VarsityXtra

For football coaches that teach at their school, the football season means 12-hour workdays during the week.

So Scottsdale Saguaro coach John Sanders was no doubt honored when the U.S. Army All-American Bowl asked him to be one of the coaches for the game in January, but he decided to turn it down. Sanders said football has taken up much of his time for the past several months and would like to devote the offseason to his family. Also, there is the little matter of his daughter getting married soon.

Don’t rule out next season, though. It’s likely Saguaro lineman Corey Adams will get invited to the game, and Sanders would probably get to bring some of his staff.

Chandler Hamilton has gotten all the scrutiny for its abilities on the field and alleged ways off the field. Phoenix Desert Vista has surprised few by putting its uber-talented team together late (hey, it’s better than never). Mesa Red Mountain knew it was a state title contender from the get-go.

So as quietly as possible when you’ve won the 2005 state title and reached the semifinals last year, there’s Phoenix Brophy.

The Broncos have re-established themselves as a perennial contender in recent years, so this isn’t exactly George Mason in the Final Four or Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl.

It is, however, a significant feat for this year’s bunch, a group loaded with new starters (especially on defense) and hit hard by injuries midway through the season.

“You’re not going to reach ultimate goals unless you set ultimate goals and constantly remind not only yourself, but your players,” Broncos coach Scooter Molander said Tuesday. “Those things sometimes come to fruition, sometimes they don’t. ”

Scooter Molander 

Defensive end Trent Murphy suffered a serious injury midway through the season, but returned weeks ahead of schedule.

Ray Polk was an All-State running back last year behind a large, veteran offensive line. He hasn’t been the same. The offensive line began as a smaller, younger shell of lines past. They grew up, just in time for Polk to get injured. Twice.

The Broncos were beaten soundly by Hamilton at Phoenix College in late August, which now feels like half-a-world-away to both teams, especially Brophy.

Hamilton is and should be considered the favorite in this game, but I wouldn’t flinch if Brophy pulled this one out. Not with a healthy Polk and Bobby Rodrigues in the backfield, senior quarterback Bryan Berens, Sean Lieb, Drew Maggi and a defense you haven’t heard about.

Bryan Berens (left) and Ray Polk are two leftovers from the 2005 championship team. Both will be essential to Brophy’s chances Friday.

Since there’s still talk about the 2005 championship thriller (of which Berens was the Broncos quarterback and Polk was a defensive back), the Huskies are still annoyed by that night.

The Broncos, obviously, aren’t. Nor are they bothered by facing the undefeated.

Like everyone else in high school football, winning Friday is the team’s second-to-last goal, but getting here has been more than half a battle.

“The thing that is special about this team is they have tremendous leadership and a real heart and soul to it,” Molander said. ”God strike me dead, it’s a special team from that aspect.”

Catching up on another wacky weekend that was in high school football.

OK, more like running in place.

Chandler Hamilton put a hurting on Phoenix Brophy in late August, but in these playoffs Hamilton has looked far more “human” than at any point in the past two years.
Brophy, particularly defensively, has been as good as ever the past month, and while they hadn’t played offensive juggernauts of late (which Hamilton is when it wants to be), they did shut down a Tempe Corona del Sol offense which showed itself more than capable of piling up points in the playoffs, even without starting QB Chase Cartwright.

Brophy also gets Ray Polk back next week.

I know the majority are on the Hamilton-will-roll-to-another-title wagon, but don’t hitch yourself too tightly.  This semifinal is looking more and more like a dandy.

Let’s stop with the state championship rematch comparisons from 2005. Both teams are completely different, and it’s irrelevent now.  It’s fun to remember such a wild championship game, and it should be remembered, but unless you can find some legitimate connection between the two games, let’s stop trying to tie them together before it starts.

That said, the way Hamilton has played defensively makes Brophy’s 99-yard title-winning drive in ‘05 even more impressive.

Quick St. Mary’s football update, courtesy of athletic director Ric Moreno:  For those who want to be considered as the follow-up to Pat Farrell, the school is collecting resumes for their football coach vacancy from now until after the playoffs end to allow those interested but still playing games to avoid such distractions.  A search committee will help Moreno narrow and interview candidates, with the goal of having a new coach in place by New Year’s.

With only the 3A and 2A championship games slated for this weekend, Varsity Xtra section is taking the week off, but we’ll be back in tow next week.

Happy Turkey Day.

Former Scottsdale Desert Mountain lineman Blair Boynton has made a nice college career for himself at Northern Arizona.

This week he was chosen to play in the East Coast All-Star Football game in Petersburg, Virginia, over Thanksgiving weekend.

