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Arizona high school football 2-a-days: 2A San Pedro Region, 2A Agua Fria Region

Richard Obert, Arizona Republic
·3 min read

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 opened their seasons on Aug. 17-19. The 6A, 5A and 4A schools open on Aug. 25.

We call these 2-a-days:

Cesar Haro Ruiz (left), a junior playing safety and wide receiver in Cortez High School's football program, and Andres Varela (right), a junior playing offensive guard and defensive tackle, attend a practice on campus in Phoenix on Oct. 19, 2022.
Cesar Haro Ruiz (left), a junior playing safety and wide receiver in Cortez High School's football program, and Andres Varela (right), a junior playing offensive guard and defensive tackle, attend a practice on campus in Phoenix on Oct. 19, 2022.

2A San Pedro Region

The teams: Benson, Bisbee, Catalina, Palo Verde, Tanque Verde, Tombstone, Willcox.

The favorite: Willcox. The Cowboys lose two 1,000-yard rushers, but they’re capable of wining 10 games again with a swarming defense.

The challenger: Benson. Capable of flipping the script and having a winning season that could go deep in the playoffs.

The dark horse: Tombstone. Don't sleep on this team. Always tough and ready to surprise.

Predicted order of finish: 1. Willcox; 2. Benson; 3. Tombstone; 4. Bisbee; 5. Palo Verde; 6. Tanque Verde; 7. Catalina.

Key players: Marshall McElroy, Palo Verde, LB/WR, Sr.; Gabriel Pratoomratana, Palo Verde, OL/DL, Jr.; Samuel Denton, Palo Verde, OL/DL, Jr.; Kameron Pippen, Palo Verde, RB/LB, So.; Julian Backburne, Palo Verde, Athlete, Jr.; Grayson Bradshaw, Tanque Verde, QB, Sr.; Eli Clausen, Tanque Verde, DE, Sr.; Gavin Gilbert, Tanque Verde, OLB, Sr.; Delon Harrison, Tanque Verde, WR/CB, Jr.; Sebastian Lopez, Bisbee, QB/DB; Jose Mendez, Bisbee, WR/DB; Bryceton Meyer, Bisbee, RB/LB; Remington Todd, Willcox, RB/LB, Jr.; Landon Ward, Willcox, WR/DB, Jr.; Kash Macumber, Willcox, QB/FS, Sr.; Dalton Crockett, Benson, QB, Sr.; Kohen Frost, Benson, WR, Sr.; D.J. Elias, Tombstone, QB, Jr.; Jmiah Wallis, Tombstone, RB, Jr.; Ed Tingle, Willcox, OL/LB, Sr.; Darrek Lee, Willcox, OL/DL, Sr.; Bryson Kibler, Willcox, OL/DL, Sr.

Key date: Sept.1 – Willcox will see if it’s built to win 2A when it travels to face a tough 3A Show Low team.

2A Agua Fria Region

The teams: Camp Verde, Cortez, Glendale Prep, Highland Prep, Kingman Academy, Mountainside, Phoenix Christian.

The favorite: Phoenix Christian. New coach and new attitude, great work ethic and ready to shock after going 1-9.

The challenger: Camp Verde. Always geared up with great energy to make a 2A run.

The dark horse: Cortez. No longer a doormat, they had a six-win season last year, sparking interest on campus.

Predicted order of finish: 1. Phoenix Christian; 2. Camp Verde; 3. Cortez; 4. Highland Prep; 5. Kingman Academy; 6. Glendale Prep; 7. Mountainside.

Key players: Michael Anthony, Cortez, RB/LB, Jr.; Andrew Leyva, Cortez, DL, Sr.; Jordan Netherly, Highland Prep, DB/RB/KR, Sr.; Isaiah Gomez, Highland Prep, LB/WR, Sr.; Gil Camacho, Highland Prep, QB, Jr.; Junior Crump, Highland Prep, WR, Jr.; Liam Coye, Highland Prep, DE, So.; Christian Sanabria, Camp Verde, WR; Tyson Buckley, Camp Verde, QB; Taj Autobee, Mountainside, QB, Jr.; Daniel Gregg, Mountainside, RB, So.; Anthony Gonzales, Mountainside, WR, Sr.; Xavier Sandoval, Phoenix Christian, QB, Sr.; Aeden Flynn, Phoenix Christian, LB, Sr.; Dominic Parris, Phoenix Christian, TE/CB, Sr.

Key date: Sept. 29 -- Camp Verde travels to Phoenix Christian in a key region matchup.

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: 2A San Pedro, Agua Fria regions