VarsityXtra

Two key unsigned recruits from the East Valley - Scottsdale Notre Dame quarterback Sean Renfree and Chandler Hamilton wide receiver Gerell Robinson - were on hand at Arizona State football practice Wednesday afternoon. Renfree verbally committed to Georgia Tech before the season and Robinson to Arizona, but both have since re-opened recruitment. Arizona State is on the short list of desired schools for both.

It would be quite the coup if Dennis Erickson could get them to become Sun Devils. Recruiters have been salivating over Renfree’s strong arm and makeup, and Robinson oozes with talent. Renfree and Robinson chatted with each other just briefly, but plenty long enough for ASU fans to start dreaming of the tandem in Maroon and Gold next year.

A hoarde of players, coaches and media descended on University of Phoenix Stadium Tuesday morning for a “media day” before this weekend’s football championships.

Several of us Tribune folk were in attendance, so be sure to check out Varsity Xtra this week (especially Friday and Saturday) for loads of football coverage, plus highlights and results from a good weekend of basketball and soccer tournaments.

Anyway, here are some tidbits from the 5A-I tilt between Phoenix Desert Vista  and Phoenix Brophy, some of which may appear in depth in the paper later this week. Some may not.

Desert Vista’s Luke Matthews  shaved his head into a mini-mohawk before the ‘Ahwatukee Bowl” against Phoenix Mountain Pointe game late in the regular season. He said one other player, Patrick Johnson has a similar look.

“It’s something different,” Matthews said,  a statement some teammates said fits Matthews to a T.

Desert Vista junior Devon Kennard, on recruiting: “I don’t open any letters. I let my brother (Derek) and mom deal with that stuff.”

The way he’s played this season (90 tackles, 24 1/2 sacks), it’s a full-time job.

Devon’s older brother, Derek, won a state title with Desert Vista under Jim Rattay in 1998 and was a three-year all-WAC  lineman at the University of Nevada. He’s now the Thunder’s defensive line coach.

He’s also the team’s prognosticator. After the Thunder beat Mesa Mountain View in the quarterfinals, Derek declared the state title would come down to D.V. and Brophy.

Sure enough, both teams did their part  in the semifinals.

Thunder coach Dan Hinds denied any knowledge of this bold prediction, but the players said it’s true.  

Jeff Thompson is Desert Vista’s offensive coordinator.  He was going to be Brophy’s tight ends coach, and joined the Broncos in spring, but when Dan Hinds called last summer, Thompson got the green light from Brophy coach Scooter Molander.

Molander, on winning the state title two years ago in his first year as a head coach: “It was a transition. I was utterly inefficient. I was exhausted. It was a learning process for sure.”

Following up on an item we had in today’s paper:

Brophy lineman Mike Tree said the latest installment (part 3) of “Mike Tree: Campus Linebacker,” will be shown in school on Friday.  The guess here is won’t take too long before it finds its way onto YouTube.

BTW according to more than one of his Bronco teammates, anyone wondering who Mike Tree is can find him screaming throughout Phoenix Xavier volleyball matches.

You read it here first last Tuesday:  Don’t be shocked if Phoenix Brophy beats Chandler Hamilton.

OK, that sounds more like shameless self-promotion than some real insight.  Plus I picked Hamilton in our Tackle the Trib (Can’t imagine why I’m in last place this fall).

So It’s Brophy-Desert Vista in the 5A-I championship. Centennial and Westview in 5A-II, Saguaro and Canyon del Oro in 4A-I and Notre Dame and Mingus in 4A-II.

Given the monsoon these schools had to play in Friday night, you can’t say they didn’t earn this.

Speaking of Friday, here are few leftover observations from the Hamilton-Brophy tilt:

Perhaps it’s as simple as hand size and strength, but how Brophy quarterback Bryan Berens (14 of 21 passing, one touchdown, no turnovers) was as sharp as he was in that climate, I will never know.

On second thought, how seemingly well-prepared all of Brophy was for the weather I’ll never know. Coach Scooter Molander and Co. knew it was coming, but even soaking the balls in water in practice couldn’t replicate those game conditions.

Hamilton’s defense had 63 sacks this season. Berens was sacked once, and that was at the end of the game when he ran around and went down on his own to run clock.

Hamilton’s offense had two plays of 60+ yards (both by Nathan Jeffrey). There were only three other Huskies plays which went for 20 yards or more.

I didn’t see it at the time, but Hamilton had two players booted from the game in the final minute following a personal foul penalty. I’m not positive who they were (I was shielded on the sideline), but if any are returning next year, an ejection means the possibility they’d have to sit out the first game next fall.

More to come in the next week, but enjoy championship weekend. Should be better weather inside Glendale’s spaceship.