Behind QB Demond Williams Jr., Chandler Basha football ready to take next step as an elite program

With Demond Williams Jr., leading Chandler Basha to the 40-team Gotta Believe 7-on-7 championship at Mesa High last Saturday, the Bears feel they're ready to take the next step in being an elite football program.

They also won the Big Man competition, showing they've got more than skill position guys who can fly all over the field.

"It's just time to really read the defense, dissect them throughout the drive," Williams said of the 7-on-7 passing competition.

Williams, a junior, is ranked No. 2 behind Chandler junior Dylan Raiola in The Arizona Republic's Top 10 quarterbacks for the 2022 season. A starter since his freshman year, his ability to read defenses is as good as anybody in the state.

In 7 on 7s, there is no rushing, so that part of Williams' game was left out. He's maybe the best in Arizona as far as taking off with the ball to make big plays.

Basha won despite missing cornerback Cole Martin, cornerback Jeremy Vessel, Athlete Miles Lockhart and wide receiver Mason Arhin. Linebacker Wyatt Milkovic and linebacker/fullback Jackson Browning also were out.

It gave others to stand out and show the depth of the talent on Basha's team.

Jamison Stamps, Vince Lenzy and D.J. Jaiman got their chance to show they can make plays in the secondary. Returning starting free safety Tommy Prassas had an outstanding tournament. Patrick Green played well at linebacker.

Wide receiver Bryson Dedmon stood out catching Williams' passes, along with Dorae Scott, Deshaun Buchanan, T.J. Pennington, Corey Chisley and Kelby Real Bird.

"Great day with a lot of our young guys showing they can compete," coach Chris McDonald said.

Basha had its first 10-0 regular season in 2021, but lost in the first round of the eight-team Open to Peoria Liberty 38-20.

McDonald made sure he added more meat to the '22 schedule, including games against Los Alamitos (California), Tucson Salpointe Catholic, Liberty, Chandler Hamilton and Chandler.

"I feel like we've got a lot of depth and we can come out and make plays," Williams said. "We're ready to take it to the next level."

Chandler and Saguaro were missing from the Gotta Believe tournament but they'll be competing this week in the Arizona State 7-on-7 tournament. On Thursday, it will mark the first in-state competition against other schools for Chandler's Raiola since he moved from Texas at the end of December.

Raiola is the No. 1 ranked prospect in the country in the 2024 class by On3.com.

Hamilton's offense will be led by Roch Cholowsky, who didn't compete in the Gotta Believe, because he was in Prescott for a club baseball tournament. Cholowsky, coming off a state championship in baseball, is one of the top shortstops in the nation. He has committed to UCLA for baseball.

But Hamilton showed the size of its quarterback room. Beckham Pellant alternated with two other quarterbacks in the Mesa tournament.

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Cholowsky is expected to follow Arizona high school football Player of the Year Nicco Marchiol, who is now at West Virginia.

Hamilton senior-to-be Tre' Spivey, 6-foot-4, 190 pounds, showed why he is among the top wide receivers in the state. His recruiting has picked up in the spring with Power 5 offers.

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"There are things I can still improve on, but spring went really well," said Spivey, whose father Junior Spivey is a former baseball player for the Arizona Diamondbacks. "We have faith in Roch. That's our guy. But I feel like our other QBs, as well, are really strong. No matter what, we're happy we're still going to be strong with our QBs."

In the Cesar Chavez tournament in Laveen on Saturday night, Phoenix Sandra Day O'Connor won the 7-on-7 competition, using three quarterbacks. They beat Phoenix Central, led by Dominik Bagchi, in the final.

"Still looking for someone to win the job," coach Brian Cole said. "Of the three, Cooper King had the best day. Made good decisions and threw the ball well."

Read more: The Republic's high school football 2022 position rankings: Top 10 running backs

Tight end Ryan Davis showed why his recruiting has ramped up in recent weeks. Nobody could defend him, especially in the red zone.

"Caught everything thrown his way," Cole said.

Cole said that wide receiver Ben Currence also had "a monster day."

O'Connor allowed only four touchdowns the entire tournament, Cole said.

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: Basha football ready to take next step as an elite program