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Desert League
Chaparral Cowboys
Coach: Don Willis (10-9 successful 3rd season)
2019 record: 6-4
Playoffs: None
Breakdown: The Cowboys conscionable missed the aged Class 4A playoffs successful 2019 and fig to beryllium a beardown contender to unafraid a postseason berth.
They person 30 players successful their varsity program, truthful wellness and uncovering ways to physique extent volition beryllium key. They are besides abbreviated connected acquisition with lone 1 returning starter connected discourtesy and defense. Quarterback Nelson Jimenez is backmost to pb the offense, portion linebacker Myson Dyess returns connected defense.
Chaparral was 4-2 successful 2019 against teams that are present successful 4A.
Cheyenne Desert Shields
Coach: Jared Bennett (first season)
2019 record: 9-2
Playoffs: Lost to Fernley successful the Class 3A authorities semifinals
Breakdown: Bennett has a hard enactment to travel aft Pat Ward led the Desert Shields to an 18-5 grounds successful 2 seasons.
Cheyenne steps up to 4A with 14 seniors and astir 32 players wide successful the varsity program. Bennett said helium would similar for players to play lone connected discourtesy oregon defense, but immoderate volition play some ways retired of necessity.
Vincent Carlton volition pb some lines, and Zakhi Wilson volition play moving backmost and linebacker. Anthony Egnor volition besides get chances to transportation the shot astatine moving backmost retired of Cheyenne’s powerfulness spread. Bennett said the defence volition amusement aggregate looks.
Cimarron-Memorial Spartans
Coach: Shane Kanie (4-6 successful 2nd season)
2019 record: 4-6
Playoffs: None
Breakdown: The Spartans person 40 players connected their varsity roster, and they look to person strengths astatine wide receiver and successful the beforehand 7 connected defense.
Wide receivers Arnold Andersen and Andrew Overland pb the wide receiving corps, and Jacob Taylor is expected to assistance the discourtesy astatine choky end.
Seniors Cody Kimball and Jayden Johnson anchor the antiaircraft line, portion inferior Eugene Davis and elder Jayden Stevens volition supply enactment astatine linebacker. The Spartans volition payment from getting distant from their aged 4A Northwest League foes, but reaching the playoffs volition beryllium a challenge.
Desert Oasis Diamondbacks
Coach: Brant Smith (first season)
2019 record: 5-5
Playoffs: None
Breakdown: The Diamondbacks person 50 players connected varsity and person 4A’s premier returning backmost successful Tyler Stott.
The elder threw for 2,300 yards and 23 touchdowns successful 2019 and led Desert Oasis wrong an eyelash of the playoffs. A 49-48 nonaccomplishment to Clark successful the second-to-last week of the play kept the Diamondbacks out.
Stott should person plentifulness of assistance astatine the accomplishment positions from inferior wide receivers Elijah Darwin and Zion Gonsalves and elder moving backmost Isaiah Flasher. Seniors John Holland and Peter Holland are the apical players connected the antiaircraft line, portion seniors Anthony Ponesa and Vonn Rivera pb the secondary.
Silverado Skyhawks
Coach: Andy Ostalaza (53-44 entering 12th season)
2019 record: 7-3
Playoffs: Lost to Foothill successful the 4A Desert Region archetypal round
Breakdown: The Skyhawks are expected to beryllium 1 of the favorites successful the caller 4A aft finishing 2nd successful the aged 4A’s Southwest League down Bishop Gorman.
John Agounke should beryllium the focal constituent of the Silverado I-formation offense. He had 267 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns successful 2019. Brandon Tunnell started astatine backmost arsenic a freshman, and helium volition person his duplicate brother, Bryson, backmost arsenic a superior receiver.
The Skyhawks should beryllium of the bigger teams successful the trenches successful 4A, with 12 players connected their roster listed astatine 250 pounds oregon more, including 4 300-pounders.
Sunrise Mountain Miners
Coach: Joshua Bennett (3-6 entering 2nd season)
2019 record: 3-6
Playoffs: None
Breakdown: The Miners determination up to 4A aft playing successful 3A since the schoolhouse opened successful 2009 and person 30 players connected the varsity roster.
They volition beryllium unusually young, with lone 4 seniors. One returning player, choky end/linebacker Jonathan Juniel, volition led the team, arsenic volition backmost Tyler Shea, moving back/linebacker Malik Jones and wide receiver/safety Marell Finks.
Bennett said helium expects the team’s occurrence to hinge connected a large violative enactment that should beryllium capable to “apply unit and tally the ball.”
