VarsityXtra

Each of the past two seasons, Gilbert Higley has lost only two regular season games.
Two weeks into this year, the Knights have already matched that total, but the coaching staff isn’t about push the proverbial panic button.
“I’d be worried if we were losing 35-0 or 20-0, but we’ve been in every game,” said coach Jim Beall, whose team lost 24-14 to Cave Creek Cactus Shadows and 23-14 to Tempe McClintock. “We still feel good.”
Turnovers – four so far – and a longer-than-expected adjustment period to a new offensive scheme are the biggest reasons for Higley’s winless record.
“We’re doing some good things, but we’re just kind of shooting ourselves in the foot with interceptions and some mistakes,” Beall said.
“Offensively we haven’t started clicking. . . . We’re trying to put in this spread and combine it with our power game. That’s going to make us a lot tougher, but it takes a little bit of time when you’re trying to put a new offense in and do the things you did last year.”
A turnaround should begin this week when the Knights play 1-2 Phoenix Washington in their home opener. Games against Flagstaff Coconino (0-3) and Phoenix Moon Valley (1-1) follow, giving Higley good odds to go into region play 3-2.

Among the many intriguing storylines which have surfaced early this season is the one involving Tempe Prep senior running back Manny Sandoval.
For years Knights coach Tommy Brittain has encouraged the slight (140 pounds) but slippery Sandoval to come out for football only to be repeatedly turned down.
Sandoval finally relented this year, and his play has been a key ingredient in No. 4 Tempe Prep’s 2-0 start.
Despite being brought along slowly by the coaching staff – “He’s only had about 10 touches, including returns,” Brittain said. – Sandoval is tied for the team lead in touchdowns with four, three of which have been four at least 28 yards.

Question: What’s the best way to replace a high school Parade All-American quarterback?
In the case of No. 1 Scottsdale Notre Dame Prep, the answer is with a multiple QB system. With Sean Renfree no longer around to take snaps, Saints coach Scot Bemis said Tuesday he may use up to three quarterbacks in Friday’s season opener against Goodyear Desert Edge. Depending on the results, the strategy may be employed the rest of the season as well.
Junior Will King and seniors Shane Wolfe and Andy Wilder are all in the running to be the new starter, but no one has emerged as the clear choice.
“They all bring something different to the table,” Bemis said. “We’ll kind of simplify the gameplan for them right now, see how they handle it, then we’ll go from there. If one of them picks it up, then we’ll give him more responsibility as the season moves on.”
Although, having three quarterbacks can complicate things, Bemis said he enjoys the versatility it affords him.
“With the group I have, I like our options right now,” he said. “(Eventually) I’d like to settle in on one as the primary starter and then have a couple change-up packages if possible.”
The approach should make for some sleepless nights for opposing defensive coordinators.

If MVP awards were handed out at state tournaments, the frontrunner for the 5A-I baseball playoffs would have to be Chandler Hamilton catcher Jake Saylor.

Through three games, the senior is hitting .583 with two home runs, nine RBI and two doubles.

His hot streak is a continuation of his play from the regular season.

“Jake Saylor has been carrying our team for the past month,” coach Mike Woods said Saturday after Saylor went 3-for-5 with three RBI and just missed a home run at Tempe Diablo Stadium. He instead had to settle for a 410-foot double in the Huskies’ 10-8 victory over Mesa Mountain View.

“He’s just been on fire.”

When asked to explain the zone he’s been in, Saylor responded simply, “I’ve found my swing the past couple weeks.”

That’s bad news for the rest of the field.

Watching the Tempe McClintock girls basketball team play earlier this week, I was highly impressed with the grace and fluidity of forward Amy Patton’s game on both ends of the court.

Only a junior, Patton is unstoppable one-on-one and clearly the most refined talent in the

East
Valley.

She is the biggest reason why the Chargers are 19-3 and ranked No. 2. What McClintock does in the postseason, though, will likely be determined more so by the actions of high-energy, multi-talented junior point guard Stefanee Perez, which coach Eric Magana acknowledged after Tuesday’s victory over Scottsdale Chaparral.

“Stefanee is the motor. She gets us going,” he said. “She’s the heart and soul of this team. She’s the emotional leader in practice and in games. She’s always focused, always fired up. She motivates the other girls so well.”

While browsing through the list of this week’s prep football games, I noticed there are a higher-than-normal number of marquee individual matchups on tap.

Here are my top four, in no particular order.

Corona de Sol’s J.R. Hamm vs. Mountain Pointe’s Marquese Wheaton: Bragging rights for “the best running back in the region” are on the line when the Aztecs and Pride square off in the 5A Central opener for both teams. Hamm (862) and Wheaton (819) are both closing in on 1,000 yards and rank Nos. 3 and 4, respectively, in rushing among 5A

East
Valley backs.

Coronado’s Travis Huff vs. Seton Catholic’s Jon McDonald: Two of the top pure football talents in 4A, Huff and McDonald are their team’s statistical and emotional leaders. Huff, a running back, is the ninth leading rusher in the state (among all classes) with 1,088 yards while McDonald, a linebacker/running back, leads his team in tackles (64) and  touchdowns (five) and is second in rushing 495.

Desert Ridge QB Josh Cain vs. Pinnacle QB Evan Johnson: It’s hard to find a team which likes to throw more than Desert Ridge, and Cain’s statistics reflect that. He is not only third in the state in both passing yards (2,029) and touchdowns (18) but is also one of
Arizona’s most accurate passers. His 66.1 completion percentage (154 of 233) is the highest among quarterbacks who have attempted at least 150 passes. Pinnacle, meanwhile, doesn’t go to the air nearly as much, but Johnson is just as accurate (85 of 128, 66.4 percent). He is also a threat with his feet – he is the Pioneers leading rusher – and has been responsible for 14 touchdowns.

Saguaro QB Tim Ruben vs.Apache Junction RB Shane McCullen: Two of the leading candidates for the 4A Desert Sky’s player of the year award will be on display in this tilt. Ruben and McCullen rank sixth and seventh in the state in rushing, respectively, and are separated by only four yards (1,124-1,120). They are also first and fourth in the region in scoring with 78 and 62 points, respectively.

While one month into a season is usually far too early to start handing out all-region, all-conference, all-state honors, etc., an exception has to be made this year.You can pencil in Tempe Marcos de Niza running back Harrison Evens right now for all such awards then go over his name again with ink.Through three games, the senior has touched the ball only 22 times on offense but has ended up in the end zone on six of those occasions. That

To all the high school sports fans out there, does the name Danny Baugher sound familiar?It should. Baugher was a standout football player at Phoenix Mountain Pointe High earlier this decade. He parlayed that success into the punting job at the University of Arizona, and after a record setting performance his senior year seemed destined for the NFL.He was on New England

With prep football in full swing this week, that means it is open season for high school students to