Page 41 - 2020 Sollenberger

Seton Catholic
Head coach: Pete Wahlheim.
Years as school’s head coach: 1.
2019 record: 5-5.
Returning starters on offense, 2019 stats: Jr. WR/DE Mike Williamson 6-3, 210; Jr. RB/DB Mikey Castro 5-11; Sr. Andrew Scranton 6-2, 190; Sr. OL/DL Matteo Ortiz 6-4 270; OL/DL Owen Garcia 6-2, 240.
Returning starters on defense, 2019 stats: Jr. DE/TE Chey Nieto 6-2, 200; Sr. DE/OL Matteo 6-4, 270; Sr. DB/WR Nolan Woolsey 6-0, 180; DB/WR Merrick Sycamore 5-11, 175.
Also keep an eye on: Jr. QB Nick DiPucio 6-1, 180; So. LB/FB Matt Raso 5-10, 175. Strengths of offense: Good run blocking OL. Quality outside receivers.
Strengths of defense: Bringing back experienced defense. Physical players on defense.
Team’s biggest question mark(s): How quickly sophomores adapt to varsity football. How our young QB develops.
2020 expectations: Expect to be a playoff team.
WEST VALLEY REGION
Cactus
Head coach: Joseph Ortiz.
Years as school’s head coach: 2. 2019 record: 10-3.
Returning starters on offense, 2019 stats: Sr. WR Antonio Pratt 5-8, 150 (564 yards receiving, 6 TDs); Sr. WR Justin Gomez 5-7, 165 (400 yards receiving, 3 TDs). Returning starters on defense, 2019 stats: Sr. DE Riley Davies 6-3, 215 (75 tack- les, 6.5 sacks); Jr. OLB Justin Holmes 5-10, 185 (74 tackles, 6 sacks); Jr. DB Ryan Griswold 5-10, 165 (68 tackles); So. DB Will Galvan 5-7, 140 (53 tackles).
Team’s biggest question mark(s): Replacing QB Conner Cordts (2,158 yards passing, 26 TDs; 841 yards rushing, 16 TDs), Anthony Flores (1,083 yards rushing, 14 TDs), Nate Quinones (135 tackles) and Travis Combs (100 tackles).
Gila Ridge
Head coach: John Ellegood.
Years as school’s head coach: 1.
2019 record: 11-2.
Returning starters on offense, 2019 stats: Sr. QB CJ Wiggins 6-0, 160 (1,145 yards passing, 13 TDs); Jr. WR Johnny Noriega 6-0 180 (715 yards receiving, 9 TDs); Jr. OL Michael Doman 6-4 240.
Returning starters on defense, 2019 stats: Sr. DL Christopher Humphrey 6-2, 280 (3 sacks); Sr. LB Pono Renaud 5-10, 180 (53 tackles); Sr. CB Jacob Acedo 5-10, 150; Sr. DB Tyler Faber 5-8, 140 (70 tackles, 3 INTs).
Also keep an eye on: Sr. RB D’Marco Garcia- Richmond 5-8, 160; Sr. LB AJ Brown 5-10, 180; Sr. LB Hunter Kammann 5-11, 185.
Strengths of offense: Streamlined our run game to help us become a bit more dynamic. Having a returning QB who is extremely athletic will help us. Our offense will be in year two so we have had an entire season to work out the flaws is huge going into next year.
Strengths of defense: Our defense is simple but allows our players to play fast. Our DBs have a lot of playing time and saw some great competition late in the season, which helped them grow.
Team’s biggest question mark(s): Who will step up? We lost most of our starters, and we need to see who will replace them. Depth. Once starters have stepped up, who will be behind them? Can we match the success of 2019. We have a ton of hungry young talent, but we lack experience at the varsity level. 2020 expectations: Compete in every game. Get better every week. Win the city (Yuma). Put ourselves in a position to make the playoffs again. Beat Cibola
Greenway
Head coach: Ed Cook.
Years as school’s head coach: 3.
2019 record: 9-2.
