Roster Breakdown: Desert Edge

It is already July which means we are about 2 months away from the start of the regular season. Teams are heading off to camp, getting their rosters right and preparing for an intense 2022-23 season this fall. This month I will be breaking down 4 rosters that will have multiple All-Region and All-State nominees, and their team might even be represented in the state championships. This week we take a deep dive into Desert Edge out of Goodyear. &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="358540" first="Chris" last="Cordero"], Running Back</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="358540" first="Chris" last="Cordero"] has great speed and great burst from one line of defense to another. He is able to turn the speed to another notch after getting by the line of scrimmage which allows him to burn the linebackers for taking bad pursuit angles and beat the defensive backs for long scores. He can beat you with a move in the open space as well, but he doesn’t slow down while making the move which is hard to find in any position. He does not mess around with the ball in his hands, going north and south right away, with a juke or spin here or there but nothing crazy to throw him off his line. Over 12,00 yards and 9 touchdowns in only 9 games last season, expect Cordero to improve on those numbers this season. https://twitter.com/chriscxdero/status/1468968178919174158?s=20&amp;t=qDfC7H1wnHB-M7WXihKAug <strong>Kaleb Jackson, Offensive Line</strong> If you line up in front of Kaleb Jackson this fall, good luck. Jackson is a force on that Desert Edge offensive line, plays violent and plays smart. Great vision in the pass pro, seeing backers on blitzes and games played on the line and easily passes it off. Pancake blocks galore with Jackson, who also shows his ability to pull and block in space in the running game. And he also shows quick feet if you ever need an extra tight end on your roster, hook and ladder plays are in his arsenal. With 7 offers currently, Jackson will be on many coach’s radars, expect high double digit offers coming in when it is all said and done. https://twitter.com/Kaleb13Jackson/status/1529493714476969984?s=20&amp;t=qDfC7H1wnHB-M7WXihKAug &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="165925" first="Max" last="Sawyer"], Defensive Line</strong> Sawyer is technically a defensive lineman on Desert Edge’s defense but plays like a hybrid linebacker. Super quick off the ball and plays down the line of scrimmage fast. Mostly in a two-point stance, he sets the edge very well and strings plays his way wider and wider until he or someone on the defense can make a play in the backfield. Sawyer shows good combinations of pass rush moves as well, from lowering his shoulder to some effective swim moves, Sawyer uses his speed in all aspects of the game. With his speed, I would love to see him play multiple positions and show off his ability more. Nevertheless, he will be busy this season on defense and his name will be mentioned a lot this fall. https://twitter.com/MaxSawyer9/status/1513914809904889866?s=20&amp;t=qDfC7H1wnHB-M7WXihKAug &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="165924" first="Gavin" last="Parks"], Wide Receiver</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="165924" first="Gavin" last="Parks"] had an outstanding season last year with over 800 yards and 9 touchdowns. Gavin has great hands and pulls in the ball quickly and turns up field in a split second. Great body control on tough catches as well, catching balls in traffic with ease. My favorite thing I took away from watch Parks is his awareness and his route running based on where he was lined up and where he needed to go. A pivot route on the goal line as the single receiver on the side allows him more space to play with and going inside hard makes the corner follow him which allows Parks more room outside for an easy touchdown. Post routes and baiting the corner to the corner then planting hard and cutting inside for a great catch, those slight adjustments he makes on the fly makes him unguardable at times. I expect Parks to come back even better and more crisp this year and have a big impact on Desert Edge’s offensive success. https://twitter.com/GMParks10/status/1534612450930151424?s=20&amp;t=qDfC7H1wnHB-M7WXihKAug &nbsp; Desert Edge had a great season last year, going 10-3 overall. With tight losses to some great teams like Horizon and Salpointe Catholic, I expect Desert Edge to come back better and poised for some revenge. With talent on both sides of the ball, I can’t wait to get out to a game this fall and see them in action.