Honor Bowl hopes to make lasting impact in Mesa

Sep. 14—Red Mountain Head Coach Kyle Enders was proud of the way his team fought until the end in San Diego over Memorial Day Weekend.

The Mountain Lions made the trip for a rare Saturday afternoon contest, where they were matched up against Helix, one of the San Diego area's top teams. The game was put together as part of the 2023 Honor Bowl, a showcase held at Cathedral Catholic High School that brings awareness to the needs of military service men and women.

Red Mountain's comeback fell short against Helix, 30-22, but the impact the event had on the players, coaches and fans was worth more than the result of the game.

"You look around and you talk about being in a fight and being tired or making a big play," Enders said. "But this is just a football game. These guys are fighting for our country. To see how locked in they were, it was a big deal to them."

This year marked Red Mountain's second straight trip to the showcase. Last year, the Mountain Lions faced and beat Mater Dei Catholic, a program local to San Diego.

They were joined by both Desert Vista and Chandler in 2022. The Wolves beat the host school Cathedral Catholic while the Thunder fell to San Diego's Madison. All three teams came away with a better understanding for the support veterans and their families need once they are no longer serving.

For some, therapy is enough to help them deal with the aftermath of what they went through overseas. But for others, prosthetics, service animals and more are necessary to help them return to life as an everyday citizen.

Seeing the impact war has on service men and women is the main reason Mark Soto created The Honor Group, who is responsible for putting on the Honor Bowl on a yearly basis in both southern California and northern California. His son was a marine and fought in war. Soto said back in June it changed his life forever.

"The whole idea of the event is to educate our student-athletes, coaches and community about patriotism," Soto said, "inspire them about what our men and women fighting for our freedom do for us. Right now, we feel like that's not said. We have the voice we feel like we can do that using sports."

The Honor Bowl was yet another way Soto thought of to help raise money for veterans and their families.

About 30 percent of merchandise and ticket sales at the showcase, which invites teams from all over California and surrounding states — including Hawaii this year — go toward veterans. The Honor Group has also partnered with local trainers who breed and train dogs to become service animals. In 2019, three dogs were donated to veterans. This year the trainers were honored at halftime of each game.

The games go well beyond simply honoring those who help veterans in need. They also tug on the heartstrings of the players, coaches and fans who make the trip to San Diego.

Red Mountain junior quarterback Simon Lopez said the pregame speech from a veteran Red Mountain received "put things into perspective." He and his teammates go to battle every Friday night during the season, but it hails in comparison to what soldiers go through on a daily basis.

Lopez said it's one thing to read about an ongoing war, but it's another to hear it directly from those who have been in the thick of it.

"Honoring all the military people, it's such a great feeling," Lopez said. "Seeing all the people that fought for us, it will be great to have it (at Red Mountain)."

Lopez said the entire weekend was moving for him and his teammates. It was cultivated with the building of the battlefield cross, which includes a fallen soldier's rifle, combat boots, combat helmet and dog tags.

Marines placed the rifle and helmet into place at midfield before the game. The sister of a fallen soldier place the helmet, while parents of a fallen soldier placed the dog tags he was wearing when he was killed in action.

It was emotional for those involved as the pregame ceremony concluded with everyone in attendance saying the names of the soldiers honored.

"It gives me chills thinking about it," Lopez said. "The moment of silence and honoring the people who fought for us."

The Honor Bowl has become a success since its inception. What began in northern California spread to San Diego and will now head west to Arizona where it will host its third yearly showcase at Red Mountain High School.

Soto said Arizona was an easy destination for the event. Not only for the support local teams have showed for it since 2019, but also because of the rise in talent level across the state.

Soto said he hopes to pull big-name programs from out of state to challenge Arizona's best at Red Mountain, which will be the host site.

"I'm very excited," Soto said. "We have a lot of teams that want to go to Arizona. You guys have great football so we'll see what happens."

Like any showcase event that is designed to raise money, Soto said he needs help from sponsors in the Valley. He, along with the others who help run the Honor Bowl, are all volunteer based. They don't receive any funds raised from the event.

Soto said he plans to have a four-game format in Arizona with two games on Friday (4 p.m. and 7 p.m.) and two games Saturday.

One game will feature Red Mountain, which will likely be one of the nightcaps on Friday or Saturday, while other games will feature out of state teams and those form the area. He said he's already received multiple inquiries from schools wanting to travel to Arizona to play in the event, which will likely take place sometime in late September.

Lopez said he's excited for the opportunity next season to represent Red Mountain and Arizona in the showcase.

Enders said it's a good opportunity to highlight the Red Mountain campus and show how quickly Arizona high school football has become one of the best in the country.

"It's an awesome experience," Enders said. "We're excited to host it next year."

Have an interesting story? Contact Zach Alvira at (480)898-5630 or zalvira@timespublications.com. Follow him on Twitter @ZachAlvira.