Welcome to "Beasts of the Week," from ArizonaVarsity.com where we work together to highlight some of the biggest and best high school football performances in the state each week.
@RalphAmsden's Beasts of the Week
Offense: Jordan Richardson (Moon Valley)
In what was probably the biggest upset of the week, Moon Valley's Jordan Richardson caught 2 TD passes, returned an interception for another TD, and had a fumble recovery in a 34-30 win over Glendale.
Defense: Justin Holmes (Cactus)
Justin Holmes had four tackles or a loss, a sack, caused a fumble, and blocked a punt in Cactus' dominant win over Greenway.
Honorable Mentions:
Caden Calloway (Campo Verde)
200+ yard rushing in Campo Verde's 27-12 win over Notre Dame .
Amari Gilmore (Poston Butte)
Two interceptions in Poston Butte's win over Apache Junction.
@ENewmanWrites' Beasts of the Week
Offense: Jeryll McIntosh (Desert Edge)
279 rushing yards and 2 TDs in the Scorpions' 41-7 victory over Ironwood. The Eagles had no answer for the junior, and the Carter brothers elected to simply keep handing him the ball
Defense: Jaheim Wilson-Jones (Gila Ridge)
2 interceptions and a tackle for loss in the Hawks' 41-6 victory over Cibola (I thought the Raiders would go undefeated, so this was a surprise). He also had 146 receiving yards and three TDs on offense.
Honorable mention: Hunter Ogle (Santa Cruz)
Despite losing 35-14 to Casa Grande, Hunter Ogle of Santa Cruz Valley (2A) had nearly 140 rushing yards and 2 scores against one of 4A's top squads.
@ZachAlvira's Beasts of the Week:
Offense: Jared Williams (Chaparral)
About time we got to see Jared Williams be unleashed this season. The senior rushed 12 times for 169 yards and two touchdowns in Chaparral's delayed season opener against Brophy.
Defense: Malaki Ta'ase (Mountain View)
I nominated him earlier this season and I felt obligated to do it once again after he recorded four sacks against Desert Vista on Friday. Ta'ase is a major part of Mountain View's success this season, with the Toros rolling at 4-0.
Honorable Mention: Cole Martin (Hamilton)
Martin flipped the field twice on punt returns for Hamilton against Saguaro, which led to 10 points and eventually the win for the Huskies.
@Andrew_Luberda's Beasts of the Week
Offense: Matthew Cruz (Superior)
The Panthers clinched a sixth-straight region championship, all with he or his brother Gage (Class of '18) at quarterback. Last Friday, Matthew completed seven passes, five for touchdowns, including three of 99, 96, and 79 yards. He finished the game, which for him was halftime, with 393 passing yards.
Defense: Trey Reynolds (Queen Creek)
The Utah commit added 11 more tackles last Friday against Liberty and now ranks second in the state in total tackles with 62, an average of more than 15 per game.
Honorable Mention: Kaiden McCarty (Eastmark)
McCarty had six receptions for 57 yards and touchdown on Friday, which was only the Firebirds' second TD of the season. His first-quarter score gave Eastmark the lead in a game for the first time this season.
@CodyTCameron's Beasts of the Week
Offense: Richard Stallworth (Yuma Catholic)
Stallworth put up video game numbers in Yuma Catholic's 54-21 victory over Dysart last week. The Sophomore phenom completed 32 of his 40 pass attempts for 559 yards and 5 touchdowns. Stallworth has 20 total touchdowns in only four games played this season
Defense: Aaron Wolfcase-Holsten (Williams Field)
Wolfcase-Holsten had a remarkable performance In one of the biggest upsets of the night. In Williams Field's big 31-28 victory over Casteel, The Senior DE finished with 8 total tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks.
Honorable Mention: Micah Ferrin (ALA- Queen Creek)
Ferrin has made a living in the opposing backfield this season, already racking up 15 tackles for loss on the year. In ALA Queen Creek's big 59-28 victory over Marcos De Niza on Friday, Ferrin totaled up 7 tackles and another 4 tackles for loss on the night.
More Nominations
"I will go with Caden Calloway from Campo Verde and Malaki Ta'ase from Mesa Mountain View. I've seen both players do well earlier this season, but they both followed it up with big-time performances this week. Leaders gonna lead." - Jason Skoda
"ALA- Gilbert North QB Jack Ricedorff (28-37 375 yards and 2 TD's against Thatcher) Thatcher RB Mark Wren (13 carries 117 yards and 2 TDs vs ALA-GN). Wren had been the starting QB for the last 1.5 years but moved to RB due to injuries. His first ever game at RB." -Lee Patterson
