Week 1 Top Performers: Defense

<!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Take a look at some of the top defensive performances from week 1.</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1369419' first='Zayden' last='Cundiff'], 2026, LB, Florence – </strong>Cundiff picked up where he left off as Florence's defensive playmaker finishing with 14 total tackles, eight solo, two TFL, a force fumble, a fumble recovery, and a blocked field goal.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Daniel Fuentes, 2026, LB, McClintock – </strong>In the 36-19 win over Camelback, Fuentes finished with 11 total tackles, 10 solo, three TFL, and a sack.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>RJ Fogerty, 2026, ATH, Seton Catholic – </strong>Fogerty did it all scoring four touchdowns in the 32-26 win over San Tan Charter all in different ways. Returned a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown, threw a touchdown on a fake field goal, took his own team's blocked kick for six, and was on the receiving end of the game winning touchdown. Added a pick on defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/CoachZu94/status/1961658793932243253","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/CoachZu94/status/1961658793932243253 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1120885' first='Kye' last='Wells'], 2028, DE, Desert Edge – </strong>In the 27-19 win over Cactus Shadows, the sophomore totaled nine tackles, three TFL, and three sacks. Two of those sacks came late in the game to seal the win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/KyeWells12/status/1961474835043029179","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/KyeWells12/status/1961474835043029179 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Barry Sorle, 2026, DB, Tolleson – </strong>In the dominant win over Agua Fria, Sorle finishing with eight total tackles, seven solo, and four TFL.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1177563' first='Shaun' last='Carter'], 2026, LB, Yuma Catholic – </strong>Carter was all over the field defensively racking up 17 total tackles, two TFL, and a forced fumble in the 14-28 loss to Notre Dame Prep.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Gage Lee, 2026, LB, Horizon – </strong>In the 44-23 win over Verrado, Lee finished with 11 total tackles, seven solo, four TFL, a sack, and a forced fumble. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nicholas Motz, 2027, LB, Mountain Ridge – </strong>Motz had a break out game finishing with 10 total tackles, six solo, six TFL, and two sacks in 7-21 loss to Cactus.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Brady Casper, 2026, DE, Casteel – </strong>Casper finished with six tackles, three sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and caught a touchdown in the 51-14 win over Helix (CA).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/BradyCasper05/status/1961849308195799503","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/BradyCasper05/status/1961849308195799503 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->