VarsityXtra

A classic turned into a clunker at Mesa Red Mountain on Friday night.  It left one coach (Red Mountain’s Jim Jones) hot under the collar and unsure of his future, while the other team (Mesa High) whooped it up after winning its first football playoff game since 2000.

It sets up a Fiesta Region rematch (which was exactly what nobody in the region wanted to deal with, even though losing was the only way to avoid such collisions).

Mesa will play at Phoenix College against Brophy, where the Jackrabbits lost 26-18 in mid-October, a game closer than the score indicates (and the score indicates a close game).

What a job Mesa’s defense did to Red Mountain’s offense (except for one drive in the third quarter which briefly put Red Mountain back in the game, mostly because the Lions remembered they have a good QB in John O’Connor and a good WR in Elizha Cordova). Oddly enough, the Lions never went back to the hurry-up, line-up-and-throw style after that drive the rest of the game.

More importantly, what a job Kelley Moore has done in three years at Mesa.

As for Red Mountain, Jim Jones’ team lost a few key starting linemen to injuries during region play, which is also when his team couldn’t stop the likes of Phoenix Brophy, Chandler Hamilton, Chandler and 5A-II power Peoria Centennial.

Jones groused about Mesa Mountain View not being in the Fiesta Region while Mesa and Red Mountain were.

His point: If it was supposed to be about geography, where’s the geography?

“It’s a damn shame they had to go through a schedule like we did,” he said. “It’s not fair to anyone in Arizona high school football.”

It’s a good point.

Let’s at least throw out the possibility there was anger and frustration involved because his team had just been kicked in the teeth by Mesa to end its season.

Then again, the Jackrabbits lost a slew of close games during region play and lost power points because of the Laveen Cesar Chavez debacle. The Jackrabbits never said a word.

(Incidentally, neither did Phoenix Desert Vista, and if this really was about competitive balance and putting all the perennially premier teams in one region, Desert Vista belongs in the Central).

As for Jones, he’s Red Mountain’s only football coach since it opened in 1989. This may have been his last game as the school’s coach, but he wasn’t about to tip his hand one way or another afterward.

One way or another, though, his decision won’t drag on, but a sour ending to a strong start this season wouldn’t be fair after 20 years.

Just in time for the playoffs, Phoenix Brophy gets an important parts of its defensive line back this week as tackle Adan Nunez will get back on the field for the first time in six weeks.

Nunez, a 5-foot-8, 200-pound senior and two-year starter, suffered a knee injury during the Broncos game against Mesa Red Mountain, which eventually required surgery.

Nunez has 20 tackles this season, but his ability to clog the middle is important for the Broncos’ run defense.

The Broncos had used a rotation of replacements, primarily having center Hank Jenkins play both ways. Brophy hosts No. 14 Glendale Mountain Ridge at Phoenix College on Friday night.

Phoenix Arcadia coach Jim Ellison is this week’s Cardinals coach of the year.

Ellison and the Titans clinched the 4A East Valley Region championship with a 35-14 victory against previously unbeaten Williams Field High School last Friday night. Quarterback Colby Kirkegaard was 11 of 17 passing for 216 yards and three touchdowns in the win.

The Titans begin the postseason on Friday night when they host Douglas.

Mesa Dobson girls basketball players Kameron Knutson and Andrea Jones signed letters of intent Wednesday to attend the University of San Diego and Southern Utah, respectively, Mustangs coach Tyler Dumas said.

Mesa High boys center Blondy Baruti signed with Tulsa, according to Jackrabbits coach Shane Burcar. Also signing was Mesa Red Mountain girls shooting guard Erika Richards, who  signed with Fort Lewis, Colo.

Scottsdale Notre Dame’s Schaefer Whiteaker will play baseball and pursue medicine at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. Mesa Mountain View point guard Jennifer Schlott has signed with Utah State, and Chandler Basha’s Enjoli Bland signed her letter to play for Sacred Heart in Connecticut.

To report other signings during this non-football signing period, email the info to the Trib to sports@evtrib.com, lwillsey@evtrib.com, mheller@evtrib.com or kodegard@evtrib.com.

Phoenix Mountain Pointe running back Davon Jones was named this week’s player of the week by the Arizona Cardinals.

Jones rushed for 203 yards and three touchdowns in leading the Pride to a 26-23 victory over previously unbeaten Tempe Marcos De Niza last Friday night. Jones helped the Pride finish the regular season with a perfect 10-0 record and a 5A East Valley Region Championship. The senior running back has 1,442 yards rushing and 25 touchdowns this season as part of one of the biggest single-season turnarounds this decade.

Mountain Pointe hasn’t won a playoff game since 1998, but will have its latest chance to end that slide when the Pride host Mesa Westwood on Friday night.

A different kind of Friday flashback will take place when No. 10 Phoenix St. Mary’s plays at No. 7 Chandler Basha.

St. Mary’s QB Bryan Holland is the son of former Tempe High standout QB Ty Holland, who played for Basha coach Tim McBurney at Tempe High in the mid-1980s.

Ty was an All-State QB. He led the Buffaloes to the playoffs in 1983 and 1984, and played through a broken right (throwing) hand in the playoffs each of those years, having suffered the same injury in the week before the playoffs both years.

In those days, he was cleared to play by his mom, not the doctor.

