By Stan Granch
MaxPreps.com
CHANDLER, Ariz. – Arizona high school football is on the rise and the rest of the nation had better take notice.
Hamilton is now 2-0 with wins over back-to-back state champions, first traveling 2,500 miles to beat Booker T. Washington in Miami and then getting a small measure of revenge by blanking Brophy College Prep 10-0 at home Friday night before an overflow crowd (the Broncos defeated the Huskies 24-14 in last year’s semi-final game). The battle featured arguably the two best teams in the Grand Canyon State.
Brophy and Hamilton have combined for the last five crowns in the state’s top division and a sixth year of shared dominance looks promising. Of course, there is still a long way to go and anything can happen.
“This was a big win, but it’s only one game and the season is a marathon and we’re still pretty much at the starting line,” Hamilton coach Steve Belles said. “We still have a lot of work to do and I know Brophy is only going to get better.
“With our win in Miami and Brophy’s over Nevada’s state champion (Bishop Gorman) I’d say that Arizona football deserves a spot on the national stage. We don’t duck anyone. In fact we play Centennial next week and they won the state crown at their level and I’m sure they’re going to be pumped up since we gave them their only loss last season (35-18).”
The game vs. Centennial means Hamilton will have played three-straight state champions to open the season and Coyotes will enter the game off an impressive 34-7 victory over Desert Ridge.
Brophy coach Scooter Molander agreed with Belles’ assessment regarding Arizona football.
“I know we play some really good football in this state and I think our victory and that of Hamilton’s show that we can hold our own with the best of them,” Molander said.
“What I’m also hoping for is that our players will finally get some attention on the national recruiting scene. We have some good players here that don’t get the recognition they deserve and we’ve got a bunch of tweeners that I know can help some programs at the next level.”
The Broncos will look to rebound against Horizon, which lost it’s opener to Mesa 47-13.
A couple other AZ victories against out-of-state competition Friday:
* Yuma Catholic 55-6 over Southwest (El Centro, Calif.)
* River Valley 33-12 over Needles (Calif.)
Hamilton-Brophy College Prep Game Notes
* Brophy and Hamilton only returned three starters each on offense from last year, but the Broncos returned eight on defense to only seven for Hamilton. A low-scoring was almost a given.
* Hamilton recorded six sacks and had two interceptions despite missing leading tackler Anthony Jones for disciplinary reasons.
* Hamilton’s junior varsity has an unbeaten streak of 65 straight games.
Around the State
* Saguaro, which entered the game No. 1 the state according to MaxPreps, more than lived up to that ranking by crushing Prescott 56-0 up in the “other” Mile High City.
* Hayden (Phoenix) suffered its 55th straight loss, losing at home to San Luis 14-6 in a very sloppy game. San Luis had only one victory last year and that came against Hayden.
* Alchesay has already rushed for 1,012 yards in just two games this year and is averaging 9.20 yards a carry. Leading the way for the Falcons is senior running back Stephone Hanna who has 396 yards on 32 carries, good for an average of 12.38 yards a carry. He also has six touchdowns.
Spikes and Digs
It’s early but already there are familiar faces on the Arizona Girls Volleyball leaderboards.
Last year’s kills leader (averaging 6.5 kills a game in 2007) Arcadia’s Melissa Toth is locked in a battle with Valley Christian’s Chanel Brown, who was third in the state year as a sophomore. Currently, Brown holds the 7.3 to 6.1 kills a game over the senior.
Last year’s assists leader (averaging 10.5 assists a game in 2007), Stephanie Peach from Xavier College Prep, is currently sitting No. 2 at with a 9.5 average. The junior trails Arcadia’s MacKenzie Martin, who is off to a great start at 12.6 assists a game.
