Spring practice begins Monday in Arizona. Last season was a good one for the state with three teams finishing the season ranked in the High School Football America Top 100 national rankings — No. 21 Chandler, No. 31 Centennial and No. 68 Saguaro.
Look for two-time defending 6A state champ Chandler to be in our preseason national rankings that will be released in July. The Wolves return senior-to-be quarterback Jacob Conover who threw for over 3,000 yards last season with 42 touchdowns and only eight interceptions. Conover is considered a 3-star college football prospect with a dozen scholarship offers, including Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State and Brigham Young.
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DeCarlos Brooks, son of former NFL cornerback Carlos Brooks who played for the Cardinals, is back for his senior season after rushing for over 1,300 yards and fourteen touchdowns. Brooks who is being recruited as an athlete has four college offers.
Tight end Brayden Liebrock is considered the No. 5 overall prospect in the state, according to 247Sports.com’s composite rankings. Liebrock, who caught 39 passes last year, has 22 scholarship offers on the table.
Once again, Chandler will play a tough out-of-state schedule beginning with Southern California power Corona Centennial for the season opener on August 17. The Wolves will play Faith Lutheran from Nevada in the Polynesian Football Classic in Las Vegas in September.
Saguaro also has two out-of-state opponents — Liberty (Nevada) and Helix (California). Liberty beat the Sabercats last season, finishing No. 66 in the Top 100 last season. Helix played for a state championship last year, losing to nationally ranked Folsom.
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Saguaro will be looking to add to its state record five consecutive state titles. Head coach Jason Mohns has lots of talent on both sides of the football. Junior-to-be cornerback Kelee Ringo is considered a 5-star recruit, who is currently the No. 6 overall prospect in the nation in the Class of 2020.
Defending 5A champ Centennial, which beat Florida national power St. Thomas Aquinas last season has Bishop Gorman on its schedule this year. The Gaels finished No. 9 in the nation last season.
AZCentral.com has written a nice spring football preview. Click here to read it.
