“It’s strange," Chaparral football coach Brent Barnes said of the 2020 high school football season. The sentiment rings true for the Firebirds especially.
Chaparral missed its first three scheduled games in an already-shortened season due to COVID-19 protocol, went just 2-2 to start and barely got into the 6A playoffs - which shrank from a 16-team field to just eight - as a dominant victory over Pinnacle pushed its record to 3-2 to end the regular season.
Just over two weeks later, following a 31-14 victory over Sandra Day O'Connor, the Firebirds are set to face Highland in the 6A championship game on Saturday.
What looked like a lost, disappointing campaign has turned into the Firebirds' best postseason run and first championship game appearance since a runner-up finish in 2011.
“We didn’t even know if we’d get here, so it just feels great that all this hard work’s paying off for us right now," said junior quarterback Brayten Silbor.
Silbor leads an offense that has clicked all season long. He leads a potent passing attack, throwing for four touchdowns - three to senior wide receiver Max Minor - in the 6A semifinal game. A large offensive line and solid running backs make for a balanced, skillful unit.
But it has been the improvement of Chaparral's defense that has spurred the Firebirds to recent success. The 14 points allowed in the semifinal, a number that would elicit pride in any important game,were the most allowed by the Firebirds in three victories. They allowed scores of 10 and 8 against Pinnacle and Queen Creek, respectively.
Having taken their lumps in a pair of losses to high-powered Liberty and Centennial in the regular season, Chaparral made some adjustments and is making impactful plays.
“These last two weeks we’ve really come together as a defense. We’ve gotten beat a couple times, but we saw what we needed to do when we had to play Liberty and Centennial’s really good running backs and running teams. We feel like we’re flying around and making it happen," said senior defensive back Jack Whitten.
The majority of Chaparral's core is healthy, as opposed to previous years in which several of the Firebirds' star players battled nagging injuries. Even senior running back Jared Williams, who missed the semifinal round, should be ready to tote the ball in the title game.
And while the Firebirds had to miss games early-on due to COVID-19, the rest allowed them to heal any ailments to start the year. Playing in just its eighth game of 2020, Chaparral will need to utilize their fresh bodies and spirits heading into a contest against Highland that has proven as physical as any in Arizona.
To say the players, Max Minor specifically, are confident would be an understatement.
“We’re going to win it all," he said, "that’s what’s going down.”
The 6A State Championship between No. 7 Chaparral and No. 4 Highland is set to kick off on December 12, 12 p.m., at Desert Vista High School.
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