Page 43 - AIA Football Program 2A-Open

fOOtball COmmunities aCrOss arizOna representeD in 4a seemingly any team Can raise the gOlDen ball when it is Over
By Andy Morales AZPreps365
We are in a new era of high school football in Arizona, and eight teams from almost every corner of the state will be playing for the 2020 4A State Championship in what most historians will look back in wonder. For one, you will not find a single team with a 10-0 regular season record be- cause a 10-game schedule was not possible in the COVID-19 precautionary era.
The delayed season, full of teams scrambling to find op- ponents when a scheduled opponent had to cancel due to positive exposures, forced a much shorter time frame to get games in. The top-seeded Casa Grande team, for example, enters the playoffs with a 6-1 record. No. 2 American Lead- ership Academy – Queen Creek is 7-1, No. 3 Mesquite is 5-1 and No. 4 Cactus is 6-2. No. 5 Coconino is the only undefeat- ed team in the 4A playoffs at 8-0.
The Casa Grande Cougars may not have a 4A playoff team on its schedule, but the team opened up with a 29- 21 loss at Open Division power Salpointe Catholic. The pro- gram also defeated 5A Buena, 41-21, and 6A Dobson, 49- 0. The Cougars also defeated 2A power Santa Cruz Valley, 35-14, as an example of trying to get games in to fill both team’s schedules. The game actually benefitted both pro- grams with increased power points.
Casa Grande junior QB Angel Flores (6-1, 210) threw for 1,100 yards with 11 touchdowns, and he is generally regard- ed as one of the next big quarterbacks to come out of Ar- izona due to his size and throwing arm. Flores also rushed for 777 yards with 14 more TDs. Jr. RB RJ Keeton added 6-5 yards rushing with 15 TDs. Jr. WR Demetrius Garrett caught 22 passes for 532 yards and 6 TDs. IN an added note, Flores is also second on the team with receiving yards with 183 yards and 2 TDs. On defense, Sr. LB Jacob Thomas contribut- ed to 75 tackles and Jr. LB Jake Sylvestre had 64 tackles.
The Cougars are facing No. 8 Peoria (5-3). The Panthers lost to No. 6 Northwest Christian 52-12 on Oct. 30.
ALA-Queen Creek moved up from the 3A Conference to the 4A Conference after the team went 13-1 last fall and captured the 3A Championship. The team also won the 2016 title but AIA sanctions made the team ineligible in 2017 and 2018. The Patriots beat St. Mary’s 37-13 to open up their season and the Knights will visit ALA-QC once again in the 4A quarterfinal round.
Jr. QB Logan Hubler leads the Patriots with 2,093 yards passing with 26 TDs and he also rushed for 369 yards with 8 more TDs. Sr. RB Trae Moshier leads the team with 579 yards rushing with 10 TDs. SO. RB Mitch Jensen added 352 yards rushing with 4 TDs. So. WR Ryan Meza caught 27 passes for 548 yards and 6 TDs, Jr. WR Jake Cluff pulled in 36 passes for 470 yards and 7 TDS and Jr. WR Elijah Peters caught 28 passes for 434 yards and 5 TDs. St. DE Micah Ferrin had 60 tackles and 7 sacks and Jr. MLB Jaden Manwaring added 58 tackles.
As mentioned, the Patriots will be playing No. 7 St. Mary’s (6-2) for the second time this year.
Mesquite beat ALA-QC 60-42 on Oct. 16 and the Wild- cats will face No. 6 Northwest Christian (5-2) in the quarter- final round. Sr. QB Ty Thompson (6-4, 200) threw for 2,483 yards with 26 TDs, Sr. RB Cameron Clinton rushed for 244 yards with 4 TDs, Sr. WR Eric Lira pulled in 32 passes for 757 yards and 12 TDs, Jr. WR Andrew Morris caught 33 passes for 604 yards and 8 TDs, Sr. WR Riales Hopper caught 24 passes for 517 yards and 3 TDs and Sr. FS Lavontae Trotter had 3 interceptions.
The Cactus Cobras are dangerous in the No. 4 spot with five straight blowouts since barely losing to Open Division team Desert Edge 12-0 on Oct. 17. So. QB Will Galvan col- lected 998 yards passing with 11 TDs, So. RB Damian Jiles rushed for 505 yards with 5 TDs, Sr. WR Justin Gomez caught 24 passes with 2 TDs and Jr. DE Justin Holmes had 80 tackles with 5 Sacks. The Cobras are facing No. 5 Coconino.
The 4A semifinals will be played at the home of the high- est seeds with the state championship date and venue still undecided.
Angel Flores is a prolific passer, but can also tuck it and run. (Chris Hook photo/MaxPreps)