VarsityXtra

Chandler Basha coach Tim McBurney prides himself on molding teams with toughness, but even he has his vices.

As the monsoon exploded in the East Valley and wreaked havoc on Friday night’s football, lightning, and a reminder, flashed before him.

A big proponent of the monsoon season - “I get sick of blue skies everyday. Give me a storm anyday” - McBurney’s adoration for the climate change almost got too close for comfort.

McBurney was coaching at Tempe High in the early 1980s. On a late August evening, the Buffaloes were having an intra-squad scrimmage while a storm was brewing nearby.

The team played on, until a bolt of lightning struck one of the light poles at the stadium.

A videotape was set up on the sidelines to film blocking schemes and techniques. Instead, it showed a white flash, 30-odd guys diving to the ground with the smell of burned hair surrounding them. The Bufffaloes sprinted indoors and no one was injured.

“I’ve never messed with it again,” he said. “I’ll never question that judgement call.”

Give props to Chandler Hamilton for its victory over Miami Booker T. Washington on Friday. The Huskies traveled across the country and beat the Miami Herald’s No.1 team and the defending 4A Florida state champ in its own backyard. Every Arizona school should thank Hamilton for representing the state so well.

But before we go anointing Hamilton as a national power let’s put the win in perspective. Booker T. Washington’s enrollment is more than a thousand students fewer than Hamilton’s and there are two higher classifications of prep football in Florida (5A and 6A). To be blunt, Hamilton should always beat a school that much smaller.

Sure, Washington had a lofty national ranking in some publications, but if Friday’s game proved anything, it is that national prep rankings are absurd. Teams don’t play each other enough to form a reasonable comparison. Publications like USA Today create national rankings to sell newspapers and draw readers to their Web site. Period. National power? Maybe so. Or maybe there are eight teams in Ohio alone that could handle the Huskies. We’ll never know.

So enjoy Hamilton’s win for what it is. And stay tuned for a much bigger and more telling matchup on Friday when Hamilton faces defending 5A-I state champ Phoenix Brophy in what is rapidly becoming the state’s best rivalry.

Scottsdale Chaparral quarterback Spencer Stone’s sister, Emma, was on the Jimmy Kimmel show on Wednesday. Emma is a 19-year-old actress who played the character Jules in ‘Superbad’, and is starring in the upcoming comedy ‘The Rocker’.

Emma talked with Jimmy about Spencer (although he wasn’t mentioned by name), discussing his football prowess at the beginning of her interview.

Last year, I talked with Spencer about his famous sister. Here’s the transcript:

Me : What’s it like having your sister be a Hollywood actress?
Spencer Stone: It’s pretty cool. I get to go to L.A. a little bit. I went to the premiere of ‘I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry,’ so I got to meet a few people, like (Adam) Sandler, Jessica Biel.
Me: Well that’s not bad.
SS: That’s not bad at all. It’s pretty cool that I get to go out there and see some behind-the-scenes things.
Me: Anything you can tell us that normal people don’t see?
SS: She was in ‘Drive’; it was on Fox for, like, three episodes. I got to see the filming of that, and it was pretty cool how they go on location, and it was set in Florida but filmed in L.A. They put the Kennedy Space Center up and turned an old, beat-down, old building in the middle of L.A. into the Kennedy Space Center. It’s cool to see that. You look across the street and it’s just regular, but looking over it’s the whole scene they set up.
Me: Who is the favorite person you’ve met?
SS: I’m a big Adam Sandler fan.
Me: Favorite movie of his?
SS: I’d have to say ‘Happy Gilmore’.
Me: What did you think of ‘Superbad?’
SS: I liked it. I thought it was hilarious. My sister had the cleanest part so I could still laugh.
Me: Did you get to go to that premiere?
SS: I didn’t get to go to it. We had practice that night.

The running back depth is being tested a bit early on this season for Arizona State, and since there seems to be no reason to push the envelope against Northern Arizona on Saturday night, the result of this conservatism may be a boon for former Phoenix St. Mary’s standout James Morrison.

Morrison was an ASU walk-on, moreso because the supporting cast at St. Mary’s struggled, but given the chance to play at the Division I level (granted, it’s been mostly exhibitions and practices) he’s flourished early and often.

At 5-foot-8, 210 pounds, Morrison added about 10 pounds from his senior season, when he rushed for 800 yards (nearly eight yards per carry), 130 yards receiving, nine touchdowns, returned kicks and was a solid defensive back.

He had breakaway speed and strength his junior and senior years in high school, but only started in the backfield the final three games of his junior year as an injury replacement, and the Knights had few options surrounding him as a senior.

The plan was to redshirt as a freshman, and that could still happen, but in time, he has all the makings of a legitimate Division I player.

Scottsdale Saguaro defensive tackle Corey Adams - the second best prospect in Arizona - will likely wait until after the season to choose his college destination.

Adams has been pursued by nearly every major college in the country, and recently pared down his prospective list to Arizona State, Ohio State and USC. He would like to make the decision at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 5.

“It was getting pretty hectic, so I narrowed it down,” Adams said. “It definitely helped, not only me with the schools I’m considering going to, but having time for my own football career instead of worrying about all the colleges.”

