Estrella Foothills: 2023 Copper Sky Region Champions

Jordan Johnson November 16, 2023 @ 04:48 PM

This is a unique article with Estrella Foothills HS Football being featured. My wife and our baby girls moved to Estrella in Goodyear a little over three years ago from Oregon. To us it's heaven on earth. I still handle recruiting and cover Oregon and Washington for PRZ, but I can't say enough good things about this gorgeous Estrella community and the people who represent it.   All of this said with 1st year head coach Michael Spencer coming in and wasting no time turning the program around. As most know, the team went 2-18 covering the last two seasons prior to his arrival. Coach Spencer is a longtime resident with an impressive resume, leading 2A Trivium Prep Academy to 4 regional championships in 5 years.    It's rare for any team to be over .500 after back-to-back 1-9 seasons, but the Wolves did just that and then some, winning their last 6 games and the 4A Copper Sky Region Championship.    Making the 7-3 championship season even more impressive was the fact that they had only 2 seniors on each side of the ball, as they will bring back a litany of young talent.    Speaking on the season and a few of the early losses coach says, "Our goal was to close the gap from the year prior, while being competitive in every game and winning the region. Those early games were good for players to learn to battle and deal with adversity. The players kept their heads up and didn't make excuses. They continued to keep getting better and working hard week in and week out."   Referencing a few of the individuals who made it all possible Spencer says, " I praise the coaching staff as well as the linemen for being the tone setters this season and for their style of play. On the offensive line, Center Blake Keller and OT Damien Lopez anchored an O-Line that loved to dictate the game.  On the defensive front D tackles, Chris Braker and [player_tooltip player_id='1145567' first='Deven' last='Medina'] made it tough to run for opposing teams."   With Junior's Medina (6-2 280 OL/DL 25') and Braker (6-2 280 DL) both returning the Wolves can feel good about having two of the region's top lineman back to lead up front.    Two-way standout [player_tooltip player_id='1116397' first='Simione' last='Koroush'] (5-11 220 RB/LB 24') and breakout star LB [player_tooltip player_id='1116447' first='Elijah' last='Alvarado'] (6-3 175 OLB 24') will both graduate and be missed. Alvarado had a phenomenal season with 87 tackles and 22 tackles for loss. The rangy outside linebacker has a legit shot of being a factor collegiately.   When talking on Simione coach says, "He was our team enforcer and grinder. He was tough to bring down and was outstanding in leading our defense." Koroush rushed for 600 yards and 8 TDs to go with 40 tackles on D. Both him and Alvarado were named 4A Copper Sky's Offensive & Defensive Players of the Year.   Separate from that EFHS will return one of the top perimeters in Arizona at the 4A level. QB [player_tooltip player_id='1145565' first='Hone' last='Wray'] (6-1 180 QB 25')could be in the mix for Conference POY honors after accounting for 18 TDs (11 passing, 7 rushing) and over 1500 yards.    Fellow Junior's [player_tooltip player_id='1145557' first='PJ' last='Bailey'] (5-9 160 WR/DB 25'), AJ Horne (5-9 160 RB 25'), [player_tooltip player_id='1145561' first='Noah' last='Romo'] (6-0 150 ATH 25'), and [player_tooltip player_id='1145520' first='Landyn' last='DeBoard'] (5-8 155 CB 25') let their play as underclassmen do the talking. Bailey caught 37 passes for close to 500 yards and 4 TD's, with Horne playing a primary role out of the backfield and rushing for 541 yards and 7 TDs in only 5 games. Expect him to be a potential 1000 yard rusher next season with Koroush departing.   DeBoard led the secondary with 4 INTs, with the "Swiss Army Knife" Romo, as stated by coach, doing it all. He went for a combined 450 rushing/receiving yards and 3 TDs, while averaging close to 20 yards per reception.   Other underclassmen who contributed this season include Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1100553' first='Grant' last='Wochner'] (6-0 205 DE/FB/K) and standout sophomore's Kade Carroll and [player_tooltip player_id='1177578' first='Dasan' last='Ponce'].   There will be a lot of excitement within the football community heading into next year. The growth and popularity of Estrella continues to have the HS increasing in enrollment and adding top talent.    In summary Coach Spencer says, "With only two seniors on each side of the ball, we are excited to have many returning players with a full season of a new system under their belt for the off-season.  I am so proud and happy for these young men who bought in and believed that our goals were attainable and did what they needed to do to reach them."