Page 36 - 2020 Sollenberger

Desert Edge’s Ortiz ready to attack new conference with same gritty attitude
By Leo Tochterman azpreps365.com
Desert Edge senior cornerback Steven Ortiz Jr. describes his play style and persona on the field as “grimy.”
“Physical, tough, a dog out on the field,” Ortiz further explained.
In that case, we recommend to Desert Edge opponents not to get any grime on themselves.
That gritty attitude helped propel Ortiz to the top of Arizona’s defen- sive back rankings in the 2021 senior football class. It also caught the attention of college coaches.
After a junior season with 83 tackles, several Division I colleges rewarded Ortiz with scholarship offers, before ultimately signing with the University of Minnesota. Ortiz picked the Golden Gophers in part because of advice his late grandmother gave him at the beginning of his recruiting process.
“She always told me to go to the school that’s best for you and
has the best communication with you,” he said. “My thinking process throughout the recruiting process was that communication was key, and Minnesota’s communication was the best of all the schools that offered me.”
Ortiz also chose Minnesota because he felt a strong connection and appreciation of his talent by the Golden Gophers coaching staff.
“Coach (P.J.) Fleck would bring the energy in the morning when I would wake up,” he said. “He’d FaceTime me before school, after school and during lunch. I loved the school, the culture, the education and the cities.”
COVID-19 made a traditional tour of the campus nearly impossible, leaving Ortiz to tour the Minnesota campus in a unique way.
“I was actually the first guy to do a virtual tour, and then all of the other colleges started hopping on the trend,” Ortiz said. “It was so awe- some, as if I was there. They had the coaching staff FaceTime me and walk around campus, seeing facilities.”
Before heading to the Twin Cities, Ortiz wants to finish his high school career in style with a talented Desert Edge squad that received an enormous energy boost from co-head coaches and twin brothers Mark and Marcus Carter.
Ortiz quickly grew to love the dynamic the Carters brought from South Mountain High.
“I love this new coaching staff.” Ortiz said. “Me and the boys always talk about in the group chat how much we love these guys. They are like our brothers slash our dads. They just bring so much energy and so much hype. They are so trustworthy, so the whole team loves them.”
The appreciation is mutual.
“His (Ortiz) energy is just contagious and infectious,” Marcus said. “He has everything set up for him to be great. I love him on film, but I love him even more off the film because he’s such an amazing guy.” Marcus noticed quickly Ortiz’s ability to galvanize his teammates with his intense passion for the game of football.
“He’s the first one there,” Marcus said. “He leads by example, which is what I love about him the most. He’s always cheering on his team- mates. It’s not about effort with him. He’s always gonna do his best and he’s always gonna try hard and always have guys around him gravitate towards him.”
The Scorpions will step up in competition this season, making the jump from 4A to 5A.
The Carter twins coached in 5A at South Mountain last year, so they won’t be surprised by their opponents.
“We’re familiar with those teams in terms of the speed and the size,” Marcus said. “You just gotta play who’s in front of you.”
This season, however, the team will look for a different result than its 28-23 loss to Mesquite in the 4A title game in 2019, a game Ortiz said he already flushed from his memory.
“I don’t care who I play,” Ortiz said. “All I know is me and my guys are gonna compete and come out as dogs. We were 5A our freshman year, and we’re not scared to be 5A again. We’re gonna come out grimy I promise you.”
We warned you.
Desert Edge - 5A West I Region
Head Coach: Marcus and Mark Carter.
Years as school’s head coach: 1st year.
2019 record: 10-4.
Returning starters on offense, 2019 stats: Sr. WR Andrew Patterson (5-10, 170), 1,165 receiving yards, 11 TDs, 96 rushing yards, 2 TDs; Sr. OL Ethan Saldana (6-1, 265); Sr. OL Logan Corfield (6-5, 235); Jr. QB Adryan Lara (6-2, 190), 4,016 passing yards, 41 TDs; Jr. RB Jeryll McIntosh (5-11, 197), 1,325 rushing yards 12 TDs; Jr. OL Gavin Broscious (6-5, 290); Jr. WR Richard Kulik (5-11, 180), 305 receiving yards, 2 TDs; Jr. WR Fabian Lopez (5-9, 170).
Returning starters on defense, 2019 stats: Sr. DB Steven Ortiz Jr. (5-11, 180), 83 tackles; Sr. DB Mikey Ortiz (5-8, 165), 41 tackles, 4 INT; Sr. DB Marques Miller (6- 0, 170), 21 tackles; Sr. LB Myles Hobbs (5-8, 175), 103 tackles; Sr. DL Roderick RJ
Roberts (6-2, 290), 56 tackles, 2.5 sacks; Sr. DB Cliffonte McDowell (5-9, 160), 70 tackles, 4 INT; Sr. DL-OL Maximus Garcia (6-0, 250), 32 tackles, 2.5 sacks; Sr. DL-LB Cris Contreras (6-1, 215), 46 tackles, 3.5 sacks; Sr. DL Jacorie Stokes (6-0, 240), 36 tackles, 2 sacks.
Also keep an eye on: Sr. DL Zachary Blackwood (6-4, 270); Sr. OL Jayden Ahboah (6-5, 300); So. LB Filemoni Lauina (5-11, 210); Jr. DB Camren Foster (5-11, 160); So. WR Gavin Parks (6-0, 165).
Strengths of offense: Quarterback, line and skill.
Strengths of defense: Secondary and line.
Team’s biggest question mark(s): New coaching staff and potential late start. 2020 expectations: Stay healthy. Win our region. Play for a championship.
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Steven Ortiz Jr. looks clean, but Desert Edge’s highly-touted defensive back and his crew are ready to get dirty in the 5A. (Mark Jones photo/MaxPreps)