VarsityXtra

Paradise Valley running back/linebacker/placekicker Jake Brown will miss his second consecutive game this week with a sprained ankle.

Brown wants to return to action, but coach Donnie Yantis is being cautious so as not to lose him for a significant period of time.

Top defensive lineman Austen Salazar was injured in Friday’s game against Cave Creek Cactus Shadows and will miss 3-4 weeks, also with an ankle sprain.

With multiple top players out with injuries, the Trojans are focused on treading water until their health improves.

“That kind of stuff happens,” Yantis said. “We’re in maintain mode. We’d rather lose the battle than lose the war.”

In 4A-I, Apache Junction drops out of the top 5 after a loss to Cottonwood Mingus. Cave Creek Cactus Shadows continues its early-season run with a win over Paradise Valley, moving the Falcons up to No. 3 in the latest poll. Saguaro did enough to beat Cactus on Friday, setting up a much-anticipated 1-vs-2 matchup with Canyon del Oro in Tucson. Can the Sabercats stop Ka’Deem Carey? We’re going to find out.

In 4A-II, Paradise Valley has gone from No. 1 to out of the rankings in two weeks. Cactus Shadows knocked them out with an overtime victory this week. Start-up programs Liberty and Williams Field are knocking on the  door of the top-5, though both teams will need another win against a solid team to make the move.

4A-I
1. Canyon del Oro (5-0): A disciplinary issue kept Carey on the sidelines for a half against Nogales, but he wasn’t needed. I wonder if Carey did the same thing this week,would he have been benched against Saguaro?
2. Saguaro (4-0): The Sabercats showed some vulnerability against the run, but still won by 17 points against a good Cactus team. Let’s see what John Sanders has up his sleeve for the matchup with the Dorados.
3. Cactus Shadows (4-0): Those sneaky Falcons did it again with a double-overtime win over Paradise Valley. Cactus Shadows has to be the most resilient team in the state and is turning into a legitimate threat in 4A-I.
4. Cienega (4-1): The early loss to Cactus Shadows quieted talk about the Bobcats, but they have played well since. Willie Willis is becoming a big-time running back and Trent Simon is so dangerous at wide receiver.
5. Sabino (4-1): The Sabercats had an easy win over Marana, and really won’t get challenged until the season-ending game against Canyon del Oro.

4A-II
1. Notre Dame (4-0): The Saints got a break by playing Seton without its standout quarterback, Justin Sieczkowski, but it’s doubtful Notre Dame would have had much trouble, anyway.
2. Santa Rita (3-1): The Eagles stomped Rio Rico 69-0. There aren’t any statistics from the game available on Maxpreps, but I’m going to go ahead and assume they were a tad lopsided.
3. Mingus (4-0): I contemplated putting the Marauders into the rankings last week, but an eight-point win over Prescott Valley Bradshaw Mountain didn’t inspire enough confidence. A two-touchdown victory over Apache Junction on Friday, though, jumped them up to No. 3.
4. Buckeye (3-1): The Hawks rolled Coconino, and very well could finish the season with only one loss.
5. Greenway (3-1): Games against Apache Junction and Paradise Valley the next two weeks will show if the Demons are for real.

Running back Shawn Martin’s 334-yard, four-touchdown rushing day helped Scottsdale Coronado edge Chandler Seton, 34-32 on Friday in an important 4A-II East Sky Region contest.

But more than for the team, coach B.J. Pasquel was happy to see Martin do it for himself.

He has been a running back on varsity the past two seasons, but didn’t get a chance to get the bulk of the carries.  Travis Huff was the starter two seasons ago, and Kaylin Ashley took the majority of the carries last year.

But Martin was pegged the starter this year, and he came through for the Dons against Seton.

“It was great,” Pasquel said. “He’s one of the best kids around. It’s nice to see him have a big game.”

Martin could have another good showing this week against an Arcadia squad that has been prone to giving up yards on the ground.

Paradise Valley running back Jake Brown will likely miss this week’s game against Cave Creek Cactus Shadows with an ankle injury.

Brown suffered the injury in the first quarter of last week’s loss to Scottsdale Notre Dame. Coach Donnie Yantis believs it is just a sprain, not a fracture, because Brown has been walking around on it the last couple days.

