Page 48 September 2016 your ARcadia Realtor.com 602.463.3359 H i L L A R Y GURLEY GURLEY 4025 North 33rd PLAce $599,000 S O L D For Rent Great One Bedroom Old Town Location Do you have a pool & a guest house with a kitchen up to $1.5M? Looking to sell? I have A Buyer I’M Also Looking for Investment Condos 2016-17 High School Football Preview he totaled 309 yards passing to go with five touchdown passes. 2. Ryan Alexandre, Senior, RB: A running back with rushing and pass- catching ability, Alexandre started hot in 2015 before going down with a broken foot in the sixth game of the year. Despite an abbreviated season, Alexandre still managed to rack up 694 yards rushing with another 160 yards receiving and 10 total touchdowns. 3. Nick Sandler, Senior, DB The senior cornerback excelled as both an individual and team defender in 2015, totaling 24 solo tackles and 19 assisted. BROPHY BRONCOS Screenwriters would reject the 2015 Brophy Broncos football season as too unbelievable. In the last nine games, only once was the score more than seven points apart. Six of the games were won by four points or less and three went into overtime, including a double overtime playoff thriller against Pinnacle. Even Hollywood would find that kind of drama improbable. “It was pretty rare,” said Scooter Molander, head coach for Brophy. “In my 11 years as head coach, I believe we’ve had two overtime games. So to have three in one year was quite rare. But I think it helped us down the stretch.” Brophy is known as a program that reloads instead of rebuilds and this fall will be no different. Gone is starting quarterback Cade Knox, now taking snaps for Harvard. The team will also be without last year’s star running back Ryan Velez, who headed to West Point after a season that included 2289 all purpose yards and 23 touchdowns. The Broncos fell in the second round of last year’s playoffs and have to figure out how to replace the loss of offensive firepower if they want to improve. “Brophy has been a great program for a long time, since before I was here,” said Molander. “There’s a long-standing tradition of success and the kids know that. But they also know they have to earn it. It always boils down to the details.” One advantage for the team is the return of two of the biggest offensive weapons from 2015. Wide receiver Noah Pittenger was second to Velez in all-purpose yards and could be even better during his senior season. All-state tight end Matt Kempton is coming back as well and he’s looking to improve on his standout junior year. “We’ve got a lot of new guys this year,” said Kempton. “But I think everyone is already getting comfortable filling into our roles. You can see how hard we’re competing on both sides of the ball.” The defensive front had some losses too, including standout linebacker Dante Diaz- Infante, who recorded 115 total tackles last fall. But standout linebacker Rex Tessler will return and is joined by fellow linebacker Max Fees, lineman George Rivera, and defensive back Noah Williams. “We’d like to do better on third and fourth down, defensively,” said Molander. “We also want to improve our special teams and make sure we take care of the football. We’ll make sure our kids are prepared. At the end of the day, there’s only one satisfied team, and that’s the one that wins it all.” Quarterback Battle: One position Molander hasn’t locked down is the most important one. Last year’s starting quarterback, Cade Knox, has graduated and left no clear heir apparent behind. So Molander has opened up the competition and two standouts have risen to the top: Caleb Moore and Matthew Ryan. It’s a fine line to walk, rooting for your teammate to improve for the good of the team, while also trying to take the job he wants. But the seniors believe they have struck a balance. “Obviously you want to be the guy out there leading the team,” said the 6-foot-1- inch, 175-pound Moore. “But the competition is going to get you better no matter what. We’re competing against each other, but we can still be friends.” “I think it’s a great opportunity,” said Ryan. “I love to compete. It’s one of the things I think I do best.” By Nick Smith ARCADIA TITANS Five years ago, Lenny Abt was the offensive coordinator at Arcadia High School, preparing for the upcoming 2012 football season. Then, as the team headed to Payson for preseason camp, word came that head coach Jim Ellison was stepping down. Abt planned to take his spot and make adjustments on the fly. It was a long road, but the Arcadia Titans improved their record in all four seasons with Abt at the helm, culminating in a return to the playoffs in 2015, with an 8-3 record. Abt shared that it’s not only the team’s record that’s changed. “Really, the whole mentality has changed,” he said. “Kids are pushing each other now. Wins and losses are nice of course, but it’s the culture we’ve tried to change that is the most important.” As successful as last season was, a what- if factor hangs over the season. Junior running back Ryan Alexandre exploded out of the gate last season, rushing for 201 yards and three touchdowns in an opening win over Bradshaw Mountain. Alexandre quickly became the team’s offensive bell cow, rushing for over 100 yards in four of the first six games of the season. But six games is where his season ended, as he was leveled with a broken foot. Seniors Keon Okyere and Jaylen Isreal stepped up in Alexandre’s absence, each rushing for over 400 yards last season. But it’s easy to wonder just how far the Titans would have gone if they were not missing