State Championship Roundup: MVP's and Hidden Contributors

<p>The state champions have all been crowned in their respective divisions to cap off a historic season. These games were filled with talent all across the board, but we would like to look at some of the standout performances as well as players who might not have gotten full recognition for helping their team win. Here are some of the MVP's and Hidden Contributors from the 5A, 6A and Open Division State Championship Games.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">5A State Championship</h2>   <p>The #7 seed Desert Edge Scorpions came out victorious over the #4 Cactus Cobras, with the final score being 28 - 19. Cactus made it an interesting game at the end, but Desert Edge's defense was too much for Cactus to overcome for the majority of the game. There were plenty of key players in the game, but here were the two players who really stood out.</p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">MVP:</h3>    <p class="text-gray-700">2025 Defensive Lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1145517' first='Jerry' last='Washington'] was the main game wrecker of this dominant defensive performance from Desert Edge. From the defensive end position, Washington had 3 sacks, 8 total tackles, and a forced fumble for an unreal game to take his team over the top. He has an excellent combination of twitchiness and power, allowing him to beat his opponents in various ways. His go-to move was his club move, shedding offensive linemen like it was nothing with one arm and quickly locating the quarterback for the sack. Washington was easily one of the best players on the field that game and will be special at the next level.</p>     <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Hidden Contributor:</h3>    <p class="text-gray-700">2027 Defensive Back [player_tooltip player_id='884388' first='Mikyal' last='Davis'] may go unnoticed due to the impressive defensive line performance. But Davis showed up in a big way for this Desert Edge secondary at the safety position with his 6 total tackles, 5 of which were solo tackles, 2 forced fumbles, and one pass deflection in the red zone. His agility to keep up with defenders was impressive, followed with outstanding closing speed to allow him to contest and break up passes. He was consistently aggressive when he got tackles and always thinking about getting the ball out of his opponent's hands. Davis played a significant role in Desert Edge's win and is a player to look out for to be a major contributor to this team next season.</p>     <h2 class="wp-block-heading">6A State Championship</h2>   <p>The #14 seed Centennial Coyotes completes the impossible and wins the 6A state championship against the #4 Mountain View Toros, becoming the first team in Arizona history to win the state title going 7-7. After starting the year 0-4 with a ruthless schedule, they rattled off 3 wins in their last 6 games with transfers being allowed to play. They were able to sneak into the 6A playoffs at 3-7 and never looked back. Here were the key players to their win for the title.</p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">MVP:</h3>    <p class="text-gray-700">2025 Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='739454' first='Kainan' last='Manna'] played almost a flawless game on his way to winning a title for Centennial. He had a 65% completion, over 350 passing yards, 2 passing TDs, and a 134.4 QB Rating. His ability to change how he threw the football was his most impressive trait, layering the ball over the top of defenders, especially on that first touchdown throw to take the early lead. Even under pressure, he was in a zone still managing to get the ball out and give his teammates an opportunity in space. Manna capped off a great junior year campaign with one of his best games to complete a unforgettable underdog story.</p>    <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Hidden Contributor:</h3>    <p class="text-gray-700">2025 Athlete [player_tooltip player_id='368912' first='Shamar' last='Berryhill'] was a swiss army knife for the Coyotes to make for a dynamic weapon on offense. He had close to 100 scrimmage yards on the game, 66 of those yards through the air on 4 catches. Most of his catches came on 3rd down and long, working off script to find space downfield and move the chains for his team. He even played some snaps on defense as a slot defender, recording a pass breakup for his team. An impact transfer who had to miss the first 5 games of the year, Berryhill proved to be a massive piece for Centennial's state title run.</p>     <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Open Division Championship</h2>   <p>The #4 Liberty Lions beat the #2 Basha Bears to win the back-to-back open state titles in dominating fashion, winning 35 - 17. Liberty went undefeated in-state to win their second Open Division title in school history, with their only loss coming out of state to Centennial (CA) this season. Here were the players that helped them accomplish this.</p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">MVP:</h3>    <p class="text-gray-700">2025 Running Back Dominic Lombardo had the game of his life for the Liberty Lions. He had 26 carries for over 124 rushing yards with 3 rushing touchdowns. He would not be denied when he got to the goal line, with great vision and downhill aggression to power his way into the endzone. He displayed good contact balance in the open field, bouncing off the first defender and churning away for more yardage. Lombardo has been a consistent piece for Liberty all season long. But he answered the call when the lights were brightest and his team needed a big play.</p>     <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Hidden Contributor:</h3>    <p class="text-gray-700">2025 Defensive Back Owen Dalton made his presence known from the beginning of the game. He had 3 pass breakups and a tackle for loss against a talented receiving group for Basha. He had excellent zone coverage ability from the defensive back position, covering his area with good range and reading the QBs eyes well. In man, he was able to lock down receivers in the red zone, running stride for stride and playing through the receiver to the ball for the incompletion. Daniels made a tremendous impact for his team on the outside to win the title in his final high school football season.</p>

The state champions have all been crowned in their respective divisions to cap off a historic season. These games were filled with talent all across the board, but we would like to look at some of the standout performances as well as players who might not have gotten full recognition for helping their team win. Here are some of the MVP's and Hidden Contributors from the 5A, 6A and Open Division State Championship Games.