As part of the 2016 Arizona high school football Season Preview Series, I'm releasing my preseason regional picks, position award watch lists and more. Feel free to use this as bulletin board material, or proof you're being overlooked, 'slept on,' or whatever else makes you stick around to do a couple extra reps and get better. Being proven wrong doesn't hurt my feelings.
Any quarterback not listed is still eligible to take the state by storm and win the award. The watch list is set up based on prior varsity performance. Someone new coming along and passing these players up would not only make them eligible for this award, but might set them up nicely for Breakout Player of the Year, as well as Offensive Player of the Year.
6A
Ryan Kelley (Basha)
Austin Nuessle (Desert Mountain)
Roberto Baeza (Mesa)
Jorge Flores (Tuscon)
Elijah Lorence (Mountain Ridge)
TJ Duarte (Skyline)
CJ Fowler (Desert Ridge)
Jack Plummer (Gilbert)
Spencer Rattler (Pinnacle)
5A
Isaiah Ellis (Goldwater)
Jack Warner (Lake Havasu)
Grayson Barry (Chaparral)
Tehran Thomas (Desert Edge)
Cole Gerken (Ironwood Ridge)
Connor Leavens (Marana)
4A
Naz Greer (Marcos de Niza)
Mason Crossland (Higley)
Chase Cord (Sunrise Mountain)*
Brock Hall (Casa Grande)
Darion Spottsville (Shadow Mountain)
Rhett Rodriguez (Catalina Foothills)
Jay Vanderjagt (Coronado)
Gunner Bundrick (Bradshaw Mountain)
*previously won award in 2015
3A
Rhett Ricedorff (Show Low)
Ryan Economou (River Valley)
Drew Dixon (Sabino)
Jared Wood (Florence)
Alijah Gammage (Valley Christian)
Dallin Edwards (American Leadership)
2A
Kyron Woolf (Round Valley)
Dawson Barber (Red Rock)
Chris Davis (Tonopah Valley)
Isaah Wy-Panana (Hopi)
Payton Sarkesian (Camp Verde)
Zaberlal Saenz (Miami)