Open Division Championship Preview
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Overview Saguaro will look to repeat as the open division champs as they’ll take on Basha on Saturday night at Sun Devil Stadium. Saguaro has shocked the state throughout this playoff run and did something nobody else could do this…
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Saguaro will look to repeat as the open division champs as they’ll take on Basha on Saturday night at Sun Devil Stadium. Saguaro has shocked the state throughout this playoff run and did something nobody else could do this year, as they upset undefeated Liberty in the semis. The way Liberty had been playing all year made it pretty much unanimous around the AZ high school football scene that they would get to the title at the very least. Well, Saguaro showed why you should never count them out on anything. They finished the regular season 7-3 with losses to Bergan Catholic (NJ), Chandler, and Liberty. Then, they nudge out two close playoff wins against Hamilton (45-35) and Liberty (43-42). They played arguably the toughest schedule in all of AZ high school football this year, and they are a very dangerous football team heading into this game. Basha has had one of the most impressive seasons I’ve seen in a while, finishing with a 9-1 reglar season record. Their lone loss came agaisnt Liberty, but then they turn things around to beat Chandler twice (1 regular season, 1 post season), Hamilton, Casteel, and Perry and ran that Premier Region. They are so electric on both sides of the ball with the ability to flip the script and change the game on any given play. You almost couldn’t ask for a better matchup in December, and it’ll be a dog fight for 48 minutes.
Saguaro Key Players
Devon Dampier Devon Dampier 6'0" | 190 lbs | QB Saguaro | 2023 State AZ , QB, 2023 (New Mexico commit)
Jaedon Matthews Jaedon Matthews 5'11" | 185 lbs | RB Saguaro | 2024 State AZ , RB, 2024
Jojo Clark Jojo Clark 5'11" | 195 lbs | ATH Saguaro | 2024 State AZ , ATH, 2024
Dajon Hinton Dajon Hinton 5'11" | 175 lbs | DB Saguaro | 2025 State AZ , ATH, 2025
Deric English Deric English 6'4" | 210 lbs | WR Saguaro | 2023 State AZ , WR, 2023
Carlos Griffin Carlos Griffin 5'11" | 170 lbs | DB Saguaro | 2023 State AZ , DB, 2023
Jaci Dickerson Jaci Dickerson 5'11" | 160 lbs | ATH Saguaro | 2024 State AZ , ATH, 2024
Zaccheus Cooper Zaccheus Cooper 5'11" | 195 lbs | RB Saguaro | 2023 State AZ , RB, 2023
Basha Key Players
Demond Williams Demond Williams 5'11" | 180 lbs | QB Basha | 2024 State AZ , QB, 2024
Cole Martin Cole Martin 5'11" | 175 lbs | DB Basha | 2023 State AZ , DB, 2023 (Oregon commit)
Wyatt Milkovic Wyatt Milkovic 6'2" | 230 lbs | LB Basha | 2023 State AZ , LB, 2023 (Boise State commit)
James Durand James Durand 6'4" | 280 lbs | OL Basha | 2023 State AZ , OL, 2023 (Wisconsin commit)
Ryan Blum Ryan Blum 6'2" | 270 lbs | OL Basha | 2023 State AZ , OL, 2023 (Central Michigan commit)
Deshaun Buchanan Deshaun Buchanan 6'0" | 190 lbs | ATH Basha | 2023 State AZ , RB, 2023 (Idaho commit)
Miles Lockhart Miles Lockhart 6'0" | 185 lbs | DB Basha | 2024 State AZ , DB, 2024
Bryson Dedmon Bryson Dedmon 5'9" | 155 lbs | WR Saguaro | 2024 State AZ , WR, 2024
Thomas Prassas Thomas Prassas 6'2" | 185 lbs | DB Basha | 2024 State AZ , DB, 2024