5 biggest storylines in the Saguaro-Chandler high school football showdown
This is not only the Game of the Week, but maybe the Game of the Year.
No. 4-ranked (by The Arizona Republic) Scottsdale Saguaro at No. 1 Chandler, the rematch of the Open Division championship game, won by Saguaro 20-15.
There is so much intrigue and so much to build up before we get to Friday night, when an overflow crowd is expected at Austin Field.
Here here are the five biggest storylines to follow:
1. The national scope
This is huge not only in Arizona but in the country. This is the first of back-to-back tough weeks for Saguaro (2-1), which takes on Peoria Liberty (3-0) next week. A split would be considered great for Saguaro. A sweep would show the Cats are the top dog in Arizona the rest of the way. But Saguaro can't even look ahead for a second. The schedule is daunting and the weekly tasks are hard.
For Chandler (3-0), ranked No. 11 nationally by USA Today, this is a chance to show why it is the top dog in Arizona and worthy of a top-10 national ranking. The Wolves have a chance to make some separation with a dominant performance. But that's going to be hard with Saguaro so much better now than it was three weeks ago when it opened with a 28-7 home loss to No. 7 nationally ranked Bergen Catholic of New Jersey.
2. The quarterbacks
With senior Devon Dampier at quarterback, anything is possible for Saguaro. He was there last year in the Open final, when he beat the Wolves with his arm and legs in a stunning victory that rocked the state and was Dampier's coming out as the state's premier 2023 quarterback. But then came along quarterback Dylan Raiola out of Texas, moving to Chandler and now dialing it up for the Wolves and their improved run game with their lineman growing and maturing and getting back to playing nasty in the trenches like they did during their five-year run of state titles. Dampier can make plays on his own. He has 600 passing yards and 300 rushing yards in Saguaro's 2-1 start. Raiola, a junior, who has completed 70% of his passes, hasn't really broken out big yet. He has five TD passes in three games. But he hasn't had to with the Wolves crushing teams. These are the top two QBs in Arizona in their respective classes.
3. The line play
This is where Chandler has improved the most since last season when it lost its grip as the state's best to not only Saguaro in the final but to Chandler Hamilton in the final regular-season game. With Dominic Raiola (Dylan's dad) helping Leonard Davis coach the offensive line, and the maturity of Mateo Rodriguez, Jason Holloway, Andrew Dudley, Matthew Bass, Lashown Ealim and Zarius Wells, it has opened up the run lanes for junior tailback Ca'lil Valentine, who ran for 213 yards and four TDs in last week's 35-0 win at Scottsdale Notre Dame Prep. With the line clicking on all cylinders, that doesn't put all the burden on Raiola's arm, because Saguaro's defense has to account for the run.
Saguaro had to replace four of five offensive linemen from last year's team. That was the biggest question coming into this year. But experience comes fast after you play a team with defensive linemen the size of Bergen's front. The line showed major improvement last week when the Sabercats beat a good Sandra Day O'Connor team, 47-3.
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4. Sophomores popping out
Chandler likes to keep its backs fresh by rotating them. Valentine has been the man, averaging 10 yards a carry and scoring eight TDs while racking up 499 rushing yards. But keep an eye on sophomore tailback Xavier Valdivia, who has run for 112 yards on 14 carries. Saguaro sophomore Dajon Hinton has caught only four passes, but he's averaging 28.8 yards. He started to break out last week with two catches for 95 yards against O'Connor. With big, physical wide receiver Deric English back this week for Saguaro, this will be the most dangerous duo that Chandler has dealt with so far this season.
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5. The atmosphere
This will be second to none in Arizona. Fans should probably come at least an hour early. The crowd is going to be insane. The sideline will likely be filled with college coaches. Expect to see former Chandler coach Shaun Aguano, named the interim head coach for the rest of this season at Arizona State, to be there with the Sun Devils at home on Saturday. And Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham, whose team plays the Devils. This could be a classic, coming down to the final minute. And a chance to make a claim at who is the best in Arizona.
To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on Twitter @azc_obert.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 5 biggest storylines in the Saguaro-Chandler football showdown
