Sudden impacts: Basha freshmen following the football blue print established 3 years ago

Two weeks ago, on the first play of the game, freshman Noah Roberts took the ball from quarterback Demond Williams Jr., from the 20. Eighty yards later, he was in the end zone.

Basha held on to beat Chandler Hamilton 45-44 in double overtime to get to 6-1 before a week break.

Earlier in the season, Roberts caught a pass over the middle from Williams and scored the game-winning touchdown in a 35-31 win at Scottsdale Saguaro in a rematch of last year's Open championship game. It was one of his five catches for 117 yards.

What Roberts has done in his first year of high school is only following the blueprint coach Chris McDonald put down three years ago when he rolled out three freshmen — Williams, defensive back Miles Lockhart and wide receiver Bryson Dedmon — under the Friday night lights.

That was the beginning of Basha's progression to elite status in Arizona, which would lead to being ranked among the top 25 teams in the nation. Williams and Lockhart are now seniors at Basha. Dedmon transferred last summer to Saguaro.

Now there's another big three of freshmen — Roberts, offensive lineman Jake Hildebrand and defensive tackle Anitoni Tahi — making an impact. They all start. They all have had their moments. And they all look like men.

Roberts is 6-foot, 185 pounds. Hildebrand is 6-6, 285. Tahi is 6-1, 300. They're special freshmen. In The Arizona Republic's preseason Phenom 50 list for top incoming freshmen, Roberts was ranked No. 2 and Hildebrand 3. Tahi was ranked 11th.

"The best 11 will play at their position," McDonald said. "It's just how it goes."

When Williams and Lockhart were freshmen in the 2020 COVID-19 football season, Basha started its upward trend under McDonald, going 6-3, reaching the 6A playoffs, before losing to Phoenix Sandra Day O'Connor 27-21 in overtime in the first round. It was a big turnaround from 2019 when the Bears went 4-7.

In 2021, as a sophomore, Williams led Basha to its first unbeaten regular season and first trip to the Open, before running into buzzsaw Peoria Liberty, and losing 38-20 in the first round.

Then, last year, Basha broke through behind Williams, capturing their first Open state title with the only blemish a regular-season loss to Liberty.

"I feel like (Roberts) has a lot of the same mentality (I had three years ago)," said Williams, who has committed to play college football at Arizona. "I just tell him, 'Go play football. Nothing is too big for you.' I feel like he's got a really bright future."

Roberts, Hildebrand and Tahi have been playing on the same youth football teams together since they were 8. But last year Roberts decided not to play football and focus on his strength, conditioning and speed working through the year with a private coach.

It got him mentally and physically ready to take on the rigors of varsity football, going up against guys three to four years older.

Without hesitation, Roberts said he anticipated making a varsity impact this soon.

"I was thinking ahead," he said. "I took a whole year off from football. I was just training to get bigger and faster."

Roberts said Williams gives him advice on how to handle the pressures of playing varsity as a freshman.

"He gives me the ins and outs of the playbook, stuff like that," he said.

Hildebrand is following the same path as offensive lineman James Durand, who started all four years on varsity at Basha. He was the vocal leader of last year's 12-1 team. Now he's at Wisconsin.

"He has a mentality, it's just getting comfortable at what he's able to do," McDonald said of Hildebrand. "He can exert his physicality. If he's thinking, it becomes an issue."

Hildebrand was spending much of the summer with the varsity competing in big-men competitions and learning the playbook with help from offensive line coach Tim Kelly.

"I was able to learn a lot from him," Hildebrand said.

With Roberts, Hildebrand said he saw special qualities on the football field since he was 8-years old.

"He's been like that since we were really young," Hildebrand said.

Tahi has been a constant in the middle of the defensive line. An athletic 300-pounder who reminds McDonald of former Mountain Pointe and Chandler defensive tackle Matthew Pola-Mao, who played at Kansas State and Arizona State. Pola-Mao started on varsity at Mountain Pointe as a freshman.

Tahi said he didn't come to Basha thinking he'd be making plays on varsity his freshman year.

"I was just thinking about coming here and putting in the work," he said. "The older guys have really been helping me."

Beyond the Gridiron: Basha football gets ready to face Chandler in rematch of 2022 Open semifinal

When the Bears play host to Chandler (6-1) on Friday night in a game that's going to feel like an Open playoff, all three freshmen are going to be asked to play vital roles.

It's a huge game, and it will be the first time Basha will be without linebacker Jack Bleier (season-ending ACL injury) to start a game. He was instrumental on defense in Basha winning its first state title and getting out to a 6-1 start this year.

"(Chandler) is going to be really hungry," McDonald said. "There's a lot riding on this game. There's potentially a (6A Premier) region championship. Both teams are 1-0 in the region. There's that. It's a cross-town rival. Two Open teams getting after it in Week 8."

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: Basha freshmen following the football blue print set 3 years ago