5A State Championship Preview

<strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">#2 Salpointe Catholic vs #1 Horizon </span></strong> Again, the top 2 seeds will meet on Friday at 8pm in Tempe at Sun Devil Stadium to see who will bring home the 5A state title. Horizon was the biggest shock of the year when they won their first 6 straight games, ultimately posting an 8-2 record with losses to Saguaro and Notre Dame Prep. To say they took a massive leap from 2020 to 2021 is an understatement, as they went 3-3 in 2020, hired coach Andy Litten, put the pieces together and the rest is history. Horizon is a very athletic team that possesses numerous players that can change the game from many different dimensions. They’re a tough, gritty squad that has played with a chip on their shoulder all season, and have proven they won’t back down from anyone, no matter the caliber or ranking of players they line up against. Salpointe also has a very athletic squad with numerous players that make an impact in a variety of ways, and it’s helpful that they’ve had a handful of players step up big throughout the playoffs. Salpointe also posted an 8-2 record with their losses coming to Saguaro and Pinnacle. With that being said, both teams matchup almost identically on paper. Horizon beat Pinnacle (17-16) while Salpointe lost to Pinnacle (21-28), but Salpointe beat NDP (45-42) while Horizon lost to NDP (28-31). My biggest thing to watch in this game is how this Horizon defense will game plan against dual-threat [player_tooltip player_id="42798" first="Treyson" last="Bourguet"] and Salpointe’s explosive offense. Numerous prospects from both squads have impressed all season, and they’ll have a chance to showcase their talent on the biggest stage of the year. &nbsp; <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Players to know</strong></span> [caption id="attachment_128942" align="alignright" width="243"]<img class=" wp-image-128942" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/04/AZ-NP-Showcase-Cruz-Rushing-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="243" height="243" /> Photo: National Preps Showcases[/caption] <em><strong>Salpointe Catholic </strong></em> [player_tooltip player_id="42798" first="Treyson" last="Bourguet"], <em>QB ’22:</em> 1,908 yards passing and 29 TD’s,563 yards rushing and 9 TD’s [player_tooltip player_id="100696" first="Anthony" last="Wilhite"], <em>RB ’22: </em>231 carries for 1,454 yards and 18 TD’s, 13 receptions for 113 yards and 2 TD’s [player_tooltip player_id="115500" first="Elijah" last="Rushing"], <em>DL ’24: </em>71 tackles (35 solo, 36 asst.), 9 TFL’s, 7.5 sacks, FF, FR [player_tooltip player_id="161940" first="Cruz" last="Rushing"], <em>DB ’22: </em>69 tackles (41 solo, 28 asst.), 2 TFL’s, sack, FF [player_tooltip player_id="210437" first="Joey" last="Sumlin"], <em>LB ’22: </em>86 tackles (62 solo, 24 asst.), 6 TFL’s, 2 sacks, 3 INT’s, FR [player_tooltip player_id="217595" first="Anthony" last="Martinez"], <em>DB/WR ’24:</em> 6 INT’s, 19 receptions for 294 yards and 2 TD’s <strong>Dylan Dreis</strong>, <em>ATH ’22:</em> 31 receptions for 472 yards and 7 TD’s, 237 yards passing and 2 TD’s &nbsp; [caption id="attachment_211671" align="alignright" width="225"]<img class="wp-image-211671 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/IMG_6544-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> Millennium @ Horizon[/caption] <em><strong>Horizon</strong></em> [player_tooltip player_id="100648" first="Daniel" last="Santiago"], <em>DL ’22: </em>53 tackles (30 solo, 23 asst.), 5.5 sacks, 16.5 TFL’s, INT, FR, 2 FF, BLK PNT, BLK FG [player_tooltip player_id="42926" first="Matthew" last="Klopfenstein"], <em>TE ’23: </em>43 receptions for 562 yards and 10 TD’s <strong>Jack Bodemuller</strong>, <em>DB ’23</em>: 77 tackles (38 solo, 39 asst.), 8.5 TFL’s, 3.5 sacks, 3 INT’s, 2 FF, FR, 3 BLK FG’s, BLK PNT [player_tooltip player_id="211753" first="Wesley" last="Lambert"], <em>ATH ’23: </em>227 carries for 1,551 yards and 20 TD’s [player_tooltip player_id="211752" first="Cole" last="Linyard"], <em>WR ’23: </em>62 receptions for 759 yards and 10 TD’s [player_tooltip player_id="210196" first="Skyler" last="Partridge"], <em>QB ’22: </em>2,279 yards passing and 30 TD’s, 72 carries for 640 yards and 7 TD’s [player_tooltip player_id="162082" first="Ethan" last="Tinsley"], <em>DB ’22: </em>4 INT’s, 20 tackles, 3 TFL’s &nbsp; &nbsp;