A lineman and tight end coming out of Desert Mountain, he switched to defensive line early in his time at NAU. This year he leads the team in tackles for loss (8) and sacks (4.5).

The East Coast Bowl is a yearly All-Star game featuring D-II, D-III and NAIA players from across the country.

Roughly a dozen Tempe Corona del Sol football players went under the razor this week.

In one of those wacky team rituals, some Aztec players had their heads shaven into a mohawk of sorts. Most of them had short hair to begin with, so their heads are shaven on the sides with a strip of hair left on the top.

Not exactly a 70s punk rock ‘do.

The Aztecs look more like Chad Johnson (left) than a free-thinking anarchist.

There was altering opinions on who started this mini-wave of shearing, but Evan Altheide’s name came up more than once.

Most of the team’s linemen got clipped, although receiver/defensive back Eric Benson was one of the few skill position players to have it done. He said he’s not a fan of seeing himself shaven, but knows it’ll grow back eventually.

Others, including running back J.R. Hamm (who has Eric Byrnes-style hair), declined the invitation. And they got an earful about it.

“They like their hair too much,” Benson joked. “A bunch of pretty boys.”

OK they weren’t twins, but Kris and Justin Taylor from Mesa Dobson are both playing basketball at Western New Mexico, a Division II school which in town Wednesday to play ASU in an exhibition.

Kris, (below) is now a senior, started in the middle. He made 2 of 4 shots for five points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals in 25 minutes.

Justin (below), a junior, made all three of his shot attempts in seven minutes, and finished with six points and two rebounds.

Also, former Pardise Valley guard Justin Williams hit a couple 3-pointers, and former Phoenix Mountain Pointe guard Steve Berrellezza made three 3-pointers for nine points in 12 minutes.

Here is my 4A-I state tournament preview guide free of charge as the action gets rolling on Friday. My opinions might be worth that much.

THE FAVORITE: This has been an easy call ever since Scottsdale Saguaro hoisted last year’s trophy and you looked down at the roster and realized, ‘Holy cow, they have a bunch of guys back.’ If the Sabercats don’t win the title, it’s because of an injury, overconfidence or a weird circumstance. They are the best team in 4A-I.

THE SLEEPER: Peoria might only be seeded seventh in the tournament, but I think they have a real shot at making the championship game. The road isn’t easy – it’ll likely need to beat Marana, Glendale Cactus and Tucson Sabino in order to get there – but a title game appearance wouldn’t surprise me. Some coaches are high on No. 6 seed Tucson Canyon del Oro (which only had one loss, to No. 2 Cactus), but I don’t think the Dorados can beat Sabino in the second round.

BEST FIRST ROUND MATCHUP(S): The two most interesting games for me are Nogales-Paradise Valley and Apache Junction-Millennium. Nogales has only lost once but hasn’t played near the schedule as Paradise Valley, so I like the more battle-tested Trojans. Millennium is the fourth seed but also hasn’t had the toughest road. I think they’ll survive, but don’t stand much of a chance against Chaparral in round two.

BEST POTENTIAL SECOND ROUND MATCHUP: Peoria and Cactus. These teams will likely see each other in the second round as this once-heated rivalry attempts to reach that point again. The Cobras beat Peoria in the regular season, but I’ll ride Peoria and the revenge factor if these teams do face off again.

BEST POTENTIAL SEMIFINAL MATCHUP: Saguaro and Chaparral. Why, oh why, did Chaparral have to lose to Paradise Valley? It was a wonderful comeback by the never-say-die Trojans, but truthfully, the Firebirds put it in cruise control too early. Now these two heavyweights are stuck with facing each other in the semifinals if both advance that far. A neutral site somewhere in Scottsdale will be absolutely rocking.

TITLE GAME PREDICTION: Saguaro over Peoria. Choosing a seven-seed to make the title game isn’t always the wisest move, but unfortunately I couldn’t simulate these playoffs on a video game to knock some sense back into me. I like Saguaro over Peoria in the championship game as the Sabercats repeat and finish off their first undefeated season in school history.

Tempe Corona del Sol’s football team may be healthier than their boosters.

Austin Cartwright is a senior Aztec on the offensive line.

His mother, Kris, is an amateur photographer, the source behind most of the hundreds of Corona photos on the Varsity Xtra website. She’s also a big reason the school raised more than $1,000 dollars during the Corona/Chandler football game last month to aid the Wolves’ Dion Jordan in his recovery from severe burns.

She was on the Corona sideline last Friday taking photos during the Desert Vista game when she got trapped during an attempted tackle and couldn’t get out of the way fast enough.

She was inadvertently caught in the collision and suffered a broken arm and underwent surgery this week.

She’ll be back.

Meantime, here’s to a speedy and healthy recovery for one of the good people out there.