Dynasty in the Desert: Scottsdale Christian Gets Their Three-Peat

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the same afternoon Liberty's shot at a three‑peat in the Open slipped away, another program across the valley quietly finished the job. While the top of Arizona high school football was dealing with the shock of all the drama, Scottsdale Christian was over in 2A, closing out their three‑peat with the kind of poise, grit, and big‑moment toughness that doesn't happen by accident.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Back-to-Back-to-Back Champions, Scottsdale Christian Academy</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Everett Salazar","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2408","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Scottsdale Christian","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-693299ee09271"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">If you're trying to explain how Scottsdale Christian pulled a three-peat out of a two-score, first-quarter hole, start with Salazar's shoulders. St. Johns had them down 15–0 and feeling the weight of an early pick-six, and at that point you don't need a hero ball contest — you need a guy who can lower his pads, get you out of second-and-10, and keep the whole sideline from panicking. That was Salazar all afternoon. He was the muscle of the offense, the tone-setter, and when SCA got into scoring range, he finished the job like a back who knows exactly what time it is. Three touchdowns, 75 yards on 19 carries, and they needed every inch of it in the end.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1921068"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-693299ee092f9"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Quarterbacks can say they're calm. Helgeson actually lived it. Whether SCA was staring at a two-score hole or cruising with a lead, he carried the exact same look — a kind of quiet, steady confidence that settles everyone else down before they break the huddle. He threw for 247 yards on 21-of-31 with onw touchdown, but the real value was how he kept the entire operation from feeling rushed or rattled. St. Johns punched first, the momentum swung back and forth, and still Helgeson never looked like he was forcing anything or trying to win it all back in one throw. He just kept stacking good decisions, trusting his guys to win one-on-ones, and steering the offense like someone who understood the game would eventually tilt their way.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Kyle Olafson","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2410","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Scottsdale Christian","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-693299ee09399"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Every comeback has that “okay, we're alive” play, and Olafson was right in the middle of the wake-up call. He was the reliable go-to when SCA needed air, finishing with six grabs for 107 yards, and it wasn't just catch-and-fall stuff either — he consistently created separation when St. Johns tried to match him up, and he made Helgeson's job a whole lot easier because he was where he was supposed to be, when he was supposed to be there. When the game tightened up and the windows got smaller, Olafson kept finding green grass.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Dominic Dickerson","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2411","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Scottsdale Christian","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-693299ee09433"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Dickerson is one of those guys where you watch the film and keep catching yourself saying, “Wait — that was him again?” because he just keeps popping up in places he shouldn't be. He was a headache as a gadget guy on offense, ripping off 75 all-purpose yards, but that barely scratches the surface of everything he touched. He's the kind of athlete who makes coaches a little greedy — motion him, hand it to him, let him stretch the field horizontally, and then before you can even appreciate that, he's flashing on defense or popping up on special teams. His biggest play of the day was a kickoff return that got called back, but it just goes to show you how dangerous he is with the ball in his hands. It's that Swiss‑army‑knife energy, the guy who quietly tilts the field in three different phases without demanding the spotlight. And in a championship game where momentum can flip on a single snap, having someone who can impact all of it is a built‑in safety net.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Martin Perez","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2496","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Scottsdale Christian","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-693299ee094c8"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">St. Johns came in as a legit running team, and Perez played the kind of game at linebacker that makes a run-heavy offense start checking the sideline to see where the free yards went. He was decisive, he took clean angles, and he kept things from spilling into the kind of explosives that turn a close title game into a track meet. He got credited him with 12 tackles in this one, but the tape shows the instincts — reading it, triggering, and getting there before the runner can get comfortable. When St. Johns tried to lean on the ground game to steady things late, Perez was a big reason it never really turned into an avalanche.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">St. Johns</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Trace Nielsen","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2411","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"St. Johns","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-693299ee09560"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Nielsen's season already told you what he was — a 1,000-yard back with a nonstop motor — but it was the defensive side where he really played his best ball in this one. Even with St. Johns chasing points for most of the afternoon, he never drifted or disappeared. He played defense the right way: disciplined leverage, forcing cuts back into help, stringing plays out instead of trying to be a hero, and always showing up in the frame when the dust settled. The box score won't sell it — 6 carries for 11 yards on offense and just four tackles on defense — but the tape does. He was constantly in the action, triggering downhill when he needed to and staying patient when the play called for it, and even that fumble recovery was a reflection of how locked in he was. It was one of those performances where you don't need a big stat line to know he mattered.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Kaden Waite","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2411","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"St. Johns","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-693299ee095f5"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Waite basically spotted his own offense a head start, and he did it the loudest way possible — a pick-six to open the scoring that instantly put SCA on edge and gave St. Johns all the early juice. As a passer, it wasn't his cleanest day — 7-of-18 for 113 yards with a touchdown and an interception — but he never looked shaken or rushed. He just kept playing, kept taking his shots, and made a couple of important throws when the offense really needed something steady. But honestly, where he stood out most was on defense. The pick-six was big, sure, but it was the one‑on‑one coverage reps down at the goal line that really popped on film. He played those situations with patience and confidence, staying square, staying disciplined, and breaking on the ball quickly even without help around him. Add in four tackles and his usual physical edge, and it was one of those games where even without the gaudy QB numbers, you walked away impressed with how complete of a competitor he is.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Malachi West","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2-26","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2405","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"St. Johns","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-693299ee0968a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">West looks like the guy you circle in warmups because he's simply not built like everyone else out there — listed at 6'6”, 320, and he carries it with surprisingly good feet. When St. Johns needed to move bodies and get something going on the ground, he's the kind of lineman you'd naturally want to follow because he can create real displacement instead of just occupying space. Then defensively, he's not just a big frame; he's productive — credited with 37 tackles and 3.5 sacks on the season — and in this game he was still involved (4 tackles, 1 TFL). In a title matchup where the skill guys made the headlines, West was one of the clearest reminders on the field that the trenches aren't optional — they're the whole deal.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->