Can you believe it’s Week Five?
WEEK FIVE!?!?
Arizona high school football off-season goes so slow, the season so fast. Plenty of good things to dive into here in ‘Zone Read’ so let’s get started.
#NewWave19
Pinnacle junior quarterback and University of Oklahoma commit Spencer Rattler took an unofficial visit to Norman last weekend to watch the third-ranked Sooners dismantle Tulane 56-14.
Good day @ OU game ?‼️#BoomerSooner pic.twitter.com/3FUnpDB8Xy
— Spencer Rattler (@SpencerRattler) September 17, 2017
It’s safe to say the four-star recruit liked what he saw…again…from the Big 12 power.
“It was great,” Rattler said to Sports360AZ.com. “My mom and sister finally got to meet [head coach] Lincoln [Riley]. It was overall just another amazing time at OU.”
Rattler was joined by fellow 2019 commits Trejan Bridges [Carrolton, TX wide receiver] and Austin Stogner [Plano, TX tight end], as well as OU target Noah Cain [IMG Academy, FL running back].
✌?out Norman. It was good. I’ll be back soon ?
— Spencer Rattler (@SpencerRattler) September 17, 2017
Despite his solid commitment to the Sooners, the coaching buzzards are still swirling as Rattler was recently hit on by a pair of college football heavyweights, another Big 12 program and one from the Big 10.
(Red) Mountain Man
In a state littered with incredible athletes who do their thing under the Friday night lights, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more versatile one than Red Mountain’s Lance Lawson who achieved quite a feat last week in their 31-8 win over Boulder Creek.
All time leading rusher in school history!! @Lance_lawson14 @gridironarizona @AZHSFB @sbordow @jason247scout https://t.co/xNM1Gca2XP
— Red Mtn. Football (@RedMtnFootball) September 20, 2017
Over his three plus years playing varsity for the Mountain Lions, Lawson already has over 1,000 career yards rushing, passing and receiving. He’s approaching 5,000 yards with still at least six games left this season.
For the culture ???? pic.twitter.com/u2zi5HhPOC
— LL (@Lance_lawson14) September 19, 2017
It’s always nice to see things like this happen, especially for selfless players who put their team before themselves.
Puma Power
By now you know all about Perry senior quarterback Brock Purdy (still underrated) and his collection of playmakers in D’Shayne James, Kenny Fultz, Colby Dickie, Connor Boyd and crew.
But one of the greater success stories of the 2017 season to this point is the Pumas’ improved defense which is allowing just 22 points per game heading into their unbeaten showdown against Highland.
So who is owed praise for the 180 degree makeover?
“Our defensive [coaching] staff,” Perry head coach Preston Jones told the #FridayNight360AZ Preview Show Wednesday morning. “This is their second year running this defense. They’ve got it figured out pretty well. We’ve got a lot of returning guys on the defensive side of the ball.”
Final Score
Perry 55
O’Connor 14— Perry High Football (@perrypumas) September 9, 2017
22 points a game is a marked improvement over PHS’s 2016 version which yielded nearly 32 in 13 games, including the playoffs.
Don’t sleep on Highland, either. The Hawks (5-0) haven’t allowed more than 22 points in a single contest and are forcing a high volume of turnovers under first-year head coach Brock Farrel. HHS has already two more victories than they did all of last year.
Off the Edge
Ho-hum, the Centennial Coyotes are, to the surprise of nobody who follows Arizona high school football, off to another fast start sitting 4-0 after their last-second win over 6A Pinnacle last Thursday in Peoria.
Head coach Richard Taylor and son Andrew, who runs the defense, are loaded across the board on both sides of the ball (Dominique Hampton, Zidane Thomas, Alex Escobar, Jayden Young, etc.) but one who stood out to me for his all-out hustle against the Pioneers was senior Jacob Franklin.
“Jacob is what is good about high school sports,” Richard Taylor said to Sports360AZ.com. “He is one of the team captains and gives great effort on every play.”
Jacob Franklin makes an incredible play on Spencer Rattler here to force the fumble and take the Pioneers out of FG range. pic.twitter.com/yxnPCvqhKF
— AZ Varsity- Football (@AZHSFB) September 15, 2017
Standing 6-foot-four and weighing 216 pounds, Franklin is a rare combination of size and speed at defensive end. This past spring he ran track for Centennial participating in the 200, 400 and 4 X 100 events.
He had a handful of tackles and, more importantly, “set the edge” helping contain the talented Rattler and his array of weapons.
Very honored to be able to travel down to New York and receive my first Ivy League offer from Columbia! Thank you Coach @coachtoddgil pic.twitter.com/mhslEV2DIg
— Jacob (@J_frank42) July 9, 2017
Clearly, Franklin is putting max effort in the classroom, as well.
Old Pueblo Powers
While some of you die-hard football Phoenicians won’t enjoy hearing this, there’s some pretty good prep football being played in southern Arizona.
It’s no surprise to see usual suspects Salpointe Catholic (4-0), the Rhett Rodriguez-less Catalina Foothills (4-1) Ironwood Ridge (4-0) and Cienega (4-0) at or near the top of their respective regions, but the balance through September also shows Buena (3-1), Marana Mountain View (3-1), Canyon del Oro (3-1), Walden Grove (3-1) and Pueblo (3-1) in early positions for post-season births.
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Eric Sorenson
A Valley native, Eric has had a passion for the Arizona sports scene since an early age. He has covered some of the biggest events including Super Bowls, national championships and the NBA and MLB playoffs in his near 20 years in local media.