Adams said waiting on the decision will help keep him motivated through the season.

“A lot of times you’ll see guys who kind of have a laid-back approach to the season, knowing they already have something to do after,” Adams said. “I’d kind like to keep it open, not have anything set in stone, to give myself that extra little push.”

Adams plans to visit each school, but hasn’t decided on which days he will go yet.

Craig Roh, another highly regarded defensive line prospect out of Scottsdale, will make a trip to Michigan on Saturday. The defensive end from Chaparral is the third highest rated prospect in Arizona behind Adams and Desert Vista’s Devon Kennard.

Roh has narrowed down his list of schools to Michigan, Arizona State, Nebraska, USC, UCLA, California, LSU and Stanford.

 Remember the days when we could eat whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted?

For most of us, those days are long gone (even though some of us like to deny it on a regular basis). For others, like, say, Chandler Valley Christian quarterback Jordan Morgan, it’s a regulated free-for-all.

Morgan grew up a quarterback but played flanker as a freshman at V.C. last season. He switched back to quarterback following graduation losses and a player shuffling.

He weighed between 160 and 165 pounds last year. He entered this fall’s camp at 190 (and it ain’t fat).

Combined with 1-2 daily workouts, here’s how he does it (with a whole lot of help from mom):

6 a.m. -  4-5 brown eggs OR troph-sized bowl of oatmeal and fruit, plus sausage (4 links) or bacon (4 pieces), potatoes, two pieces whole wheat toast, milk, multi-vitamins.

10 a.m. - 2 sandwiches, usually turkey, ham or roast beef, yogurt

noon - School lunch, Rubio’s, Jason’s Deli, or whatever Valley Christian brings in from the outside.

2 p.m. - 2 peanut butter and honey sandwiches (often kept in mom’s mini fridge at the school), banana or raisins, more yogurt

4 p.m. - (before practice) energy drink w/ whey protein

7 p.m. - (after practice) more water

8 p.m. - dinner (varies)

10 p.m. - peanut butter sandwich, multivitamin.

Sundays are free days, where he can pretty much eats what he wants (breakfast hardly changes).

In addition to a bag of food he often has to carry around each day (that part he loathes), there’s also the gallon of water he drinks everyday.

Total:  $225 per week to feed a family of four (not including dining out).

So Phoenix Brophy showed off its muscle, especially on defense against Bishop Gorman on Saturday, a defense few outside coach Scooter Molander, coordinator Gary Galante or his players knew about until they got healthy in time for last year’s playoffs.

As for the offense, well, it’s going to be awhile. Juggling at quarterback and running back while trying to develop an almost entirely new offensive line.

Problem is, the Broncos have their bye week Friday, which gives them two weeks to prepare for Chandler Hamilton, but it’s not a good time to take a break given the schedule grind that awaits (Hamilton, Tucson Salpointe, plus Basha, Mesa and Mesa  Mountain View).

Not much Brophy could have done about this, but a team that needs all the game action it can get before October won’t get it all. Two weeks of practice helps, but not enough.

Courtesy of Scottsdale Desert Mountain coach Tony Tabor, who’s watched more film and mistakes captured by that film than he ever dreamed of from his first two seasons at Desert Mountain:

In the past two seasons, the Wolves have had five offensive series (at least one play from scrimmage) which lasted 20 seconds or less.

“You can’t do that to any defense,” he said.

Needless to say, the Wolves are counting on a scheme change and returning experience to creep them closer to a postseason, which would be the first since 1997.

Devon Kennard was big-time at the USC camp this summer, and a No. 2 national ranking followed.

It’s not that Rivals.com doesn’t know what it’s doing when it comes to high school football. Actually they’re more up to speed than almost any other publication/website out there.

But when they moved Phoenix Desert Vista’s Devon Kennard into the No. 2 spot nationally among all high school football players, well, the excitement was less than palpable.

It’s not that Kennard doesn’t care. He does. But not that much. He’s got his list of five big-time programs and a good head on his shoulders (and some tough family members in his ear keeping his head below the clouds).

It’s the highest ranking ever for an Arizona football player, as Kennard one-upped former Avondale Agua Fria star (and current USC player) Everson Griffen for the state’s top honor.

Just don’t count on an invitation to the blowout celebration.

Geez, win a second state championship in three years last December, and suddenly the Peacock Network comes calling. Phoenix Brophy’s recent success will be spotlighted during Sunday Night NFL telecasts in September (Jennifer Grimes/Tribune).

Phoenix Brophy is playing during prime time (or at least on TV) , and the Broncos will also be featured on the tube.

NBC will air a piece on the Broncos as part of a look at the so-called “gutiest” high school football around the country as part of its “Line of Scrimmage” series.

Following an introductory piece on Sept. 7, the 45-second shorts of Brophy will air Thursday, Sept. 14, and Sunday, Sept. 21 during halftime of the Sunday night telecasts.

Meanwhile, the Broncos open this season earlier than all, with an Aug. 23 matchup against fellow state champions in Bishop Gorman (Nevada) at University of Phoenix Stadium.