Who will break out? Top 10 Arizona high school football spring storylines
Some Arizona high school football teams are beginning spring football workouts this week, while many more start next week. Schools are maneuvering ways to get their players together without interrupting spring sports teams and finals.
Here are The Arizona Republic's top 10 storylines to follow during spring workouts, which bring college football coaches from all over the country to get a glimpse of next season's top high school players.
1. Who's QB1?
Who's next at Peoria Liberty and Chandler Basha to lead the offense? Liberty loses two-time Gatorade Arizona high school football Player of the Year Navi Bruzon, who is a walk-on quarterback for Arizona State. Basha loses four-year starting quarterback Demond Williams Jr., who could be Washington's QB1. Those two both won an Open state championship in their career and combined to win 44 games over the past two seasons.
So, who does Liberty coach Colin Thomas and Basha coach Chris McDonald turn to this spring? It could be a competition that runs through not only three weeks of spring ball, but through June 7-on-7s, and into August. But there is no doubt these programs won't be hurting at the position.
2. Changing of the guard
Can Scottsdale Saguaro still compete for a championship? Do the Sabercats have what it takes to get back into the Open? Darius Kelly will find out soon enough as he steps into the head coaching role, the third head coach in three years for a program that is used to winning championships. About 10 players have transferred out since the end of last season. But a few elite players have transferred in.
3. Hanging on
Where does Goodyear Desert Edge go from here, after co-head coaches Marcus and Mark Carter stepped down last week after the AIA placed the program on probation for the school's self-reported recruiting violation? On Tuesday, the AIA will hear Desert Edge's appeal to try to get the probation, which imposes a post-season ban for the 2024 season, rescinded. This is a program that could challenge for a state title. How will the players respond?
4. Westside takeover
Peoria schools Liberty and Centennial meeting in the Open final last season might be put on repeat, after both schools received several marquee transfers since winter. How Centennial coach Richard Taylor and Liberty coach Colin Thomas can put them in the right places and keep team chemistry strong will determine whether they meet again for the Open state title.
5. Coaching dominoes
There have been more than 50 coaching changes in the offseason, slightly more than the annual average in Arizona. Will Andy Litten turn Mesa Mountain View into a title contender after leaving Scottsdale Horizon? Can Jeremy Hathcock tap into the gold mine at Buckeye Verrado after leaving his alma mater Lakeside Blue Ridge? Will Mike Zdebski turn it around at Surprise Shadow Ridge after leading Chandler Hamilton to the Open every year? Can former Hamilton quarterback Travis Dixon lead the Huskies to the Open title in his first year?
6. Brophy's NFL pipeline
The Broncos might have the best offensive line in the state, with top 2025 recruit Logan Powell ready for a full season and the tremendous growth of Jorden Cunningham and Anderson Kopp ready for a monster season. But Brophy might be on the verge of Open greatness with the son of former NFL players in a tremendous 2026 class: wide receivers Daylen Sharper and Devin Fitzgerald, quarterback Case Vanden Bosch and outside linebacker Bastian Vanden Bosch.
7. Switching ALA schools
American Leadership Academy schools keep popping up all over the Valley. Joe Germaine, former coach at Mountain View, is now leading the new one in Mesa. But a lot of the focus will be on ALA Gilbert North, where Ty Detmer replaces fired coach and athletic director Randy Ricedorff, who was let go over his decisions related to junior running back Talan Renner after Preston Lord's death. Renner played two more games after Lord was brutally beaten to death, which led to the arrest and first-degree murder charges of seven individuals, including Renner.
Detmer was moved from ALA Queen Creek, where he led that program to three straight Open appearances. Detmer seems like the perfect guy to try to clean up at ALA Gilbert North.
8. Hidden talents
Every once in a while, college coaches find hidden talents during their trips to high school spring football practices. Tempe quarterback Saul Mendez and Tempe McClintock quarterback Jaxon Knutson are two of them. They both have big-play receivers in Tempe's Sa'Veon McCrimmon and McClintock's Khalil Bender, who will soon enough get discovered. And look at Glendale Independence linebacker Michael Palmer, 6-1, 190, who has had 38 tackles for losses the last two seasons.
9. Chandler's O-line experience
It always takes talent and depth in the offensive line for teams to win state championships. And Chandler might be back to getting to the Open final with four returning starters back on the offensive line. Coach Rick Garretson also has one of the top linebackers in Aiden Browder, and it could be a three-man race for QB1 among Dominic Carmigiano (2026), Will Mencl (2027) and Jay Arnold (2027).
10. Trey Knox's rapid recovery
Percy "Trey" Knox III suffered a broken ankle playing in a 7-on-7 tournament in February. Last week, he ran his first track meet since then, blazing to a personal-record 11.23 seconds in the 100 meters to place second at the Chandler City Meet. Now, the 2026 Basha cornerback is set for his first spring football practice.
To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert atrichard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Top 10 Arizona high school spring football story lines
