Is Peoria Centennial the best team in Arizona, period?

By Mark Heller

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In 2007, Kendrick McBride was an Eagle Scout and 3.0 GPA student whose family moved from Yuma to Peoria in August.

Illustration by Gabriel Utasi, Tribune

When Peoria Centennial played for its second straight 5A Division II state title in December, McBride arrived at University of Phoenix Stadium and was seen by coach Richard Taylor staring at the ceiling.

Kendrick hadn’t played a meaningful game in three years at Yuma Kofa, so when Taylor finally told him there was a game to play, Kendrick didn’t say anything.

“He was soaking in his surroundings,” Taylor said.

Kendrick got his state title, and Centennial is a favorite to win its third consecutive 5A-II title next month.

The seeds were sown in the 2005 championship game. The Coyotes, who hadn’t played in a title game in the school’s first decade-and-a-half of existence, were ahead with nine minutes to play against Phoenix North Canyon at Sun Devil Stadium, only to see the lead and their first championship melt away.

“We were nervous against North Canyon,” Taylor said. “They had a chance but had never been there before. That’s a real advantage when you’ve been there.”

The plan afterward was to take a few weeks off, but that Monday, 25 kids hit the weight room. They’ve won two championships and lost one game since.

The Coyotes are a hefty 11.5 points better than No. 2 Avondale Westview in the 5A-II power rankings and have already beaten 5A-I heavyweights Chandler Hamilton and Phoenix Desert Vista, fueling the notion that they are the state’s best team.

But it’s all talk and empty numbers to Taylor, who sees upsets coming.

“Great teams are player-motivated, not coach-motivated,” Taylor said. “They read newspapers and all their friends tell them they’ll come to the game later on when it’s a better matchup. That’s hard for a 16-year-old to hear.

“It’s not about who you’re playing, it’s about you and how well you prepare.”

Without great facilities or big numbers, Saguaro defies odds, year after year

By Kyle Odegard

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Cole Rarrick sat and watched as electric junior quarterback Tim Ruben took the reins of Scottsdale Saguaro in 2006, leading the Sabercats to a state title.

A sophomore then, Rarrick knew it would be awhile before he took over as signal caller of the Sabercats.

With Division-I-type ability, Rarrick could have transferred to a different school for earlier playing time and higher exposure.

But he stayed, and he didn’t complain.

“I’ve grown up with these guys for a long time,” said Rarrick, now the quarterback of the 10-0 Sabercats. “I thought about changing positions for the good of the team, but I never really considered transferring. We don’t run away if things are going tough.”

Rarrick’s decision embodies the mantra of Saguaro.

It’s a small 4A-I school with low football participation. The facilities are mediocre and transfers are not beating down the door to join the squad.

But it’s a close-knit group that has always put the team before the individual, and it’s a program with two straight titles and a 29-game winning streak.

Two groups of friends joined together when they arrived as freshmen at Saguaro.

One group had played football together in a Boys and Girls Club league in sixth, seventh and eighth grades.

The other group met in Pop Warner.

The two factions meshed seamlessly as ninth-graders, and many of those players have contributed to the winning streak.

“As freshmen when we came in here, the group of guys that were seniors had a lot of different cliques,” lineman Corey Adams said. “I’m sure they’d played together for a long time, too, but they just remained in those groups. A lot of it was selfishness. I think us playing together, there is a lot of selflessness.”

John Sanders is 24-0 as coach of Saguaro. The chemistry aspect isn’t lost on him.

“We’ll bring up the freshmen (to varsity), and the captains will put their arm around them and tell them they’re now with the big boys,” Sanders said. “These freshmen are learning how to win right along with (the upperclassmen). They’re all dead set on a dynasty — it’s the word they yell breaking the huddle every day — and they know they need this third one to get it.”

Saints marching to the drum of defense this season

By Matt Paulson

Scottsdale Notre Dame Prep’s unstoppable force has been replaced by an immovable object.

The former provided the Saints with their first state title. The latter has put the team in excellent position to win a second straight.

