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santa Cruz is the favOrite in 2a, but rOaD tO final will be tOugh fOr all plenty Of prOgrams have turneD it arOunD tO reaCh this pOint
By Jose Garcia AZPreps365
Quarterfinal breakdown
No. 8 Morenci (6-1) at No. 1 Benson (7-0): The teams met on Oct. 30th, when Benson scored its only points in the first quarter but still defeated its San Pedro Region mate 12-6. This is their sixth meeting since 2016 — Benson won three of those games — but first in the playoffs since then. In the Oct. 30 game, Benson scored on 16 and 8-yard TD runs. One of Brok Determan’s two interceptions led to the score for the other side. Benson rushed for 308 yards in the game, with juniors Devin Bowling (128 yards on 21 carries and a TD) and Jace Barney (115 yards on 22 carries and one TD) and Tristan Martinez (7 carries for 60 yards) leading the way. Bowling, Barney and Martinez are three of the team’s 15 juniors who have played on the same teams since they were kids. Bowling had rushed for 739 yards and was averaging 10.1 yards per carry. The only team that has rushed for more yards in 2A than Benson this year is Santa Cruz. This is the first time in his 18 years as coach that Chris Determan, Brok’s dad, didn’t dress a senior. Benson’s defense was allowing an aver- age of five points per game. ... “We were able to complete a full season, which we are very grateful for,” Morenci coach Joseph Garcia said. “We finished the season 6-1 and were the section runner-up.” The young but experienced team is 3-1 in games decided by seven points or less this season. One of its eight seniors, Paul-Daniel Moreno, a middle lineback- er, is the team’s leader in tackles with 62. Twelve different players have scored for Morenci this year. Daylen Johnson has thrown six of his nine touchdown passes to tight end Maddux Martinez. LT Morey has rushed for nine touchdowns and 587 yards, and freshman Michael Casillas has six rushing touchdowns. Brenden Enriquez is 19 for 27 on PATs and has 51 tackles. Another linebacker, Shawn Hudman, has 48 tackles.
No. 5 Parker (5-1) at No. 4 Arizona Lutheran (5-0): Last year Parker won its first playoff game in eight years, and this season the program won a region title for the first time in 19 years. The next step is to prove it can contend for a state championship. Seniors Emanuel “E-man” Alaniz and Uriah Martinez and an offensive line that goes 215, 230, 255, 265 and 275 will attempt to help their program win its first title in 49 years. Alaniz and Martinez each rushed for 1,000-yards last year in Parker’s wing-T. Ezra, Martinez’s brother, is one of the offensive linemen opening lanes. QB/CB Fabian Lamas, Preston Mothersole and Jason Rodriguez, the only other seniors on the team, are also leading the way this year for a team with 17 juniors. Parker’s lone loss this season came to rival Wickenburg, the No. 5 seed in the 3A state tourney, in its season opener. Parker was up 24-13 at halftime of that game. “We are looking forward to compet- ing with the top 2A teams in the state,” coach Jeston Lotts said. “We consider it an honor to be in such great company.” ... Arizona Lutheran is 28-11 since 2017. Juniors Jacob Holguin and Gabriel McKenney (12 rushing touchdowns), who are each averaging more than 100 yards per game, are double trouble for opponents in ALA’s double wing-T. Four of the team’s nine seniors start on both sides of the ball. Another senior two-way starter, lineman Trevor Humbert, is out with an injury. But two of those seniors, linebackers Eli Jacobson and Dawson Hall, are the back- bone of the defense. “All of those players are able to make plays due to the great work up front of our linemen, led by Josiah Cunningham and Jonathan Mendoza,” coach David Peter said. The team is young, but the players are familiar with Peter’s schemes and played plenty of minutes during last season’s state quarterfinal run. “ALA is excited to compete against the top programs at our level,” Peter said. “We had to pause foot- ball for a few weeks due to COVID, so we have a very thankful perspective on being able to play.”
No. 6 Scottsdale Prep (6-1) at No. 3 Santa Cruz (6-1): David Primavera and his staff have done a great job of rebuilding Scottsdale Prep since a 0-10 2017 season. A lot of the credit also goes to this year’s seniors, who participated and started on that 2017 team. Oscar Frias has thrown 51 touchdowns during his 4-year career, and his QB rating is currently at a career high 111.6. Another senior, Thomas Reinhardt (544 rushing yards on 100 carries), already has more carries and rushing yards this year than he did last year in nine games. Reinhardt, an outside linebacker, also is the his program’s leading tackler over the past four years with 280. He is currently 2A’s third leading tackler this season. Junior Devon Strader, 2A’s 8th leading receiver, is averaging 19.4 yards per catch. Senior Logan Dunlap is the team’s most versatile defensive player and lines up at rush
end and linebacker, Primavera said. Scottsdale Prep’s 20 sacks leads 2A. ... Santa Cruz has played like the favorite in 2A this year but bringing home the title for the first time in 30 years won’t be easy. It never is. But coach Rishard Davis and his boys are well-equipped to make another run at it. In his seven seasons at Santa Cruz, Davis’ teams have reached at least the quarterfinals four times. An experienced offensive line is blocking for arguably the best player in 2A this year, Hunter Ogle, the 2A’s leading scorer and rusher. The team is averaging a state best 378 rushing yards per game and is one of only two teams averaging more than 300 yards on the ground this year. As for its defense, Santa Cruz’s 16 interceptions also leads the state.
No. 7 St. Johns (5-1) at No. 2 Scottsdale Christian (7-0): Last year Scott- sdale Christian had its worst season since 2001 after winning just three games, but there was a buzz on campus about the new coach and his boundless energy. Nate Holtz changed the culture and the team is reap- ing the rewards this year. Holtz’s team had a couple of leaders in place, QB/DB Ben Tobin (1,520 total yards, 16 touchdowns) and OL/LB Will Chambers, and built it from there. Athletes from other teams on cam- pus started to come out and bought in to Holtz’s core values: process excellence, relentless effort, selfless energy. So far, the team hasn’t been really tested this season, and the most points it’s allowed in a game is 14. It didn’t play a full regular season schedule due to COVID-19, but it turned a negative into a positive. “Resiliency and grit,” said Holtz, who’s coached in college and with Desert Mountain’s Conrad Hamilton when they were at Chaparral. “That has developed because of COVID.” ... St. Johns opened with a loss against rival Round Valley but hasn’t lost since then thanks to a defense that’s allowing just under seven points a game. Its leader, Mike Morgan, became the state’s all-time coaching victory leader this year as well. It’s coming off a hard-fought 21-14 victory over Chandler Prep in which it allowed just 23 rushing yards. St. Johns totaled 298 total yards last week. Junior Michael Gibson scored twice, on 11 and 20-yard runs, last week. Six-foot-four junior Cael Stewart threw a 22-yard touchdown to Joseph Bushman for another score. Scottsdale Christian has outscored its opponents by an average of 43 points per game this season. Can St. Johns become the first team this season to give the Scott- sdale team a game?
Scottsdale Prep seniors Oscar Frias (No. 13) and Thomas Reinhardt (No. 88) helped turn their program into a playoff contender after a winless campaign three seasons ago. (Paul Campbell photo/MaxPreps)
 

























































































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