their star running back. “It hurt us to lose him last year,” said Abt. “It’ll obviously be good to have him back.” A rare aspect of last season was the youth of the starting quarterback. Abt decided to give the keys to the offense to sophomore Luke Ashworth and the gamble paid off in a trip to the playoffs. “He stepped up and took command,” said Abt. “There was some growing pains last year but we expected that. He was our guy and we were confident when we handed him the ball.” Starting a player that young at quarterback means the position is basically set for the next two seasons, giving Abt one less thing to do on his checklist. “In years past, it’s usually been a senior quarterback,” said Abt. “Obviously, having a field general who is aware of our systems is a positive. He works hard and grows from his mistakes.” If the Titans-topping-previous-seasons’- successes pattern continues, expect the Titans to make a deep playoff run. Abt and his staff are knee-deep in the day-to-day managing of the program but aren’t above taking a step back and reflecting on how far they’ve come. “I think we’re on the verge of doing big things,” said Abt. “We’re at a point now where the seniors have spent all four years in the system. I’ve loved watching these kids grow as young men. Now I look at the incoming freshmen and I know that these seniors were just like them. Someday those freshmen will be the face of the program.” Players to Watch: 1. Luke Ashworth, Junior, QB: Ashworth won the starting quarterback job last year as a sophomore. His 2015 season totals include throwing for 1241 yards and 13 touchdowns. His standout game was a 41-35 week three win against Marana, where Five years ago, Lenny Abt was the offensive coordinator at Arcadia High School, preparing for the upcoming All games @ 7pm except Aug. 11 @ 6pm AUGUST 11 @ Apache Junction (SCRIMMAGE) AUGUST 19 HOME vs. Williams Field AUGUST 26 HOME vs. Verrado SEPTEMBER 2 @ Liberty SEPTEMBER 9 @ Sunnyslope SEPTEMBER 16 HOME vs. Raymond S. Kellis SEPTEMBER 23 @ Apollo SEPTEMBER 30 HOME vs. Paradise Valley OCTOBER 7 @ North Canyon OCTOBER 21 HOME vs. Notre Dame Prep OCTOBER 28 @ Chaparral 2016 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE reject the 2015

Page 49 September 2016 Our Riverview location is just 15 minutes from Arcadia Don’t lose their skills - swim once a week all fall and winter! Heated indoor pool & small class sizes FREE BABY SPLASH ages 8 wks - 5 mos LITTLE SNAPPERS ages 6 - 35 mos GROUP LESSONS ages 3 - 12 yrs HUBBARDSWIM.COM · 602.971.4044 SPLASH, PLAY & LEARN! Redefining Swim Lessons since 1998 Both Moore and Ryan are confident in their skills and abilities. Moore believes he excels in the mental side of the game, noting that he has improved his knowledge in reads and pre-snap. “I’m very accurate with the ball as well,” said Moore. “No matter what anyone says, I can make any throw I need to on the field.” Ryan believes his work in the offseason has helped him in the competition. “I’m confident in my ability to throw the ball,” said Ryan, who stands at 6 feet and weighs in at 185. “My running ability is a skill as well. And my mental side of the game has gotten a lot better. I’ve worked hard to improve that.” It will be a close call on the final decision for who will lead the Broncos this fall but Coach Molander doesn’t seem worried. “We’ll be fine with whoever wins the job,” said Molander. “Both of them have worked really hard in July and either one will be ready to lead the offense.” Players to Watch: 1. Matthew Kempton, Senior, TE: The 6-foot-4-inch, 200-pound Kempton was an all-state standout at the tight end position in 2015. He was one of the team’s most dynamic receivers, with 405 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Two of those touchdowns came in the Bronco’s 38-35 loss to Hamilton. 2. Noah Pittenger, Senior, WR: Few Brophy offensive weapons had the firepower of Pittenger in 2015. The star wide receiver finished the year with 1232 all-purpose yards and nine total touchdowns. He was a standout for special teams as well, totaling 400 return yards. Over a quarter of those came in the Desert Ridge game, when Pittenger totaled 101 returning yards and a touchdown. 3. George Rivera, Senior, NG, DT: Rivera anchors the front line for the Broncos defense. At 262 pounds, Rivera is a fearsome two-gap player who averaged 3.5 tackles per game as a junior in 2015. 4. Rex Tessler, Senior, LB: Tessler was unquestionably one of the best defensive players on the team in 2015. He recorded the second most individual and total tackles on the team and looks to fill the leadership role vacated by graduating senior Dante Diaz-Infante. VERITAS FALCONS At first glance, the results of the Veritas Fa lc on s’ 2015 football season look like a mistake. As if someone took down the scores wrong. The team did not win a single game and only came within 28 points of their opponent a single time. Their biggest loss was by 68 points. They lost their last five games by a combined score of 281 to 6. But none of this is a mistake. It’s the actual road that Veritas players had to fight though last fall. “It was pretty tough,” said Sebastian Bautista, a junior linebacker and captain for Veritas. “It was hard to take those losses, week after week.” Jim Ellison knew he was heading into a renovation job when he took Veritas head coaching position before the 2015 season. And this wasn’t the first time he’d been in such a situation, having helped turn programs around as offensive coordinator at Chaparral and then Pinnacle. “When