“He was a stud,” McBurney said this week. “Undersized (5-foot-10, 175 pounds) but a great heart. He was the soul of our offense and the team.”

Apache Junction’s run in the 4A-I football playoffs will have to be made without one of its biggest stars, as two-way lineman Cy Maughmer will miss the postseason with a partially torn ACL.

Coach Rich Milligan said Maughmer was hoping the Prospectors’ off week last week would give the injury a chance to heal enough so he could play, but the knee remained stiff and he had limited range of motion.

“Fortunately, the doctor said there was no other damage in the knee,” Milligan said. “After surgery, he’ll be back running full speed in 10 weeks. That will have less of an impact on his recruiting.”

The 6-foot-2, 290-pound Maughmer is a Division I recruit and already has an offer from the Air Force Academy. Other schools to express interest are Arizona State, Nebraska, Southern Utah, Northern Arizona and Army.

“It’s a big hit for us and a tough thing for him to deal with, he’s never been hurt to the point he’s lost playing time,” Milligan said.

Apache Junction, the No. 6 seed in the 4A-I playoffs, faces No. 11 Glendale Independence in the first round on Friday.

Chandler Basha’s Richard Parker, the team’s leading receiver this season, will miss Friday’s playoff game with Phoenix St. Mary’s as a precaution from a hit he took in last week’s loss to Mesa Mountain View.
Basha coach Tim McBurney said Parker still needs observation to see if any symptoms remain from the hit. Parker, a senior, has 42 catches for 831 yards and two touchdowns this season. He’s averaging nearly 20 yards per reception. Basha quarterback Mike Benjamin is recovering from an ankle sprain he suffered early in the Mountain View game, but will be ready for Friday’s contest.

For much of the regular season, it was survival mode for the Paradise Valley football team. An injury to running back/linebacker Jake Brown early in the year put the undermanned Trojans in a tough position.

Paradise Valley started the year 2-3, but have won four of five heading into the postseason.

With a matchup on the road against Phoenix Buckeye on Friday, the Trojans will be keeping their best players on the field whenever possible.

Quarterback Kevin Spain will also double as a safety on defense, a position he has been playing on and off throughout the season.

Running back Tyree Parker played linebacker or defensive end on defense for much of the season, but has been moved to cornerback.

Brown will stay at linebacker, and will probably play most of the game, like Parker and Brown.

Those three players are the best athletes on the team, and coach Donnie Yantis wants them on the field as much as possible in the playoffs.

After 11 weeks of regular season action, the state tournament is revving up on Friday. Here are my knee-jerk predictions on what will happen in the first round of the 4A-II state tournament.

4A-II
No. 16 Catalina at No. 1 Mingus: While I’m still not sold on Mingus, that drive up north for Catalina will not be fun. It should be an easy first round victory for the Marauders before the competition ramps up. Prediction: Mingus 24, Catalina 0.
No. 9 Paradise Valley at No. 8 Buckeye: This is a very interesting matchup. Buckeye’s Kody Karjala has passed for 2,200 yards and 28 touchdowns this season, while Paradise Valley’s secondary has struggled. On the flip side, Buckeye has not seen a running game like the Trojans have. This is one of many intriguing matchups in 4A-II. Prediction: Paradise Valley 34, Buckeye 28.
No. 12 Notre Dame at No. 5 Santa Rita: In all three of their losses this season, the Saints have lost by a touchdown or less. Clearly Notre Dame has the ability to hang with the best 4A-II teams, but drawing Santa Rita and making the trip to Tucson is tough. This is a matchup of last year’s state championship game, which Notre Dame won. Prediction: Santa Rita 20, Notre Dame 17.
No. 13 Amphitheater at No. 4 Williams Field: The Black Hawks are banged up and reeling a bit after the regular season-ending loss to Arcadia. Amphitheater isn’t a cake walk, but Williams Field should be able to take care of business. Playing at home in this game is a big help. Prediction: Williams Field 42, Amphitheater 20.
No. 14 Greenway at No. 3 Palo Verde: This is a very interesting game, as Greenway has much more talent than your average No. 14 seed. Palo Verde, meanwhile, is riding high after a 24-23 win over Santa Rita in the season finale. This is my upset special of the first round. Prediction: Greenway 21, Palo Verde 20.
No. 11 Coronado at No. 6 Liberty: Liberty went 10-0 in its first varsity season, although the competition was weak. Both teams love to pound the ball. Coronado has been playing very well since getting blown out by Arcadia early in region play. This looks like another game ripe for an upset. Prediction: Coronado 21, Liberty 14.
No. 10 Douglas at No. 7 Arcadia: If the Titans play anywhere close to how they did in beating Williams Field on Friday night, they should cruise. Arcadia seems to be coming together quite nicely, although the defense has to prove it can continue playing at a high level in consecutive weeks. Prediction: Arcadia 42, Douglas 21.
No. 15 Mohave at No. 2 Cactus: Cactus enters the postseason as one of the most dangerous teams in the bracket. Allan Woods is a beast at running back and the defense is solid. This first round matchup looks like a cake walk. Prediction: Cactus 38, Mohave 7.

Overall outlook: The four most intriguing matchups are Paradise Valley-Thunderbird, Palo Verde-Greenway, Coronado-Liberty, and Notre Dame-Santa Rita, although with the parity in 4A-II, any upset outside the top-two seeds wouldn’t surprise me. This should be the first round of a wild state tournament.