5A State Championship Preview
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#2 Salpointe Catholic vs #1 Horizon 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…
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Continue Reading#2 Salpointe Catholic vs #1 Horizon
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 Treyson Bourguet Treyson Bourguet 6'2" | 195 lbs | QB Salpointe Catholic | 2022 State AZ 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.
Players to know
Salpointe Catholic
Treyson Bourguet Treyson Bourguet 6'2" | 195 lbs | QB Salpointe Catholic | 2022 State AZ , QB ’22: 1,908 yards passing and 29 TD’s,563 yards rushing and 9 TD’s
Anthony Wilhite Anthony Wilhite 5'10" | 175 lbs | RB Salpointe Catholic | 2022 State AZ , RB ’22: 231 carries for 1,454 yards and 18 TD’s, 13 receptions for 113 yards and 2 TD’s
Elijah Rushing Elijah Rushing 6'6" | 255 lbs | DL Salpointe Catholic | 2024 State AZ , DL ’24: 71 tackles (35 solo, 36 asst.), 9 TFL’s, 7.5 sacks, FF, FR
Cruz Rushing Cruz Rushing 6'2" | 185 lbs | DB Salpointe Catholic | 2022 State AZ , DB ’22: 69 tackles (41 solo, 28 asst.), 2 TFL’s, sack, FF
Joey Sumlin Joey Sumlin 6'1" | 230 lbs | LB Salpointe Catholic | 2022 State AZ , LB ’22: 86 tackles (62 solo, 24 asst.), 6 TFL’s, 2 sacks, 3 INT’s, FR
Anthony Martinez Anthony Martinez 6'0" | 145 lbs | DB Sunnyside | 2024 AZ , DB/WR ’24: 6 INT’s, 19 receptions for 294 yards and 2 TD’s
Dylan Dreis, ATH ’22: 31 receptions for 472 yards and 7 TD’s, 237 yards passing and 2 TD’s
Horizon
Daniel Santiago Daniel Santiago 6'2" | 295 lbs | DL Horizon | 2022 State AZ , DL ’22: 53 tackles (30 solo, 23 asst.), 5.5 sacks, 16.5 TFL’s, INT, FR, 2 FF, BLK PNT, BLK FG
Matthew Klopfenstein Matthew Klopfenstein 6'5" | 230 lbs | TE Horizon | 2023 State AZ , TE ’23: 43 receptions for 562 yards and 10 TD’s
Jack Bodemuller, DB ’23: 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
Wesley Lambert Wesley Lambert 5'8" | 165 lbs | RB Horizon | 2023 FL , ATH ’23: 227 carries for 1,551 yards and 20 TD’s
Cole Linyard Cole Linyard 5'9" | 160 lbs | WR Horizon | 2023 State AZ , WR ’23: 62 receptions for 759 yards and 10 TD’s
Skyler Partridge Skyler Partridge 5'10" | 170 lbs | QB Horizon | 2022 AZ , QB ’22: 2,279 yards passing and 30 TD’s, 72 carries for 640 yards and 7 TD’s
Ethan Tinsley Ethan Tinsley 6'0" | 170 lbs | ATH Horizon | 2022 AZ , DB ’22: 4 INT’s, 20 tackles, 3 TFL’s