Brown is seeing a doctor today for more conclusive results.

In this ranking breakdown last week, I said Notre Dame probably couldn’t hang with  Paradise Valley this season. Umm, whoops.

The Saints dominated from the opening kickoff on Friday night (Literally. Notre Dame recovered a fumble on the opening boot) and jump up to No. 1 in the 4A-II rankings this week. The top two teams are the ones from last year’s title game, and Notre Dame and Santa Rita look solid early on.

In 4A-I, Saguaro won a big game against Peoria to move its win streak to 36 games.

4A-I
1. Canyon del Oro: Ka’Deem Carey ran all over Queen Creek on Thursday as the Dorados strengthened their hold as the team to beat in 4A-I. The drive to Phoenix can cause slow starts for some teams, but Canyon del Oro didn’t miss a beat.
2. Saguaro: The Sabercats won a close one over Peoria, 13-0. Quarterback Kyle Faunce returned to action after missing the first two games for an unspecified reason, but he was mediocre. Two more big tests in the next two weeks (Cactus and at Canyon del Oro) as well as a couple more (Cactus Shadows and Apache Junction) in region play.
3. Apache Junction: The Prospectors rolled over Higley and remain undefeated. Rich Milligan likes what he sees so far, but the schedule toughens considerably in the next three weeks with games at Mingus, at Greenway and at home against Cactus Shadows.
4. Cactus Shadows: The Falcons are 3-0 after a 53-7 romp over Shadow Mountain last week. Cactus Shadows faces off with Paradise Valley this week in another big test.
5. Cienega: Sabino only beat Marana Mountain View by seven points, so I moved Cienega back in at No. 5. After Cactus Shadows’ impressive start, the loss by Cienega doesn’t look nearly as unforgivable as it did that week.

4A-II
1. Notre Dame: The Saints looked great against Paradise Valley. After that performance, a three-peat becomes a definite possibility.
2. Santa Rita: How does Santa Rita match up with the big boys from the East Valley? That will be the great unknown until the postseason, as the Eagles won’t be making any trips to Phoenix this regular season.
3. Cactus: The Cobras would love to end Saguaro’s winning streak next week. They have a shot.
4. Buckeye: Played Peoria tough early, followed up by impressive wins over Thunderbird and Arcadia moves Buckeye into the rankings.
5. Paradise Valley: The Trojans take a tumble down the rankings, and must find a way to fix their secondary woes. Also, the loss of running back/linebacker/kicker Jake Brown is huge if his ankle injury keeps him out for a substantial amount of time.

The 2009 (Chandler) Wolves Classic Invitational Swim Meet will get going with its diving portion today. Saturday will be the swimming events.

Twenty-five teams will participate, down from 40 last year.

The swim meet begins at 10:30 A.M. and the last event is scheduled for 1:45 p.m.

More information on the meet can be found here.

In his first varsity start on Friday, Williams Field backup quarterback Tom Ross played well in place of injured starter Nick Gaylord.

In the 48-7 win over Flagstaff on Friday, Ross completed 9-of-14 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown. He did throw two interceptions, but coach Steve Campbell said one bounced out of the tight end’s hands and the other was a well-thrown pass on a slant route that was just a hair behind the wide receiver.

In two games, Ross is 12-for-18 for 282 yards with three touchdowns and the two interceptions. He will certainly get the start this week against Tempe as Gaylord continues rehabbing an injured foot, but when Gaylord gets back (possibly against Desert Edge on Sept. 25 and likely the next week against Seton) he will once again assume starting duties.

The plan all along this season was to get Ross into the game in certain packages at quarterback and let the athletic Gaylord move to wide receiver.

But no matter how impressive Ross looks in the next couple weeks, Campbell insists Gaylord will be his starting quarterback when he returns.

“It won’t change,” Campbell said. “Nick is our quarterback and will be our quarterback. Nick’s not the guy because he throws the ball better than Tommy. (It is because) he is the leader of our football team.”

Tempe starting quarterback Jose Flores did not play last week against Flagstaff Sinagua, and could miss the remainder of the regular season with a knee injury, coach Brian Walker said.

