Page 17 - 2020 Sollenberger

4. QUEEN CREEK: The potential is there for coach Joe Germaine and staff to bid for a region crown and beyond if the strides made by a fairly young team last year continue. Junior quarter- back Devin Brown, a USC commit, is primed for a breakout year. Brown got in eight games last year after transferring, three of them in postseason. A veteran offensive line is in front of him. Skill position players returning didn’t get a lot of time last year, but the upcoming seniors and juniors should fill the running back and receiver spots. Germaine is convinced playmakers will emerge. The Bulldogs have trotted out a 1,000-yard rusher three of the last four years. The depth at running back is there to share the load. Defense is anchored by the most veteran squad mem- ber, Trey Reynolds, younger brother Porter and safety Hunter Barth. The non-region slate features Liberty, Highland, Perry and Mtn. Pointe.The Bulldogs are familiar with three of their four new region opponents, perennial playoff teams Desert Ridge, Red Mountain and Williams Field.
5. WILLIAMS FIELD: The defending 5A champs begin play in their third conference in coach Steve Campbell’s 13-year tenure as the Black Hawks’ only head coach. Williams Field played in two 4A title games and won a pair of 5A title matchups. A salty defense with plenty of experience will help in its 6A debut. Nine full-tme or part-time starters are back led by linebackers Carson Speer (146 tackles) and Braxton Anderson (59 tackles). Depth at the position is the most in the unit. The secondary boasts strong safety Logan Hall and free safety Donovan Guyton. The Black Hawks’ top rusher, Kaden Cloud (1,277 rushing yards, 16 TDs), and top receiver, Myles Taylor (1,342 receiving yards, 16 TDs), will cause problems. And they added ALA Queen Creek trans- fer RB Aziya Jamison (1,761 rushing yards, 26 TDs). They’ll be surrounded by a new quarterback and line that will take time to get seasoned.
6. CENTENNIAL: Centennial was one-and-done in postseason last year for the first time since 2002. That loss occurred in the opening round of the Open Division playoffs. Centennial has always loaded up its non-region schedule with top competition. That hasn’t changed this year. The region it now resides in, however, is much tougher than the past. The Coyotes’ pedigree is winning and coach Richard Taylor will make sure his team is up to the challenge every week in 2020. Centennial has more starting spots to fill than usual including quarterback. The
lines on both sides of the ball are a strength. The Coyotes face Hamilton, much-improved Mountain Pointe, Williams Field and Chandler in non-region play. Their region games are four of the final five weeks against Pinnacle, Brophy, Chaparral and Liberty in what can be considered the toughest schedule in the state this season.
7. DESERT RIDGE: It might be easy to forget Desert Ridge won its region last year, finishing 7-5. The Jaguars finished strong, win- ning five consecutive games and knocking off the top teams in the region to close the regular season. Their season ended with a quarterfinal loss to 6A runner-up Red Mountain. The Jaguars will be fine on offense with experience at quarterback and other skill positions. The defense is anchored up front by lineman Dante Smith with 57 tackles and four sacks. Linebackers Kendall Falaniko and Avantae Barrett recorded triple-digit numbers in tackles. Desert Ridge begins the season with Highland before region play kicks in a few weeks later vs. Casteel, Queen Creek, Red Mountain and Williams Field.
8. HIGHLAND: Highland made it three-for-three in earning a playoff berth under coach Brock Farrel. The Hawks got a preview of quality play at quarterback for better than half the season from Gage Dayley. The now junior had last season cut short by
a shoulder injury, but threw for 1,250 yards and 13 TDs in six games. The offensive line has more experience returning than not and a third-year running back in Max Davis. How good Coo- per Brown is coming back from injury at defensive line would be a huge lift. Highland, which was 8-4 last year, has the schedule to make it to the playoffs, even the Open Division. Highland’s biggest tests come in back-to-back games in late October with new region foes Chandler and Hamilton.
9. CASTEEL: Casteel was solid in its two-year stay in 5A with playoff berths each year, a semifinal finish last year and records of 9-3 and 9-4, respectively. The Colts have some pieces to make noise in their 6A debut. Senior quarterback Dane Christensen had a prolific first year as a starter accounting for 3,119 passing yards and 30 TDs. He added nine rushing scores. Two of Chris- tensen’s top receivers return -- Dominic Digian and UCLA-com- mit Isaiah Newcombe. They combined for better than 1,600 yards receiving and 15 TDs, so the aerial game is in good hands. Experience up front on offense is bountiful led by Washington State commit Brock Dieu. Defense will need to improve with a handful of starters back. The Colts surrendered 75 points in their semifinal loss to eventual 5A champ Williams Field last year.
10. PINNACLE: Pinnacle will need to mature quickly on both sides of the ball with few returners, but they’ve answered the postseason bell 13 seasons in a row. The Pioneers were forced to use freshman quarterback Devon Dampier the last four games of 2019 after D-I-bound senior quarterback JD Johnson had his ca- reer curtailed via medical issue (heart). Pinnacle lost in the first round of the Open Division to Salpointe. Dampier got a baptism by fire and did well, all things considered. Veteran coach Dana Zupke has a trio of starters back on the offensive line and is con- fident some unheralded skill players will prompt notice. The skill player to watch is sophomore receiver Duce Robinson, a coveted multi-sport athlete. Pinnacle’s freedom schedule is loaded with Hamilton, Salpointe Catholic, Horizon and Perry.
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