VarsityXtra

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.

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-I state tournament.

4A-I
No. 16 Tempe McClintock at No. 1 Tucson Canyon del Oro: McClintock snuck into the playoffs two years ago and then knocked off No. 2 seed Glendale Cactus. The Chargers are limping in this season. Will history repeat itself? Doubtful. It’’s not the easiest first round matchup for Canyon del Oro, but the Dorados look like the most complete team in 4A-I this year. Prediction: Canyon del Oro 35, McClintock 13.
No. 9 Queen Creek at No. 8 Apollo: Apollo finished 9-1, but had one of the easiest schedules in the state. Queen Creek was battle-tested, but finished just 5-5. This is a good draw for the Bulldogs. I think the experience and physicality they have seen all season will be a factor. Prediction: Queen Creek 28, Apollo 14.
No. 12 Bradshaw Mountain at No. 5 Peoria: These two teams played earlier this season, and Peoria won 35-22. I don’t see any reason why this would change. Prediction: Peoria 38, Bradshaw Mountain 21.
No. 13 Nogales at No. 4 Cienega: Two teams that also played earlier this season, and Cienega led 34-0 at the half. Not hard to predict this one. One thing I’m disappointed in is CDO and Cienega being on the same side of the bracket. I think these are the two best teams in 4A-I right now and would have liked to see them have a chance at meeting in the title game. Prediction: Cienega 35, Nogales 7.
No. 14 Agua Fria at No. 3 Saguaro: The Owls were blown out by all legitimate competition this year. The Sabercats fall under that heading, so expect the same. if I’m John Sanders, I like the draw. Playing Apache Junction in the quarterfinals and Cactus Shadows or Sabino in the semis is preferable to getting Cienega or CDO. Prediction: Saguaro 42, Agua Fria 14.
No. 11 Independence at No. 6 Apache Junction: Seton and Liberty both beat up on Independence early in the season, but Independence did beat Apollo late in the year and have won five in a row. Still, Apache Junction has too much talent and will run the ball at will. Prediction: Apache Junction 42, Independence 17.
No. 10 Raymond Kellis at No. 7 Sabino: Another game that likely won’t be very close. We’re developing a theme here. Prediction: Sabino 35, Kellis 14.
No. 15 Sahuaro at No. 2 Cactus Shadows:  Sahuaro did play Queen Creek tough earlier this year, but dealing with Cactus Shadows’ spread attack won’t be fun. The Falcons should win, which would set up a quarterfinal doozy with Sabino. Prediction: Cactus Shadows 35, Sahuaro 14.

Overall outlook: This first round has a distinct line between the haves and have-nots. If any of the top seven seeds lose, I’d be very surprised. And even No. 9 Queen Creek should be able to beat No. 8 Apollo pretty easily if it plays to its potential. But stay tuned for the quarterfinal round. There are plenty of good matchups once we get there.

It was a pretty surprising turn of events at Arcadia on Friday night, where the Titans defense played great and the team rolled to a 35-14 win over the previously undefeated Black Hawks.

A few observations:

- If the Arcadia defense can contain the run, it has the type of offense to play with anyone in 4A-II. It must be a nightmare to defend the Titans. First of all, quarterback Colby Kirkegaard spreads the ball all over the field so zeroing in on one wide receiver won’t work. Also, the passing game has to be respected, so a bruising back like Pat Schrimsher will get four of five yards a pop whenever he wants. Finally, Kirkegaard also has that ability to scramble, so even if the secondary has a play covered, he can pull the football down and take off. The biggest key, in my eyes, to stopping Arcadia is pressure on the quarterback. The defensive tackles have to stay in their gaps, and if the ends can get pressure, it can disrupt Arcadia.

- Arcadia did all this without Jake Hirschi, one of their most potent and versatile playmakers. Hirschi has a strained tendon in his foot suffered last week against Tempe. Coach Jim Ellison said that Hirschi might be back for the first round, although a more realistic timetable might be the quarterfinals.

- I’m not sure if Williams Field got rattled or panicked, but after the first two drives, the offense didn’t look good. It seemed like everyone was trying too hard and getting frustrated instead of just letting the game come to them. The Williams Field defense did a decent job and forced two turnovers to keep the game close, but the offense could never recover. Arcadia dared Williams Field to pass, so coach Steve Campbell did. Between inaccurate passes, dropped balls and good coverage, Williams Field could never get anything going in the passing game, which limited what it could do throughout the contest.

- To that end, I thought Brandon Warren should have ran the ball more. Despite Arcadia stacking the box, Warren was ripping off good gains in the first quarter. After the first couple drives, though, he was almost non-existent. Campbell began splitting out Warren to wide receiver, presumably to take advantage of one-on-one matchups, but Williams Field couldn’t get it to work. Josh Montoya and Alex Howard are two solid backs, but Warren is the one with the game-changing ability, and I thought he should have touched the ball more.

- I wouldn’t count out Williams Field, though. On the first possession, Tom Ross threw a strike to Aaron Hill for a big gain, but Hill fumbled. On the next possession, Ross missed a wide open Howard in the end zone and the Black Hawks were eventually stopped at the 1-yard line on fourth-and-goal. If the Black Hawks score there and tie the game, the offense builds some confidence and it’s a whole new ballgame. Instead, the mistakes seemed to snowball. I expect Ross to have a better game next week, and the offense has too many playmakers to be limited that much.