Page 5 - AIA 1A Football Championship Program

the virus,” Davis said. “We recognize that this could all end tomor- row if a players gets COVID. We’ve had some scares, and we’ve been without starters for a few games for various reasons, but so far we have stayed away from the virus and just hope and pray we can continue playing.” ... Williams, the defending champ, this season suffered its first loss since the 2018 semifinals. “We had some ups and down this year with a big win (58-46) against Bag- dad and a serious loss (48-8) to Mogollon,” coach Jeff Brownlee said. “Both games were learning experiences to help us grow as a team. We are looking to play solid football from here on out. The path will be tough, but the kids are looking to face the challenge.” Blake Smith (team’s second leading tackler) and Drew Logan each rushed for over 100 yards and scored at least two touchdowns in the win over Bagdad this year, when Williams rushed for 330 yards. Sophomore Drew Logan recorded two interceptions and caught three passes for 104 yards and a TD in the Bagdad win also. Luis Lara-Arredondo, Jesse Sagor and Cody Jensen each had at least 12 tackles in the Bagdad game. In the Mogollon loss, Wil- liams’ somewhat inexperienced team gave up five sacks and was held to 189 yards of offense.
“We are healthy and ready to start part two of the season,” Brownlee said.
Tempe Prep (4-2) at Bagdad (5-1): “I really like our team,” Bag- dad coach Dalton Mills said. “This team is kind of the overlooked bunch of our teams. We don’t have a lot of seniors but a good group of kids who love being around each other and love working hard. They really believe in each other and make all of their team- mates feel important.” Bagdad only starts three seniors, but they are solid leaders, Mills said. One of the seniors, QB Rocky Sando- val, reminds Mills of Sandoval’s brother, Tony Jauregui (Class of 2014), two very intelligent, coach-like players on the field. San- doval might be faster than Jauregui and is leading the 1A with 22 touchdown passes. Another senior leader, Steven Peterson, moved from the offensive line to running back this year and had a solid season. Bagdad’s run game opened things up for Sando- val, who’s go-to target is Connor Watson, the 1A’s leading receiv- er with 640 yards and 13 touchdowns. Watson also is the team’s cover LB and also often covers the top receiver of opponents. But opponents also have to monitor Bagdad’s opposite side receiv- er, Cooper Williams. On defense, where a bunch of juniors play, Garrett Reeves is leading Bagdad in tackles and the 1A in sacks with 10.5. Another big surprise on defense is Nick Elliott at DB, who has four interceptions, including two diving picks. “I know I’ve mentioned a lot of stat leaders, but we are definitely driven by wins,” Mills said. “It doesn’t matter who has the big night. We have had a lot of different players have big nights and are focused on winning the next game.” ... Tempe Prep’s losses came to playoff participants Superior and Anthem Prep, so the new 1A team is battle tested heading into its playoff game with a 1A playoff ex- perienced coach, Larry Cain. QB Hayden Sampson returned from an injury but only played two games this year. Sampson was sup- posed to share quarterback duties with dual threat Diego Foster and play WR this year. Foster, so far, is having a good year, with 18 touchdown passes and a team-high 346 rushing yards. The very quick Louis Ternyik (team-high 8 touchdowns) was third in 1A with 600 receiving yards and was averaging 140.8 all-purpose yards per game. Senior linebacker Ridley Diez de Medina was averaging 11 tackles per game.
San Manuel (3-1) at Mogollon (5-0): Rick Samon’s coaching start with Mogollon came in 1999, but this is his first year serving as the program’s head coach. After defeating defending champ Williams this year, Mogollon established that it’s one of the top two teams in the state. Samon’s grandsons, Jayk and Blayk Kelton, are big reasons why. Jayk, who is averaging 139 rushing yards per game, and Blayk, a sophomore running back/corner, lead the team with eight touchdowns each. Malaki Porter has rushed for 414 yards for a team that’s averaging 357.6 rushing yards per game. Jayk, a four-year starter at middle linebacker, is also leading 1A with 63 tackles. Caden Owens is a two-year starter at quarterback for Mo- gollon. ... San Manuel freshman quarterback Nicolas Velasquez has thrown 255 of his 555 passing yards to sophomore Mathias Medina. Medina also leads his team with seven touchdowns and 41 tackles. “The team is doing very well for being so young,” coach Ernest Ivy said. “They are getting better and better. Making the playoffs was our first goal, and we accomplished it. Now we are working hard for our second goal: the championship. We lost one of our key players with a broken collarbone. We have had to have more of our freshmen step up and push toward our second goal.”
Mogollon’s Rick Samon is off to a great start in his first season as coach thanks to two of his team’s leaders, grandsons Jayk (No. 33) and Blayk Kelton. (Chris Stanley photo/MaxPreps)