3A Semifinals Preview

The 3A semifinals consists of the top 4 seeds and two heated rematches from the regular season. These 4 teams are without a doubt the best 4 teams in the state, and all of which seem to be pretty evenly matched on paper. ALA-Gilbert North has been the favorite to run the tables in 3A since pre-season, but anything can happen in high school football. Take a look: &nbsp; <span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>#4 Yuma Catholic vs #1 ALA-Gilbert North</strong></span> A rematch from week 4 when ALA-Gilbert North was able to defeat Yuma Catholic 28-25. Both squads are absolutely stacked on the offensive side of the ball and have some prospects that can change the game on any given play. Yuma Catholic’s standout 2023 QB [player_tooltip player_id="110084" first="Richard" last="Stallworth"] has thrown for 4,449 yards and a massive 65 TD’s in a pass heavy offense that has lit up the scoreboard all season long. Another kid from Yuma Catholic to keep an eye on is WR/DB [player_tooltip player_id="100658" first="Austin" last="Rush"], who joined the 1,000 yard club this season and racked up 20 TD’s and picked off 4 passes. The least amount of points Yuma Catholic has put up this season was against ALA-GN in that week 4 matchup, so it will be interesting to see if Yuma Catholic can get it figured out on offense this time or if ALA-GN will make some more adjustments and contain Stallworth’s arm. ALA-GN also has some big time weapons in dual-threat QB [player_tooltip player_id="110157" first="Adam" last="Damante"] and the promising WR duo [player_tooltip player_id="115533" first="Brandon" last="Phelps"] and [player_tooltip player_id="100674" first="Johnny" last="Bellino"]. The ALA-GN offense is very dynamic and can put up points in a variety of ways, but the Yuma Catholic defense has also been lights out, pitching 3 consecutive shutouts. <em>Other names to know:</em> [caption id="attachment_32561" align="alignright" width="329"]<img class=" wp-image-32561" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/07/Jenkins-Elite-HS-Camp71-300x184.jpg" alt="" width="329" height="202" /> Dorion McGarity (left) and [player_tooltip player_id="100674" first="Johnny" last="Bellino"] (right) competing at the Jenkins Elite Camp[/caption][player_tooltip player_id="100671" first="Dezmend" last="Esquivel"], <em>LB, Yuma Catholic ’22</em> [player_tooltip player_id="214115" first="Luc" last="Asay"], <em>WR, ALA-GN ’23</em> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="100668" first="Mario" last="Martinez"]</strong>, <em>ATH, Yuma Catholic ’22</em> <strong>Spencer Nielson</strong>, <em>ATH, ALA-GN ’22</em> <strong>Maddox Matheny</strong>, <em>OL/DL, ALA-GN ’22</em> &nbsp; <span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>#3 Valley Christian vs #2 Snowflake </strong></span> The reigning 3A champs Snowflake Lobos will get a chance to avenge their 24-38 week 1 loss against Valley Christian, which has been their only loss this season as they have gone on to win 11 straight. Valley Christian also posted a 9-1 record in the regular season with their only loss coming against ALA-Gilbert North 7-44. One of the players I like the most in this matchup is Snowlfake ’22 QB [player_tooltip player_id="100690" first="Caden" last="Cantrell"]. Very underrated prospect that possesses a nice frame and build at 6’2" 210lbs with solid athleticism to make something happen. Last year was his first season as a varsity starter, and all he did was lead snowflake to a state championship victory, and has continued to take major leaps in terms of talent and maturity. Cantrell has thrown for 2,375 yards and 34 TD’s while adding another 6 TD’s on the ground. His favorite target [player_tooltip player_id="100684" first="Noah" last="Baum"] will also have to have a big game and continue to put up big numbers on his 1,049 yard 16 TD season. All eyes will be on Valley Christian LB [player_tooltip player_id="100707" first="Justin" last="Regehr"] to have a big game and shut down the Snowflake run, as Regehr has racked up 150 total tackles with 8 sacks. Valley Christian has a dangerus duo in that backfield with QB [player_tooltip player_id="214112" first="Hunter" last="Heeringa"] and RB [player_tooltip player_id="161997" first="Kaden" last="Majercak"], both of which can get hot and put up points in a split second. <em>Other names to know:</em> [caption id="attachment_56862" align="alignright" width="337"]<img class="wp-image-56862" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/10/IMG_4423-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="337" height="221" /> Snowflake Lobos[/caption] <strong>Rhett Wengert</strong><em>, DB, Snowflake ’22</em> <strong>Austyn Gerard</strong>, <em>WR/DB, Valley Christian ’22</em> <strong>Camden Brimhall</strong>, <em>RB, Snowflake ’22</em> <strong>Matthew Brimhall</strong>,<em> LB, Snowflake ’23</em> <strong>Christian Bell</strong>, <em>LB, Valley Christian ’23</em> <strong>Justin Erickson</strong>, <em>DB, Valley Christian ’22</em> <strong>Jordan Mowers</strong>, <em>OL/DL, Snowflake ’23</em>