On Friday, 9/2 I drove out to Casa Grande to watch the Cougars play host to Sunrise Mountain. It was my first time seeing either team in person, and after watching the Mustangs defeat Casa Grande 34-28, I'm convinced this could be an eventual 4A playoff rematch.

5) Casa Grande WR Cameron Gardner, 5-10, 160 (2018)

Hall looks as comfortable throwing to Gardener as he does throwing to Russell. In my personal opinion, the refs blew a late first half call that would have given Gardner three touchdown receptions on the day, but I'm just a reporter. How am I supposed to know if falling into the end zone with the ball in your hands deserves to count for points or not?

4) Sunrise Mountain WR Jay Anderson, 5-11, 170 (2018)

My first thought when I saw Anderson was "Is that Kyeler Burke?" After watching him play, I was starting to wonder if we've made advancements in the science of cloning. Anderson is an offensive swiss army knife, makes great cuts wth the ball in his hands, and takes long strides in the open field. This is a kid I could definitely see getting some recruiting attention if he continues to progress.

3) Casa Grande WR Trevor Russell, 5-10, 170 (2017)

Two touchdown receptions in the first half, but played largely a decoy role in the second half due to an ankle injury.

2) Casa Grande QB Brock Hall, 6-4, 205 (2017)

If people have told you Brock Hall is Arizona's best-kept secret at QB, they're right. If you haven't been told that, let me be the first to tell you. I agree with Casa Grande head coach Jake Barro in his assessment that not having a closer proximity to the metropolitan area has kept Hall from potentially getting his first FBS offer, but I have a feeling that if he continues to put great film together, in conjunction with his size, he might not have to wait too much longer.

1) Sunrise Mountain QB Chase Cord, 6-4, 205 (2017)

Here's what Cord looked like once he started to get comfortable behind center.

Cord threw two touchdowns and ran for another in the second half of Sunrise Mountain's comeback win.

5) Sunrise Mountain DB Bo Addicott, 5-9, 165 (2017)

4) Casa Grande DL James Dodd, 6-2, 210 (2017)

Dodd seemed to me to be Casa Grande's most adept pass rusher. Any QB less mobile than Chase Cord is going to have a hard time avoiding Dodd's rush (not that Cord's time was easy, either).

3) Casa Grande LB Courtney Johnson, 6-2, 178 (2017)

This was my first time seeing Johnson up close, and he's active. He disguises his blitz well, and shoots the gaps with decent speed. If the Cougars make some noise this year, I think they'll owe much of that success to Johnson's defensive playmaking ability.

2) Sunrise Mountain DL/LB Gavin Chaddock, 6-2, 210 (2017)

Chaddock was a heat-seeking missile against Casa Grande. Brock Hall had decent protection, but Chaddock still managed to get in his face all night.

1) Casa Grande DB Trevor Russell, 5-10, 170 (2017)

I don't expect students to drive over 70 miles for a week 2 game against a team they may not realize would be a worthy opponent, so I wasn't to surprised to see that only about 20 Mustang students made the trek. It also explains why the Mustangs were in a hurry to get off the field, as Coach Decker declined media in favor of having the kids march off the field two-by-two and straight into the locker room. Would have been great to talk to some of the winning players who deserved plenty of attention- hopefully next time.

Casa Grande had full stands, and the crowd seemed into the game despite not ever knowing what the score was unless they were seated next to someone who was playing close attention (The scoreboard wasn't working). One thing I saw that made me chuckle was quite a few Golden State Warriors jerseys- a sneaky way to represent both your school colors, as well as the trendiest NBA team in the land.

For Casa Grande, the good was the resiliency of the team. Despite Sunrise Mountain scoring on the third play of the game, and despite several minor injuries to key players, and despite falling down by two scores in the fourth quarter, the team never quit, and ended up only losing by a touchdown.

For Sunrise Mountain, QB Chase Cord's increasing comfort as the game wore on was a major plus. Once he realized that he could absorb a hit and his knee was going to hold up, he started to play effectively on the run- and when Cord throws on the move, he's nearly impossible to contain.

Not having a working scoreboard makes the game a giant hassle to try and cover.

QB Brock Hall took a big hit in the second quarter, and was on the field, lying on his back for a few minutes while trainers tended to him. Sunrise Mountain players were excited about the play, but typical football decorum would dictate using that time to take a knee while receiving instruction and waiting to make sure your opponent is alright. The Mustang players and coaches had a tough time containing their excitement, and while the opposing QB lay on the ground, the team was loud, boisterous, and moving all over the sideline firing each other up. It seemed to irk the opposing staff, and I definitely wasn't a fan of it. It's one of those situations that can easily be misconstrued as celebrating an injury, enve though they were celebrating a sack and a change of momentum.

"That was a good football team we just saw out there. You have no reason to hang your head. This is week 2." -Casa Grande head coach Jake Barro to his team after the loss

Sunrise Mountain RB Drake Flores. He's a sophomore, and when the game was on the line and the Mustangs needed to run out the clock, the 5-7, 135-pound back lowered his shoulder and bulldozed defenders until the job was done.

Also, Chase Cord seemed to develop a strong connection with senior WR Trace Hay in the second half. Hay has good hands, runs solid routes, and is shifty with the ball in his hands. This could be a winning combination as the season wears on.

Last- if Casa Grande wants to have sustained success, they'll need a healthy Trevor Russell. His nagging ankle issues could mean that Hall has to look to develop another weapon on the outside.

Casa Grande will host Dysart, which is 3-0 in back-to-back seasons for the first time... ever.

Sunrise Mountain plays at 5A Liberty.