Mountain League
Basic Wolves
Coach: Jeff Cahill (73-60 entering 14th season)
2019 record: 2-8
Playoffs: None
Breakdown: The Wolves won’t person a subordinate connected their roster who has varsity acquisition disposable to commencement the season.
That makes it hard for Cahill to cognize for definite what helium has connected his 34-player team, but helium expects caller leaders to emerge. He said elder backmost Damian Gramajo should beryllium 1 of the champion successful 4A, and Gramajo has prime receivers successful inferior Marcellus Moore and elder Daishaun Fletcher.
Basic’s spot connected defence volition beryllium up the middle, wherever inferior chemoreceptor tackle Damingo Cleveland and 4 wrong linebackers who Cahill said volition rotate astir reside.
Basic hopes to recapture the signifier erstwhile it was 18-6 combined successful 2015 and 2016. The Wolves are 9-22 since.
Clark Chargers
Coach: Deumaine Reeder (first season)
2019 record: 6-5
Playoffs: Lost to Liberty successful the Desert Region archetypal round
Breakdown: The Chargers made a melodramatic turnaround successful 2019, winning 5 much games than successful 2018 and reaching the playoffs contempt practicing connected the school’s softball tract aft its turf tract was deemed unplayable.
Reeder takes implicit a squad that returns immoderate cardinal standouts. They are led by moving back/safety D’On Williams, who had 79 tackles and six interceptions, linebacker Reyes Reynaga, who recorded 154 tackles and 3 sacks, and halfway Weston Petty.
Reeder said helium thinks the programme inactive has momentum contempt losing the 2020 play and has adopted a “FINAO (failure is not an option) mentality” that is bringing the squad together.
Del Sol Dragons
Coach: Clint DuBose (first season)
2019 record: 4-6
Playoffs: Lost to Boulder City successful 3A Southern League quarterfinals
Breakdown: The Dragons measurement up to 4A with a caller manager and beauteous overmuch a caller roster. Only 1 subordinate with varsity acquisition returns.
Del Sol has 44 players connected its roster, and DuBose said it has “a small spot of everything, with immoderate velocity astatine accomplishment and immoderate size successful the line.”
The Dragons volition trust heavy connected six sophomores who volition commencement connected discourtesy oregon defense. One of them is backmost Austin Morville. Their apical seniors are expected to beryllium wide receiver Vonta Holloway, choky end/defensive extremity Chaz Burse, antiaircraft extremity Tucker Allen and linebacker Nich Hernandez.
Durango Trailblazers
Coach: Toby Henry (9-13 successful 3rd season)
2019 record: 4-7
Playoffs: Lost to Green Valley successful 4A Desert Region archetypal round
Breakdown: The Trailblazers person 30 players connected their roster, including 5 missive winners.
Senior Jaxson Young is Durango’s apical returning violative weapon. He had 266 yards and 4 touchdowns receiving successful 2019 and added 330 yards arsenic a kickoff and punt returner. He astir apt volition besides commencement astatine antiaircraft back. Junior Maverik Cormier takes implicit astatine quarterback.
Senior Cole Marquez had 46 tackles from his linebacker spot successful 2019 and should pb the defense.
Las Vegas Wildcats
Coach: Erick Capetillo (15-16 entering 4th season)
2019 record: 9-2
Playoffs: Lost to Palo Verde successful Mountain Region archetypal round
Breakdown: If there’s immoderate squad successful 4A with a close to accidental “what mightiness person been” astir losing the 2020 season, it’s the Wildcats.
Las Vegas had momentum aft winning six much games successful 2019 than successful 2018 and figured to beryllium 1 of the favorites for the 4A crown.
But the Wildcats person elder gathering blocks backmost from that team, particularly connected defense. Defensive backmost Bryan Inmon had 4 interceptions, linebacker Rob Flanagan had 49 tackles and 7.5 sacks and hybrid antiaircraft extremity and linebacker Seth Thomsen had 10 tackles and 4 sacks.
Senior violative lineman Alejandro Barraza Ponce de Leon is the apical subordinate connected offense. The Wildcats volition situation themselves against 3 5A teams successful nonleague play.
Sky League
Bonanza Bengals
Coach: Keith Jones (1-9 entering 2nd season)
2019 record: 1-9
Playoffs: None
Breakdown: The Bengals volition person 30-35 players connected varsity, 3 of whom with acquisition successful inferior moving back/defensive extremity Jacob Ahmooksang, violative and antiaircraft lineman Edward Jackson and slot receiver/defensive backmost Sammuel Ferreira.
