing with over 900 rushing yards, 400 receiving yards, and 21 touchdowns. The steady Bray had a quarterback rating of 115,2 and only threw eight interceptions in 314 attempts (one per every 39 attempts). Defensively, Andrew Hurley’s unit was steady behind tackling machine Trey Morrison (121, seven for loss), and fellow linebacker Owen Pimbert (106 tackles, 4.5 for loss).
Hill did something we often saw with Jason Mohn’s teams of the past – the Sabercats hitting their stride late in the season. Saguaro scored 40 or more points in all four of their playoff wins, averaging just under 46 in wins over Queen Creek, Perry, Salpointe, and Red Mountain.
Twice as Nice
Eddy Zubey warned us.
The 5A division was absolutely loaded in 2023 and the Higley Knights took their fair share of haymakers during their regular season gauntlet which included Desert Edge, ALA Gilbert North, Notre Dame Prep, Horizon, Desert Mountain, and 6A rival Williams Field.
While the Knights suffered mid-season losses to DE and Horizon, Zubey knew taking a few hits against elite competition would pay dividends in the post-season as Higley won their second-consecutive 5A State Championship.
— Higley Football (@HIGLEYFOOTBALL) December 10, 2022
By now, we all have seen, heard, and read about the end game controversy in their wild rematch against Desert Edge, but don’t let that overshadow what the Knights did last week at Sun Devil Stadium – jumping out to a quick 22-0 lead, before having to hang on for dear life as DE stormed back in the final 16 minutes.
While the Knights will have to replace Swiss army knife Daxen Hall (over 2900 total yards and 36 touchdowns), the offense will again be lethal with a pair of talented quarterbacks, Luke Haugo and Gunner Fagrell, running Zubey’s up-tempo spread attack. Higley is also expected to return a trio of talented, productive receivers in Jaden Taylor, Taveon Sueing, and JD DeCausmaker. Defensively, linebacker Boston Tilton will anchor a unit filled with experience and, most importantly, valuable post-season experience.
I see a lot of Highland in Higley.
Will the Knights, like the Hawks this fall, take the next step to the Open in 2024?
Don’t be surprised if it does.
The Standard: Start to Finish
Canyon del Oro’s season-long dominance of their division was a mirror image of Liberty’s stranglehold over 6A.
Dustin Peace’s team outscored their opponents 515-188, capping a perfect 14-0 season with a close win over top-seed Yuma Catholic to win the 4A State Championship – their second in school history (2009). During their post-season run, they survived an overtime scare against ACP, then beat a talented Mica Mountain team for the second time in six weeks.
The Dorados were big, strong, experienced and hungry.
CDO rode their horse, senior running back Kayden Luke, all the way to a gold ball. The throwback style bruiser carried 31 times for 217 yards (seven per attempt) and two touchdowns. As a team, they tallied 373 yards on 50 carries, slowly wearing down the Shamrocks’ defense as the game progressed last Friday evening.
So proud of our young men and what they were able to accomplish!! Our school and community were absolutely amazing. Thank you for the support. This truly shows how sports can bring us all together! Proud to bring this home to Tucson! 🏆💍 pic.twitter.com/1DAcYDPD6O
— CDO Football (@cdo_football) December 2, 2023
You’ll be hard-pressed to find any prep team in America who can win a state championship when their starting quarterback, in this case senior Tristen McClelland completes one pass, on one attempt, for negative one yard.
I hope you enjoyed Disneyland, Coach Peace.
Coach Peace you just won the state championship. What are you gonna do next…. I am gonna go to Disneyland!!! pic.twitter.com/bLLKRWN946
— CDO Football (@cdo_football) December 4, 2023
Well-deserved for an incredible season.
Rest of the Best
Desert Mountain: With a loaded ’24 class, many expected a big season from the Wolves, and Conrad Hamilton’s squad didn’t disappoint. Sans a lopsided late October loss to Higley, in a game where they played without a number of key players due to injury, DM’s convincing play, including wins over Cactus, Horizon, ALA Gilbert North, and 6A rival Chaparral, earned them a spot in the Open. I’ve said it before in this column, Hamilton is, unquestionably, one of the elite head coaches in Arizona.
Red Mountain: Talk about going on a late-season run. The 12-seeded Mountain Lions entered the playoffs on a five-game losing streak (ending the regular season 4-6), before rattling off three-straight wins to reach the 6A Championship Game. Two of their three wins came against Pinnacle, and top-seeded Brophy in 36-35 thriller in central Phoenix. Isaiah Savoie was simply dynamic both as a ball carrier, and a receiver. The 5’11, 190-pound senior played his best under the brightest lights. Red Mountain’s run won’t be forgotten for quite some time. For greater perspective, RM wouldn’t even have made the post-season if the Open Division didn’t exist.
Arcadia: The ‘ole alma mater made this alum proud, doubling their win total from 2022 – rolling to an unbeaten regular season, and eventual 12-1 record in winning the 4A Desert Sky Region. The Titans’ playoff run ended with a semi-final loss to Yuma Catholic. Head coach Ray Brown has brought stability, along with success, to the program. The offense will lose star running back Brady Forst (1286 yards, 27 touchdowns) but returns starting quarterback, 6’5 Braylen Rooney, and 2026 standout wide receiver Ian Slater. Tackling machine Pablo Javalero returns at linebacker.
Sabino: CDO isn’t the only Tucson-based school adding a gold ball this gridiron season. The Sabercats took out Paradise Honors, and their star quarterback Gage Baker (who led the nation in passing yards and touchdowns), 68-46 to claim the 3A title in a wild, record-setting night at Mountain Pointe High School. Sabino senior quarterback Cam Hackworth threw for a southern Arizona record 8,799 career yards. Wide receiver Shamar Berryhill (75 catches, 1392 yards, 19 touchdowns) will be the focal point of Ryan McBrayer’s offense.
