Arizona high school football 2-a-days: 3A West, Metro West region previews
This is part of the countdown to the opening week of the Arizona Interscholastic Association high school football season with two region previews a day. The schools in 1A, 2A and 3A open their seasons on Aug. 17-19. The 6A, 5A and 4A schools open on Aug. 25.
We call these 2-a-days.
3A West Region
The teams: Chino Valley, Kingman, Mohave, River Valley, Wickenburg.
The favorite: River Valley. These guys are equipped to make a serious run behind a talented junior class.
The challenger: Wickenburg. Montana move-in QB Colt Brockett has what it takes to lead a potent offense.
The dark horse: Mohave. Led by one of the best two-way players at any level in the state in Jonathan Williams.
Predicted order of finish: 1. River Valley; 2. Wickenburg; 3. Mohave; 4. Kingman; 5. Chino Valley.
Key players: Colt Brockett, Wickenburg, QB, Jr.; Jonathan Williams, Mohave, LB/RB, Sr; Ben Sibole, Chino Valley, QB, Jr.; Brody Ryan, Chino Valley, WR, Sr.; Jeremiah Duplechain, Chino Valley, LB, Jr.; Seth Braylon, Kingman, RB, Jr.; Jayden Plotkin, River Valley, RB, Jr.; Brody Trujillo, River Valley, WR, Jr.; Jaycen Larance, River Valley, DE, Jr.
Key date: Sept. 1 – River Valley will get a big test at Surprise Paradise Honors to see where it stands in 3A.
3A Metro West
The teams: American Leadership West Foothills, Dysart, Kofa, Odyssey Institute, Paradise Honors, Yuma.
The favorite: Paradise Honors. One of the best passing duos in the state that could break 3A records.
The challenger: ALA West Foothills. Coach Chad Mitton has this relatively new team on the fast track.
The dark horse: Yuma. The Crims went 7-3 last year and returns key skill guys.
Predicted order of finish: 1. Paradise Honors; 2. AlA West Foothills; 3. Yuma; 4. Dysart; 5. Odyssey Institute; 6. Kofa.
Key players: Gage Baker, Paradise Honors, QB, Sr.; Josh Morales, Paradise Honors, WR, Sr.; Jaxon Sauls, Odyssey Institute, QB, Sr.; Deiontae Tyson, Odyssey Institute, RB/WR/S, Sr.; Sean Barshef, Odyssey Institute, LB, Sr.; Toy Landers, Odyssey Institute, RB/DB, Sr.; Jack Heyward, ALA West Foothills, SS, Sr.; Caden Calister, ALA West Foothills, FS, Sr.; Tegan Kirkpatrick, ALA West Foothills, CB, Sr.; Dayton Foster, ALA West Foothills, CB, Sr.; Kye Brown, Dysart, QB/S, Sr.; Avion Bailey, Dysart, WR/DB, Jr.; Reggie Antone, Yuma, QB, Sr.; Andrew Mosqueda, Yuma, WR/DB, Jr.
Key date: Aug. 18 – Paradise Honors opens at home with a litmus test against powerhouse Thatcher.
To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert atrichard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on Twitter@azc_obert
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona HS football 2-a-days: 3A West Region, 3A Metro West Region
