Top Arizona high school football special teams stat stars

Video: Brandon Ruiz's highlights vs Campo Verde
The Williams Field's special team weapon shows how to get it done in the third phase of the game.

As much as high school coaches talk about there being three phases of the game, special teams still tend to get overlooked.
It might be the fact the final score for the majority of high school games are more than one possession or simply the fact that a booming kickoff that leads to a touchback means little action happens on the field.
Regardless of the reason, it certainly is not the case with players and coaches.
All involved know exactly how important it is good to have a punter flip the field or a long snapper be as automatic as a pitching machine – a strike every time.
Williams Field coach Steve Campbell certainly knows how good he has it with one of most sought after placer kickers in the nation on his roster.
Brandon Ruiz is committed to Alabama and after seeing his performance so far this season it's no wonder he will be headed to one of the premier college campuses in the fall.
"He's a weapon," Campbell said. "He takes stress of the team. His kickoffs all are in the end zone. In high school football the kickoff is a stressful thing."
Ruiz went 10-for-10 on touchbacks last week, mostly after his field goals. He went 5-for-5 to set a school record for FGs made in a game in the 43-14 win over Campo Verde, to improve to 44-of-46 on the season.
He is eight of nine on field goals and averages 40.3 yards per punt with eight inside the 20-yard line.
"He's a ridiculous weapon," Campbell said. "It's not only the accuracy but the range. He's splitting uprights from the 40s with ease. He's doing things some NFL kickers don't do week in and week out."
While Ruiz might be at the top of the list there are several quality special teams players out there.


Field goals made
1. Cristian Zendejas, Perry (Gilbert) 8
1. Brandon Ruiz, Williams Field (Gilbert) 8
3. Trevor Eldean, Brophy College Prep (Phoenix) 6
3. Ariel Beal, Kofa (Yuma) 6
5. Hunter Nemeth-Williams, Millennium (Goodyear) 5
5. Cesar Plascencia, Rio Rico 5

Points for kickers
1. Brandon Ruiz, Williams Field 57
2. Cristian Zendejas, Perry 52
3. Aaron Aros, Cienega (Vail) 40
4. Ben Abercrombie, Mountain Pointe (Phoenix) 39
5. Trevor Eldean, Brophy 39 Average per punt
1. Jeffrey McGuire, Pinnacle (Phoenix) 43.8
2. Trey Meyer, Mingus (Cottonwood) 43.6
3. DJ Hinton, Tucson High Magnet School 40.9
4. Azer Duliman, Cactus (Glendale) 40.8
5. Seth Andrews, Boulder Creek (Anthem) 40.7

Touchbacks
1. Brandon Ruiz, Williams Field 44
2. Matthew Rosedale, Saguaro (Scottsdale) 28
3. Jacob Parks, Centennial (Peoria) 27
4. Trevor Eldean, Brophy 22
5. Benjamin Butler, Salpointe Catholic (Tucson) 18



Punt return average (Min of one per game)
1. Jaydon Brooks, Mountain Pointe 29.8
2. Chandler Miles, Benjamin Franklin (Queen Creek) 29.3
3. Dante Charon, San Tan Foothills (Queen Creek) 25.6
4. Shamar Moreland, Fairfax (Laveen) 25.1
5. Fide Quirarte, Combs (San Tan Valley) 24.2

Kickoff return average (Min of one per game)
1. Sebastian Spencer, Mountain View (Tucson) 46.1
2. Gabriel Claudio, Cibola (Yuma) 42.0
3. Aidan Diggss, Millennium 37.5
4. Jared Beamon, Paradise Valley (Phoenix) 34.4
5. Ian Woods, Queen Creek 32.8

Jason P. Skoda, a former Arizona Republic sports writer and current Prep Sports Director for Times Publications, is a 20-year sports writing veteran. Contact him at jskoda1024@aol.com.