Open Division Semifinals Preview
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Saturday night will decide who moves on to the open division state championship at Sun Devil Stadium, and the road to get there goes through the southeast valley at Hamilton and Chandler High Schools. Here’s an inside look at the…
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Continue ReadingSaturday night will decide who moves on to the open division state championship at Sun Devil Stadium, and the road to get there goes through the southeast valley at Hamilton and Chandler High Schools. Here’s an inside look at the biggest matchups in the state this weekend:
#5 Saguaro @ #1 Hamilton
A big anticipated matchup between Saguaro and Hamilton will go down on Saturday night. Last season, Hamilton edged a close win over Saguaro on ESPN, and it looked like they were going to get another crack at each other in the semi’s, until a COVID situation at Saguaro forced them to forfeit. Therefore, Saguaro has been hungry for over a year for another shot at Hamilton, while Hamilton has proven that they’ll go head to head with anyone in the country for 4 quarters. Be ready for a dog fight type of atmosphere, as both teams play with a ton of energy and emotion. Two key things to watch are how the Saguaro defense will game plan for Nicco Marchiol Nicco Marchiol 6'2" | 220 lbs | QB Hamilton | 2022 State AZ , and which QB will get the starting nod for Saguaro, Ridge Docekal Ridge Docekal 6'3" | 210 lbs | QB Saguaro | 2022 State AZ or Devon Dampier Devon Dampier 6'0" | 190 lbs | QB Saguaro | 2023 State AZ , as Dampier comes off a very strong performance last week vs cactus. Either way, tons of talent will be on full display Saturday night in the southeast valley.
*Players to watch:
Saguaro: Tristan Monday Tristan Monday 6'4" | 240 lbs | LB Saguaro | 2022 State AZ , Parker Brailsford Parker Brailsford 6'2" | 265 lbs | OL Saguaro | 2022 State AZ , Javen Jacobs Javen Jacobs 5'10" | 185 lbs | ATH Saguaro | 2022 State AZ , Devon Dampier Devon Dampier 6'0" | 190 lbs | QB Saguaro | 2023 State AZ , Ridge Docekal Ridge Docekal 6'3" | 210 lbs | QB Saguaro | 2022 State AZ , Thomas DeChesaro Thomas DeChesaro 5'10" | 185 lbs | DB Saguaro | 2022 State AZ , Jaedon Matthews Jaedon Matthews 5'11" | 185 lbs | RB Saguaro | 2024 State AZ , Jojo Clark Jojo Clark 5'11" | 195 lbs | ATH Saguaro | 2024 State AZ , John Butler John Butler 6'2" | 230 lbs | LB Saguaro | 2023 State AZ , Myller Terameau Myller Terameau 5'11" | 175 lbs | DB Saguaro | 2022 State AZ , Dajon Hinton
Hamilton: Nicco Marchiol Nicco Marchiol 6'2" | 220 lbs | QB Hamilton | 2022 State AZ , Christian Anaya Christian Anaya 6'0" | 175 lbs | ATH Hamilton | 2022 State AZ , Tre Spivey Tre Spivey 6'4" | 185 lbs | WR Hamilton | 2023 State AZ , Grayson Stovall Grayson Stovall 6'4" | 295 lbs | OL Hamilton | 2022 State AZ , Michael Masunas Michael Masunas 6'5" | 250 lbs | TE Hamilton | 2022 State AZ , Russell Davis Russell Davis 6'3" | 215 lbs | DL Hamilton | 2022 State AZ , Tre Tate Tre Tate 6'5" | 190 lbs | WR Hamilton | 2022 State AZ , Grant DeGraffenreid Grant DeGraffenreid 6'1" | 215 lbs | LB Hamilton | 2022 State AZ , Chandler Davis Chandler Davis 6'2" | 230 lbs | LB Hamilton | 2023 State AZ , Logan Krei Logan Krei 5'10" | 175 lbs | RB Hamilton | 2023 State AZ
#6 Liberty @ #2 Chandler
For the second year in a row, Liberty will head southeast and take on Chandler in the semifinals. Say what you want, but Liberty is a flat out different team once they get into the playoffs, as they play lights out all across the board. Last week they were able to upset a powerhouse Basha squad, which everyone thought had a chance to run the tables in the open division. Last year, they lost to Chandler 34-35 in overtime on a failed 2 point conversion attempt. Bottom line, they have proven they won’t back down from anyone and can play with anybody in the state. Chandler defeated Liberty week 4 of the season 41-21, but both teams have made some big adjustments and have seen a big spark in maturity on both sides of the ball. Chandler gets their Ohio State commit WR Kyion Grayes Kyion Grayes 6'1" | 175 lbs | WR Chandler | 2022 State AZ this time against Liberty, while Liberty now has a young prospect behind center with tons of potential who continues to step up in dual-threat 2024 QB Navi Bruzon Navi Bruzon 5'11" | 180 lbs | QB Liberty | 2024 State AZ . Both defense are stacked across the board as well, so all signs project this matchup to be a gritty game.
*Players to watch:
Liberty: Mykeil Gardner Mykeil Gardner 6'3" | 275 lbs | DL Liberty | 2023 State AZ , Jax Stam Jax Stam 5'11" | 200 lbs | DB Liberty | 2022 State AZ , Navi Bruzon Navi Bruzon 5'11" | 180 lbs | QB Liberty | 2024 State AZ , Zach Wallace Zach Wallace 5'10" | 185 lbs | RB Liberty | 2023 AZ , Layton Vining Layton Vining 6'3" | 260 lbs | OL Liberty | 2023 State AZ , Kane Metts-Terrell Kane Metts-Terrell 6'1" | 185 lbs | WR Liberty | 2022 State AZ , Jordon Guevara
Chandler: Kyion Grayes Kyion Grayes 6'1" | 175 lbs | WR Chandler | 2022 State AZ , A’Mauri Washington A’Mauri Washington 6'5" | 295 lbs | DL Chandler | 2023 State AZ , Jacob Holmes Jacob Holmes 6'3" | 285 lbs | DL Chandler | 2022 State AZ , Blaine Hipa Blaine Hipa 6'2" | 200 lbs | QB Chandler | 2022 State AZ , Quaron Adams Quaron Adams 5'9" | 165 lbs | ATH Chandler | 2022 State AZ , Nason Coleman Nason Coleman 6'3" | 230 lbs | TE Chandler | 2022 State AZ , Zarius Wells Zarius Wells 6'6" | 290 lbs | OL Chandler | 2023 State AZ , Alfred Smith Alfred Smith 5'11" | 165 lbs | DB Chandler | 2022 State AZ , Travis Roberts Travis Roberts 5'10" | 170 lbs | DB Chandler | 2022 State AZ , Devin Dunn Devin Dunn 5'11" | 180 lbs | DB Chandler | 2022 State AZ , Anyale Velazquez Anyale Velazquez 6'1" | 225 lbs | RB Chandler | 2022 State AZ , Zone Wierenga Zone Wierenga 6'3" | 230 lbs | DL Chandler | 2022 State AZ , Isaiah Johnson Isaiah Johnson 6'2" | 275 lbs | DL Chandler | 2022 State AZ