I came in under Ron Estabrook in 1995, Chaparral had also just had an 0-10 season,” said Ellison. “Then after the success there, I went with Dana Zupke to Pinnacle to help turn that around. So I’ve seen this happen before.” But Ellison, who was formerly the head coach at Arcadia High School, admits that the Veritas job might be his toughest challenge yet. The Veritas team he took over in 2015 was as bare bones as it could be. “We only had three seniors and two of those had never played high school football,” said Ellison. “Offensively, we started eight players who had never played in high school before and had nine who hadn’t played before on defense.” Then there was the bear of a schedule that fate handed the Falcons. Of their 10 opponents, seven made it to the playoffs. Four of those teams made it to the final eight, with two making it all the way to the final four. Three opponents had such high enrollments that they were placed in a higher division for this coming season. And most teams had upperclassmen on the field, something Veritas lacked. “We didn’t have very many upperclassmen,” said Ellison. “So we decided to go with the youth and start getting these younger guys ready to play. So these younger guys were playing teams full of seniors. It made it tough at times.” On top of it all, players had to adjust to a new coaching staff. “We’ve got great coaches, but they were still a new staff to us,” said Bautista. “It’s always going to be tough to transition to a new system and coaches, even though it’s a great one.” As the losses piled up, Ellison worried about the effect that the blowout losses were beginning to have on the program. “There were times when you’d get concerned,” reflected Ellison. “We’d come off a loss and I’d think, ‘Oh my gosh, we’re going to lose these kids and their parents.’ But then on Monday, I’d pull into the parking lot and see our guys, waiting to get started on practice. These are some high character guys to continue to stick it out.” One testament to the determination of the Veritas players is that, despite never winning a game last season, every nongraduating player from 2015 has returned to play this fall. Despite the tough results, the team’s hope for the future remains undimmed. “All year we were looking forward to the future,” said Bautista. “We knew we were a young unit and that we were going to have to go through some hard times. It’s like, we were excited for every game last year but we were even more excited for [this] year.” The Falcons seem to have some good reasons for being positive about the upcoming year. One detriment to the team last season was the lack of a summer weight lifting program. Ellison hoped to change this and the team received a $30,000 grant to build a new weight room for all sports. This year’s football squad has been lifting since November and the results are already beginning to show. “Last season when we were hitting, it was easy for me,” noted Bautista, one of the few who had played football before last season. “But now at practice, I’m getting hit and I know it. I can feel the difference.” Ellison believes the team has other advantages as well, including a more favorable schedule, players having a year of real high school football under their belt, and better knowledge of the offensive and defensive schemes. But he says the biggest goal for this season is to change the expectations for Veritas football. “We don’t have a culture of winning yet,” said Ellison. “It’s not there yet and that’s what’s going to be built this year.” It doesn’t happen right away but Ellison has seen the change firsthand. He remembers walking into the locker room after a defeat in his early years as the Chaparral offensive coordinator and noticing his players sobbing in front of their lockers. Some would’ve seen the moment as a low point. Ellison knew differently. “That was when I knew something was changing,” Ellison remembered. “When I first came in, they expected to lose and were ambivalent about it. But now they were crying. The results started to mean something to the kids.” The culture of winning may not be quite where Ellison wants it to be, but as his team captain shows, it’s a far cry from where it was at the beginning of last year. “This year, we feel like one unit,” said Bautista. “We’re ready to start winning games and getting to the playoffs. The one thing we’ve talked about over and over is holding ourselves to a higher standard and becoming better than anything we thought we could be in the past. We’re excited to see what happens.” Players to Watch: 1. Sebastian Bautista, Junior, FB, LB: One of the unquestionable leaders for the Falcons, Bautista is an important player on both sides of the ball. He was voted captain unanimously by his teammates as a sophomore last season. Ellison noted that this was the first time he had a player so young voted a unanimous team captain. 2. Aneurin Minson, Senior, QB: Last year was Minson’s first year of playing quarterback in high school, let alone his first year under the new offensive system. Although he struggled at times, coaches say Minson has put in a huge amount of work in the offseason, including a strong performance in a summer passing league. Look for him to take a big step forward this fall. 3. Nick Ackerley, Senior, LT: Ackerley is the driving force for the Veritas offensive line. He spent last season at center but will move to left tackle this year, where he will become Minson’s number one protector. (All stats according to maxpreps.com) scores wrong. The team