Flores took a helmet to his knee in the regular season opener against Apache Junction, and while no ligament damage has been found, Flores remains in considerable pain.

He saw a doctor last week and has an appointment set up to see an orthopedic surgeon next week.

DeMarco Jordan was under center in last week’s 37-13 win over Flagstaff Sinagua and will be the team’s quarterback going forward.

“DeMarco’s doing a good job for us,” Walker said. “He’s doing what he’s been asked to do. Once he gets some more game time under his belt, we shouldn’t be missing a beat.”

Higley quarterback Luke Magee will miss the rest of the season with a ligament tear in his elbow, coach Jim Beall said.

Junior varsity quarterback Rick Koss will be his replacement.

Tailback Kelvin Fisher took over at quarterback after Magee went down in the the third quarter of last week’s loss against Liberty, but he will move back to running back this week against Apache Junction.

Beall said the news was hard for Magee to hear.

“It’s tough for him,” Beall said. “He put in a lot of time during the summer. He will be all right, but it’s hard for him right now.”

Phoenix Arcadia proved Paradise Valley isn’t invincible this week, but the Trojans still had enough firepower to hold off the pesky Titans and keep their No. 1 ranking in 4A-II.

Tucson Santa Rita is back in the thick of things after an impressive win over then-No. 2 Tucson Sabino of 4A-I.

We’ll have a big one this week between 4A-II No. 1 Paradise Valley and No. 2 Notre Dame, as well as an important game between 4A-I No. 2 Saguaro and Peoria, which is right outside the top-5.

4A-I
1. Canyon del Oro: The Dorados had an easy win against Tucson last Friday. They’ll head up to Phoenix this week for a test with Queen Creek. Others are higher on the Bulldogs than I am, but a win or a competitive game here will convert me. While the other top teams have either floundered (Cienega, Sabino, Peoria) or been lightly tested (Saguaro, Apache Junction), Canyon del Oro has played a tough schedule and played it well. The Dorados are the clear-cut No. 1 in my eyes.
2. Saguaro: Probably a few tense minutes last Friday as it took the Sabercats awhile to put away Sunnyslope. The next three weeks will tell us exactly how good Saguaro is this season. It gets Peoria, Cactus and Canyon del Oro, back-to-back-to-back. We’ll see if the ‘young pups’ are ready to play with the big boys.
3. Apache Junction: The Prospectors haven’t played a particularly tough schedule, so they probably don’t deserve this ranking quite yet, but while other teams lose they keep plugging along.
4. Cactus Shadows: This has to be the most surprising team in 4A-I thus far. Fantastic wins against Cienega and Greenway to start the year. Will it last? Who knows. But the Falcons have made a statements that they can’t be overlooked by anybody.
5. Sabino: While it lost to 4A-II Tucson Santa Rita, I let Sabino hang in the top-5 because it was a competitive game and the Sabercats just missed on some chances. Maybe they should have been dropped out, but I think Sabino is a top-5 team and it will take one more loss to get it out of the rankings.

4A-II
1. Paradise Valley: The defense is a concern, but with an offense revolving around Tyree Parker and Jake Brown, it might not matter. Parker said the duo’s nickname was thunder and lightning following Thursday’s win over Arcadia, although he was having trouble figuring out who was thunder and who was lightning. Thunder and thunder, if you ask me.
2. Notre Dame: Although the Saints have started out 2-0 (and had a much more impressive win the second time around) I’m getting a bad feeling about Friday’s game against Paradise Valley. I just don’t think Notre Dame has the horses to play with the Trojans this year.
3. Santa Rita: Hanging tough with Canyon del Oro and then beating Sabino shows this team is legitimate. At this point, I’d say the Eagles are the biggest threat to Paradise Valley in 4A-II.
4. Cactus: Impressive early wins against Coronado and Peoria. I thought this would be a rebuilding year for the Cobras. Larry Fetkenheier has shown once again that he simply reloads.
5. Arcadia: Colby Kirkegaard is a tough quarterback to defend. The offense is potent, but the Titans must find a way to slow teams on defense, or they could keep falling down the rankings.