A year after riding the strong arm of quarterback Sean Renfree and its highly potent offense to the 4A Division II championship, Notre Dame (10-0) enters this year’s playoffs as the overwhelming favorite thanks to a defense as stingy as a car salesman.

Opponents have managed just 80 points against the Saints, the sixth fewest in the state according to MaxPreps, but only 35 have been allowed by the first-team defense, a unit coach Scot Bemis said is the most complete he’s ever coached.

“Collectively, I think they’re the best group I’ve had,” said Bemis, who came to Notre Dame in 2002 after serving as defensive coordinator at Phoenix St. Mary’s (2000-01) and Tempe McClintock (1992-99). “There has been some individual talent I’ve had in the past where you had certain guys that pop out, but to have a whole group together, you don’t get that very often.”

Notre Dame’s defensive experience (10 returning starters) and talent (seven Division I prospects) is unmatched at the 4A-II level, but the key to its success has been the team’s burning desire for a perfect season.

“All the matters, getting the W,” said linebacker Anthony Greco, who has a team-high nine sacks.

Added safety Andy Wilder, “We play hard every play, give everything we’ve got every drive. We’re trying to give our offense the best field position we can.”

That philosophy has paid off. This year’s team is averaging nearly four more points per game than last year’s (39.3-35.4) because the offense has been presented with so many short fields.

While Notre Dame’s schedule has been relatively light (only four opponents finished the regular season .500 or better, two had winning records), the Saints have been dominant against whomever they’ve played. The first-string defense has given up only nine first-half points, all on field goals. The result has been early leads and early nights for the starters most every time out, leaving Notre Dame rested and ready for another title run.

“We’re all focused, and we all know what it takes to get there,” Wilder said.

“We want it just as bad as we did last year.”

Hamilton’s offense has come along faster and better than expected

By Les Willsey

Chandler Hamilton had a crutch to lean on as the 2008 season unfolded in late August.

An experienced defense that could allow a green offense to establish its roots and perhaps begin to flourish by October.

As the postseason begins this evening, that’s exactly what’s transpired. Coach Steve Belles and offensive coordinator Deke Schutes have witnessed an offense with three returning starters (one on the offensive line) blossom into a feared, pick-your-poison attack.

“Everybody has accepted that we’re going to spread the ball around, and they know they have to be ready when their chance comes,” Belles said. “We have a lot of options.”

Senior Zak Hambsch, who came up short on experience last year with two senior quarterbacks in front of him, has wiped away that deficit. He threw just six passes last year and ran the ball 10 times in mop-up time.

“Zak really has come of age running the offense,” Belles said. “He’s mentally tough and makes good decisions. He executes.”

Hambsch has completed 65 percent of his passes for 1,542 yards and 13 touchdowns. His interception total is two. When the Huskies run the option, he’s managed to pick up an additional 325 yards rushing.

After averaging 21 points a game through the first three games, Hamilton has kicked it up a notch or two the last seven. In that span it is averaging 45 points a game. The Huskies have not scored fewer than 30 points in that time.

Four teammates are the primary beneficiaries of Hambsch’s distribution — running backs Zach Bauman and Dante Alexander and receivers Drew Terrell and Alante Wright.

Bauman and Alexander have almost equally split 184 carries to the tune of 1,364 yards. Bauman leads the team in touchdowns with 16 and is a good receiving option.

He’s third behind Terrell and Wright in receptions. Alexander has reached pay dirt eight times. Bauman is another in a long line of Huskies backs who had to wait his turn to get reps. Alexander got limited varsity time in 2007.

“Zach has evolved into a complete back,” Belles said. “He’s made a lot of big plays for us.”

The veteran of the skill corps is Terrell, who has stepped up his game after a slow start. Terrell hasn’t lit up the scoreboard, but he’s hauled in 51 receptions, a region- and area-best among 5A receivers. Wright has 33 catches. All have game-breaking ability, which is the hard part for defenses trying to deny this offense.

“They are the best we faced,” Gilbert Mesquite coach Mike Reardon said. “We saw both their quarterbacks, and they run the show well. They are very talented. They are more disciplined this year, and that’s making a difference.”