2021 Team Preview: ALA-Gilbert North

<span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>Overview</strong></span> ALA-Gilbert North comes off a stellar 8-2 season in 2020, as they look like a powerhouse 3A program heading into 2021. In fact, both of their losses came against the 3A champion Snowflake Lobos, the first of which came week 1 on the road to Snowflake 22-20, then in the semifinals 28-27 in overtime. After their week 1 loss, ALA-Gilbert North was able to get hot and stay hot to win their next 8 straight before meeting Snowflake again in the semi’s. Another blow to ALA-Gilbert North came when senior standout QB [player_tooltip player_id="42744" first="Jack" last="Ricedorff"] went down with an injury, and had to have 2023 ATH [player_tooltip player_id="110157" first="Adam" last="Damante"] step up and take over in the playoffs, although he did play extremely well and flashed big potential. Although ALA-Gilbert North loses the standout Ricedorff to graduation, they will retain a number of key players that project to have breakout seasons in 2021. For a small program, ALA has seen the college interest pour in for a handful of promising athletes, which includes a special talent in 2024 WR [player_tooltip player_id="115533" first="Brandon" last="Phelps"], who holds offers from Arizona and Northern Arizona. In 2020, ALA was loaded with a strong group of underclassmen who project to take huge leaps in terms of maturity as we head into 2021, and they look like they have enough talent to make a strong case for a state championship in 2021. However, they have some tough opponents on their schedule which includes 4A ALA-Queen Creek, 3A state runner-ups Yuma Catholic, and 3A Wickenburg. <hr /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Players to Watch</strong></span> <strong>Spencer Nielson,</strong> <em>LB/RB, 2022</em> Nielson sizes up with a strong, athletic frame at 6’0" 180lbs and was a huge key player on both sides of the ball throughout his junior campaign. As a ball carrier, he hits the hole with a purpose and brings excellent physicality to the point of contact and flashes solid balance to bounce and break off tackles. At LB, he flashes solid insticts and closing speed with strength at the POA, and was a standout in coverage as well with 4 INT’s in 2020. [caption id="attachment_32561" align="alignright" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-32561" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/07/Jenkins-Elite-HS-Camp71-300x184.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="184" /> Dorion McGarity (left) and [player_tooltip player_id="100674" first="Johnny" last="Bellino"] (right) competing at the Jenkins Elite Camp[/caption] &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="100674" first="Johnny" last="Bellino"], <em>WR, 2022</em> Bellino was a consistent deep threat in 2020 and proved he can take the top off of any defense in 3A ball. He flashes a nice initial burst off the LOS and is explosive at the top of routes to generate separation, and possesses good top end speed to stretch the field vertically. Crafty route runner and plays well in big games, and holds multiple NAIA and D3 offers thus far. &nbsp; <strong>Luc Asay</strong>, <em>LB, 2022</em> Asay will have a big role in 2021 after being named to the "3A 2nd Team All-Conference LB" list last season. He’s a three year starter for ALA-Gilbert North and will be a captain for his senior season. He sizes up with a strong, athletic frame and looks to be the anchor on the ALA defense. He understands zone responsibilities in coverage and flashes good insctincts in the run game and closes well as a tackler. &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="110157" first="Adam" last="Damante"], <em>ATH, 2023</em> Damante will take over the QB1 role as he heads into his junior year after playing numerous positions in 2020. Damante is a tremendous all-around athlete with the ability to change the game from multiple spots. He possesses excellent top end speed for big play ability as a ball carrier, and proved he can throw dimes in the 2020 semifinals last season. He flashes solid touch and timing with receivers, and looks to be one of the biggest threats in 3A football. &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="115533" first="Brandon" last="Phelps"], <em>WR, 2024</em> Phelps is a special young talent and made a statement in 2020, as he started at WR as a freshman and was very impressive. At 6’3" 190lbs he is already your prototypical X or Z receiver, and is only scratching the surface of his potential. He generates separation at the top of his routes well and possesses a large catch radius with the ability to haul in contested catches. He holds two offers from Arizona and Northern Arizona, and will continue to see the offers pour in as long as he continues on the same trajectory. &nbsp; <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Key Departures</strong></span> [player_tooltip player_id="42744" first="Jack" last="Ricedorff"], QB *1,691 yards and 20 TD’s passing with 196 yards and 4 TD’s rushing [player_tooltip player_id="42669" first="Emeka" last="Ogbonna"], <em>ATH </em> <strong>Crew White</strong>, <em>OL</em> <strong>Emerin Bayless,</strong> <em>DL </em> <hr /> <span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>2021 Schedule</strong></span> <span style="font-size: 10pt;">*3A Metro East Region Game</span> 8/27- Odyssey Institute 9/3- Wickenburg<img class="alignright wp-image-136931" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/04/PRZ-Generic-Helmets-300x187.jpg" alt="" width="428" height="267" /> 9/10- @ Sabino 9/17- Yuma Catholic 9/24- *@ Fountain Hills 10/1- American Leadership Academy- Queen Creek 10/8- *@ AZ College Prep 10/15- @ Thatcher 10/22- *Valley Christian 10/29- *@ Coronado