Week 5 Winners: Pinnacle Rising, Marcos de Niza Undefeated
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A great slate of games last week gave us a lot to talk about heading into this week. With bye weeks for some teams this week and some more to come, now is a pivotal time in high school football.…
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Continue ReadingA great slate of games last week gave us a lot to talk about heading into this week. With bye weeks for some teams this week and some more to come, now is a pivotal time in high school football. We can tell by now who is a legit threat in the state.
Here are the biggest winners after week 5’s action.
Pinnacle Pioneers
Pinnacle (#6) improved to 3-1 on the season after a convincing 45-10 victory over Horizon. Coming into the season I saw Horizon being a sneaky threat to not only their conference, but to all the teams on their schedule. But Pinnacle proved me wrong. Going up 45-0 after 3 quarters, the Pioneers showed they are still a team to watch out for come playoff time. Led by top recruit Duce Robinson Duce Robinson 6'6" | 230 lbs | TE Pinnacle | 2023 State AZ (6 catches, 120 yards, 1 TD) Pinnacle’s offense was too much for the Huskies defense.
Centennial Coyotes
Centennial (#11) took down Williams Field (#16) in a battle of top 20 teams on Friday night. The Coyotes held back a tight comeback, winning 24-22. Steven Urquiza went 10-18 for 118 yards and 1 score, but the Coyotes had much of their success on the ground, with Kavaughn Clark Kavaughn Clark 5'8" | 180 lbs | RB Centennial | 2023 State AZ racking up 177 yards and had a TD of his own. With only 1 loss at the beginning of the year against Hamilton, Centennial very well could go undefeated the rest of the way and end up only with 1 loss and a high chance of making it to the Open. Centennial’s toughest opponent left? Pinnacle Pioneers, Thursday 11/10.
Casteel Colts
Casteel improved to 5-0 last week, after a 52-0 win over Tolleson. Landon Jury Landon Jury 6'1" | 180 lbs | QB Queen Creek | 2023 State AZ has been fantastic for them, averaging over 14 yards a completion, 16 TDs and only 3 INTs. He is also the leading rusher for the Colts, with 222 yards in the 5 games played. Casteel have a three headed monster out wide in likes of Jeremiah Newcombe Jeremiah Newcombe 5'11" | 175 lbs | DB Casteel | 2024 State AZ (2024), Braden Greene (2024), and Elijah Beamon Elijah Beamon 6'0" | 170 lbs | WR Casteel | 2025 State AZ (2025), all with over 235 yards receiving. Casteel has a very hard schedule remaining, starting with Chandler this coming week, and end with Hamilton, Basha, and Corona del Sol. Nevertheless, Casteel have all the momentum on their side, and I expect them to pull some games out.
Marcos de Niza Padres
Marcos de Niza joins Casteel as another team going 5-0 after this week. The Padres (4A) are averaging over 46 points a game, and holding their opponents to 6.2 points. Well rounded squad and no shocker that they have not lost a game. The leaders on this high scoring offense are running back Lorenzo Alexander (2024) and wide out Jamaal Young Jamaal Young 5'11" | 175 lbs | WR Marcos De Niza | 2023 State AZ (2023). They both have over 400 yards and a combined 14 touchdowns. They have a chance to run the table, with a very interesting matchup with Arizona College Prep at the end of the year, that could determine who represents 4A in the Open(?).