Liberty QB Navi Bruzon wins 2023 Ed Doherty Award, MaxPreps AZ HS Football POY
After leading his team to its school's first Open Division state football championship last week, Peoria Liberty senior quarterback Navi Bruzon won the Ed Doherty Award on Dec. 9 in Scottsdale.
That award is given to the top Arizona high school football player for 2023 from the Grand Canyon State Gridiron Club.
On Tuesday, Bruzon was named MaxPrep's Arizona high school football Player of the Year. A second Gatorade AZ POY could be next for the Arizona State-bound quarterback, who is graduating early and is taking the preferred walk-on opportunity that the Sun Devils presented him.
Bruzon was among the final five finalists for the Doherty Award. It also included Chandler Basha quarterback Demond Williams Jr., Glendale Apollo running back Adam Mohammed, American Leadership Gilbert North wide receiver Brandon Phelps and Surprise Paradise Honors quarterback Gage Baker.
Bruzon, 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, will be finishing up his high school academic requirements to graduate this month, but still hasn't found a college home. Only Northern Arizona has offered a Division I athletic scholarship. San Diego, a private D-I school, has offered but it doesn't give athletic scholarships.
This week, Arizona State reached out and offered Bruzon a preferred walk-on opportunity, he said.
Williams, Phelps and Mohammed all will be signing later this month with the University of Arizona. Baker, who tied a single-season national record with 92 touchdown passes leading Paradise Honors to the 3A final, has not decided on a college yet.
Earlier this week, Williams was named the Arizona High School Football Player of the Year by the NFL Cardinals with Baker being named the Offensive Player of the Year. Bruzon was left out of the Cardinals' top honors.
Bruzon won the Gatorade Arizona High School Football Player of the Year honor last year as a junior and could repeat this year.
Bruzon this season passed for 3,287 yards and 32 TDs with eight interceptions, completing 71% of his passes in 13 games, leading the Lions to a 12-1 record with the only loss coming in California against Corona Centennial, 42-35. He also ran for 972 yards and 21 TDs on 137 carries.
Past Doherty Award winners include Perry's Brock Purdy, Salpointe's Bijan Robinson (twice), Mesquite's Ty Thompson, Hamilton's Nicco Marchiol and Saguaro's Devon Dampier with only Robinson the non-quarterback of the bunch.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Liberty QB Navi Bruzon wins 2023 Ed Doherty, MaxPreps honors
