2021 Team Preview: Coconino Panthers

<span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>Overview</strong></span> Coconino comes off a strong 8-1 season where they ran Northern Arizona in 4A ball. They went into the playoffs with an 8-0 run to then suffer their first and last loss of 2020 in the quarterfinals against the eventual 4A state runner ups Cactus High 41-7. With that 8-1 season, Coconino did play in some close, high pressure games which included a week 1 win over Marcos de Niza in overtime (29-28), a week 2 win over Lee Williams (28-21), and a win over an explosive Estrella Foothills (35-22). Coconino had a strong defense throughout most of 2020 as well, which included two shutouts against Prescott (41-0) and Mohave (56-0) in back to back weeks. Another big win for Coconino came on November 13th where they beat cross town rival Flagstaff 28-7, proving they were the best team in Northern Arizona in 4A. As we enter the 2021 season, Coconino will have some major roles to fill. The nasty 1-2 punch duo between [player_tooltip player_id="169445" first="Zachary" last="Bennett"] and Manuel Cardoza will be some tough shoes to fill, but Coconino has some sneaky upcoming talent that has potential to step up and make a difference. One of the biggest positives in 2021 is the return of standout DB [player_tooltip player_id="42854" first="Andy" last="Ruiz"], who picked up a hometown offer from Northern Arizona University this summer. This season the 4A Grand Canyon Region is a toss up, and although Coconino ran the tables last year, they’ll look to have some new faces step up and take the region once again in 2021. <hr /> [caption id="attachment_62620" align="alignright" width="230"]<img class="wp-image-62620 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/10/IMG_4515-230x300.jpg" alt="" width="230" height="300" /> <em>[player_tooltip player_id="42854" first="Andy" last="Ruiz"], 2022 DB</em>[/caption]<span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>Players to Watch </strong></span> [player_tooltip player_id="42854" first="Andy" last="Ruiz"], <em>DB, 2022</em> Ruiz sizes up with a good frame and length at 6’1" 200lbs and is a bully at CB for Coconino. He shows excellent physicality at the LOS to eliminate a release off the snap. Solid punch and hand placement without lunging with the ability to re-route receivers. He possesses loose hips with an excellent transition and possesses good ball skills all around. Expect Ruiz to make an impact on both sides of the ball in 2021. &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="42889" first="Matias" last="Ortiz"], <em>LB, 2022</em> Expect Ortiz to have a huge role on the Coco defense this season. He sizes up with a solid frame at 6’1" 220lbs and is your OLB/DE hybrid type of player. Ortiz flashes good quickness off the edge with good range and the ability to extend his fame to blow up plays in the backfield. Very promising OLB/DE prospect with numerous intangibles to build off of towards the next level. &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="110130" first="Jacob" last="Clouse"], <em>ATH, 2023</em> Clouse is a solid utility guy for Coconino and projects to take a big leap in maturity from his sophomore to junior season. He was a beast on the Coco defense as he led the team with 84 tackles and recorded 1 INT. Clouse flashes good instincts for a 2023 kid and closes with a low POC. Solid all-around athlete that could have a huge junior season. &nbsp; <strong>Tyson Fousel,</strong> <em>RB/LB, 2023</em> Fousel is a very underrated kid up in Northern AZ and projects to have a big role and have a productive season on both sides of the ball for Coconino. He sizes up with a tremendous frame at 6’2" 220lbs and is a bruiser as a ball carrier. Expect Fousel to fill a big role in 2021. &nbsp; <em><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Other names to know:</strong></span></em> [player_tooltip player_id="162073" first="Angel" last="Rios"], <em>DL, 2022</em> [player_tooltip player_id="165907" first="Pierson" last="Watson"], <em>LB, 2023</em> [player_tooltip player_id="115518" first="Enoch" last="Watson"], <em>QB, 2024</em> &nbsp; <span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>Key Departures</strong></span> [caption id="attachment_62605" align="alignright" width="300"]<img class="wp-image-62605 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/10/IMG_4518-rotated-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <em>Zach Bennett, 2021 RB</em>[/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="169445" first="Zachary" last="Bennett"], RB (Southwestern College) <em>*1,206 yards rushing and 15 TD’s </em> <strong>Manuel Cardoza,</strong> RB/LB <em>*460 yards rushing and 6 TD’s: 305 yards receiving and 4 TD’s: 76 tackles, 10 TFL’s, and 1 INT</em> <strong>Ryan Seery,</strong> QB <em>*705 yards passing and 10 TD’s</em> <strong>Jacob Begay,</strong> DB *<em>43 tackles, 6 TFL’s, and 2 INT’s</em> <hr /> <span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>2021 Schedule</strong></span> <em><span style="font-size: 10pt;">*4A Grand Canyon Region Game</span></em> 9/10- Cactus [caption id="attachment_86668" align="alignright" width="471"]<img class=" wp-image-86668" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/12/IMG_5089-300x203.jpg" alt="" width="471" height="319" /> Photo: Arizona Daily Sun[/caption] 9/17- Cactus Shadows 9/24- @ Marcos de Niza 10/1- @ Snowflake 10/8- *Lee Williams 10/15- *Prescott 10/22- *Mingus 11/29- *@ Bradshaw Mountain 11/5- @ Lake Havasu 11/12- *@ Flagstaff