Returning starters on offense, 2019 stats: Sr. RB Christian Johnson 6-0, 175; Sr. C Brent Kenyon 6-2, 240; Sr. WR/DB Daymond Neal 6-3, 180; Sr. WR Jamal Davis 5-9, 160; Sr. WR/RB Daniel Craig 5-11, 165; Jr. QB Aohdan Murphy 5-11, 175 (1,202 yards passing, 12 TDs); Jr. WR Elvis Auxier 5-10, 160; Jr. OL Zach Bauer 6-3, 260; Jr. OL Kyle Barnes 6-2, 220; Jr. WR Kendrick Pruitte 6-1, 175.
Returning starters on defense, 2019 stats: Sr NG Aaron Gerle 6-1, 255 (82 tack- les, 13 sacks); Sr. DE/LB Ethan Slick 6-0, 175; Sr. CB Anthony Kennedy 5-9, 160; Sr. FS Caleb Wahner 6-0, 175 (5 INTs); Jr. SS Milo Apodaca 6-1, 175.
Also keep an eye on: Sr. P/K Brandon Woodland 6-0, 170.
Strengths of offense: Lot of experience coming back. Christian Johnson rushed for over 1,700 yds in 2019. Physical OL. Aohdan Murphy and all WRs coming back from last year.
Strengths of defense: Aaron Gerle is a monster up front. Secondary all back from last year. Will have a lot of speed on defense.
Team’s biggest question mark(s): Need to replace inside and outside LB.
2020 expectations: Win Game 1. Finish with winning record. Win Region. Make playoffs. Make run at state championship.
Canyon del Oro RB Rocker took advantage of time off
By Andy Morales azpreps365.com
The jury is still out on where Canyon del Oro running back Stevie Rocker (6-0, 195) fits in the long line of backs from southern Arizona, but his future looks promising.
From Vance Johnson, Michael Bates, Mario Bates, Ka’Deem Car-
ey to Bijan Robinson, some of the top talent in the backfield from Arizona came from the Tucson area, and Rocker will get his chance. Rocker missed two games as a sophomore for the Dorados but he still managed to gain 1,163 yards on 130 carries for 8.9 yards a pop with 12 touchdowns.
His junior season was hampered by an ankle injury, and he was only able to add 371 yards to his total. But he was able to condition and add ten pounds to his frame to prepare for his senior season.
The injury also didn’t keep Rocker from receiving some top offers from Cal, Arizona, BYU and Nevada. But the three-star recruit chose
the hometown Wildcats on July 16 during a highly-anticipated decision released on social media.
Q: First, you were an all-star as a young boy playing youth football in Tucson and an exciting player for CDO. Soon, southern Arizona will get to see you on the Arizona field. What does it mean to you to represent your hometown in this way?
A: It means more than I can explain, it’s awesome being able to repre- sent the homegrown product.
Q: You gained some weight and a lot of muscle in the offseason. Do you think this was the missing piece, or is there something else you think you need to work on?
A: I think that was the missing piece. I’ve always been able to get my muscle up, but I could never gain any weight, so this extra off-season helped with that a lot.
Q: Everyone is still concerned about the COVID-19 pandemic. How did your family deal with the situation and was getting back to school to see your friends a top priority?
A: They always found a way to keep themselves busy whether it’s work- ing from home or just staying home in general. I’d love to get to see my friends, but my health and future were the number one priority.
Q: Tell us a bit about the Dorados this year and what you see from your teammates.
A: I believe we have a chance to make a ride to the championship, and we have a lot of returners, so I believe we’ll make a very strong run for it.
Canyon del Oro running back Stevie Rocker is healthy now. That spells trouble for opponents. (Andy Morales photo/azpreps365.com)
Canyon del Oro - 4A Kino Region
Head coach: Dustin Peace.
Years as school’s head coach: 11.
2019 record: 8-3.
Returning starters on offense, 2019 stats: Sr. QB Montana Neustadter (508 yards passing, 5 TDs., 637 yards rushing, 6 TDs); Sr. RB Stevie Rocker 6-0, 185; Sr. TE Dustin Sheeley 6-0, 190.
Returning starters on defense, 2019 stats: Sr. Ethan Seppala 6-2, 160 (41 tack- les, 5 INTS); Sr. MLB Mike Williams 6-0, 185 (37 tackles).
Strengths of offense: Stevie Rocker only played six games last year from injury. Team’s biggest question mark(s): Lost top four defenders.
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