Page 17 - AIA Football Program 2A-Open
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Queen Creek: The Bulldogs are in the playoffs for the 18th year in a row. They are looking to improve on their 6A semifinal finish from last season and riding a four-game winning streak. Junior quarterback Devin Brown has played his best games during the current winning streak. He’s thrown for 1,689 yards, 18 TDs with four interceptions for the year. Seven receivers have between 345 and 127 receiving yards, so Brown isn’t picky with plenty of weapons downfield. Junior running back Payton Barlow has dominated the carries and rushed for 750 yards and five TDs.
Sandra Day O’Connor: This is the Eagles’ first playoff appearance since 2015 when they lost to Mesa High in the opening round. They opened 2020 with a con- vincing win over Verrado, lost by five on the doorstep of winning the next week vs. unbeaten Desert Edge, and then were pummeled by Highland. Since then they are 4-1. The only other loss is to 6A top seed Boul- der Creek. Senior running back Donavin Fontaine has bounced back from injury last year to grind out 827 yards and five consecutive games of 100 yards plus. Se- nior wide receiver James Groff has 699 yards and nine TDs. His two best games were against Desert Edge and Highland.
Highland: The Hawks are four-for-four in reaching postseason under Brock Farrel. They are 4-3 during that span. After a 4-0 start this season, three losses ensued to Queen Creek, Chandler and Hamilton. They are hoping momentum is back after outscoring Higley last week. Two dynamic players are featured on of- fense. Senior running back Max Davis has produced some monster games such as last week with 247 yards and four TDs. He’s rushed for 1,255 yards and 20 TDs. Junior quarterback Gage Dayley wasn’t around in the postseason last year due to injury but has warmed up recently with three successive 200-yard games.
Casteel: The Colts’ high-wire act in their first 6A season has been gut-wrenching for its fans and coaches. All five wins have been by a touchdown or less - three by a single point. Not many teams with a 5-3 record have been outscored, 234-201. Quarterback Dane Chris- tensen has thrown for more than 5,000 yards and 47 TDs in his two seasons as a starter. Top receivers Isaiah Newcombe and Dominic Digian as a tandem have 121 receptions for 1,376 yards and 14 TDs. Newcombe has scored the game-winning TD in each of the one-point victories.
Basha: The Bears opened 0-2, extending a losing streak dating back to last season to nine games. Now with the postseason at hand, they are surging with a six-game winning streak. Freshman quarterback Demond Wil- liams Jr. and freshman running back Caleb Jones have keyed the offense. Williams Jr. has thrown for 1,574 yards and 15 TDs. Twelve of the TD receptions have been secured by seniors Andrell Barney and Trent Pen- nington. Basha’s last playoff victory came in 2014 over Sandra Day O’Connor.
Chaparral: The Firebirds didn’t get to play a game until Oct. 23 and had to sweat out getting the minimum five games in to qualify for postseason consideration. They got it ending the season with a robust 52-10 win over Pinnacle. Junior quarterback Brayten Silbor has thrown for 1,607 yards and 14 TDs in the five games. Four of the five have topped the 300-yard mark. In the regular season finale, Silbor amassed 410 yards and five TDs. This is Chaparral’s 24th consecutive playoff appear- ance.
Shadow Ridge: The Stallions have only competed for a decade. This will be their third trip to postseason, and first since 2013 when they posted their best record (9- 3). First-year coach Sean Hegarty’s expertise is offense and his team has put up impressive numbers. Junior quarterback Seth Gallardo has passed for 1,441 yards and 22 TDs. Gallardo is part of the three-pronged attack with senior Jacob Thurman and sophomore Anthony Garcia. The playmaking receivers are senior Zachary Sutton and junior Isaac Yates, a combined 1,282 yards and 21 TDs.




























































































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