Running back/defensive extremity Clarence Currin, wide receiver/defensive backmost Broderick Wiggins, quarterback/defensive backmost Vegas Bautista and center/defensive lineman Phillip Silva besides volition beryllium two-way starters.
Jones said astir of his violative linemen played unneurotic connected inferior varsity and person formed a “nice transportation up front.” He called antiaircraft coordinator Stanley Davis 1 of the champion coaches successful the vale and thinks helium volition marque an inexperienced radical competitive.
Coronado Cougars
Coach: Fred Biletnikoff Jr. (5-6 entering 2nd season)
2019 record: 5-6
Playoffs: Lost to Bishop Gorman successful 4A Desert League archetypal round
Breakdown: The Cougars person an uncommon fig of players successful the 4A ranks with 62 connected the roster. Biletnikoff said that’s astir treble what they had successful 2018.
Defensive extremity Ike Nnakenyi is the Cougars’ apical defender, and helium has assistance offers from 3 Mountain West schools. Collin Mosteller was brought up precocious successful his freshman play successful 2019 and volition clasp down the different antiaircraft extremity spot, and mediate linebacker Ryan Hardin is simply a sophomore who Biletnikoff said would person started arsenic a freshman.
Chris Avila ran for a team-high 448 yards and 5 touchdowns arsenic a sophomore successful 2019, and receivers Isaiah Botley and Brady Kennedy pb a beardown corps. The Cougars are looking to travel unneurotic successful the violative enactment and secondary.
Mojave Rattlers
Coach: Wes Pacheco (first season)
2019 record: 1-9
Playoffs: None
Breakdown: The Rattlers person gone 5-16 successful 2 seasons since moving up to 4A aft a 10-3 grounds and 3A authorities runner-up decorativeness successful 2017.
Mojave volition look to get its discourtesy started aft being unopen retired 5 times and scoring six points successful 3 different games. The Rattlers’ lone triumph successful 2019 came erstwhile Canyon Springs was forced to forfeit each its wins for utilizing an ineligible player.
Shadow Ridge Mustangs
Coach: Travis Foster (19-28 entering sixth season)
2019 record: 3-6
Playoffs: None
Breakdown: The Mustangs missed the playoffs successful 2019 aft a one-point nonaccomplishment to Palo Verde and 24-21 nonaccomplishment to eventual 4A authorities runner-up Centennial. Both of those teams, on with erstwhile Northwest League foes Arbor View and Faith Lutheran, are successful 5A.
Shadow Ridge volition look to proceed its carnal ways with a flexbone discourtesy led by inferior moving backmost JaQuieze Holland and elder slotback Dylan Wood. They springiness sophomore backmost Coen Coloma prime options to assistance instrumentality unit disconnected him.
The defence has 3 seniors successful linebackers Roy Mokiao and Devon Woods and information Zane Hernandez who volition beryllium its leaders.
Sierra Vista Mountain Lions
Coach: Roy Goodell (first season)
2019 record: 0-10
Playoffs: None
Breakdown: Goodell has a rebuilding occupation connected his hands, but helium has 26 seniors retired of astir 45 players connected the roster to assistance him get started.
Malachi Greene is the lone Mountain Lion with varsity experience, and helium volition determination from cornerback to slot receiver. Twin brothers Sean and Dylan Torre volition antheral the antiaircraft extremity spots, portion Lawrence Vigil volition beryllium a two-way starter connected the violative and antiaircraft lines.
Goodell said Sierra Vista volition beryllium aggregate connected some sides of the ball. On offense, that means everything from treble helping to dispersed with 5 wide receivers. On defense, it could enactment up successful a 5-3, 4-4 oregon 3-5 depending connected its opponent.
Spring Valley Grizzlies
Coach: Marcus Teal (38-56 entering 11th season)
2019 record: 2-6
Playoffs: None
Breakdown: The Grizzlies person astir 45 players connected the varsity roster, 5 of whom person played connected Friday nights.
Wide receiver/cornerback Jalen Humphrey is their apical returning accomplishment player, and they besides person acquisition successful the lines successful near tackle/defensive extremity Kelze Howard and center/middle linebacker Carlos Reza. Running back/outside linebacker Greg Staron and wide receiver/cornerback Kaleb Moore besides volition beryllium two-way starters.
Contact Jason Orts astatine jorts@reviewjournal.com. Follow @SportsWithOrts connected Twitter.
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