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Chilly Bowl Countdown: Lions' Leverage leaving 'little legacy'

There was a range of emotions throughout the course of the 2020 regular season for Mountain Ridge football. It seemed for a few moments after a loss in the Mountain Lions' season finale on Nov. 20 that the roller coaster of feelings, and high school football careers of the seniors, had come to a halt.

The players were surprised shortly thereafter with news of one more game, an exhibition battle at Higley High on Dec. 3 in what the team at Arizona Varsity has dubbed the "Chilly Bowl." The game in Gilbert serves as one more chance for the class of 2021 to mentor the younger players looking to step up into bigger roles in 2021.

That rings especially true for the Mountain Lion defense, which graduates a majority of the starting unit from this season.

Senior linebacker Deryk Leverage, who made a team-high 56 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss in eight games, is one of many graduating players on that side of the ball who not has taken Thursday's contest as a challenge to help propel his underclassman teammates. Bue he and the other seniors can also use the final game to make one more positive statement to put a stamp on their time at Mountain Ridge. They can also add a bit of impressive film for college recruiting against a tough opponent.

"A lot of the seniors are trying to leave a little legacy," Leverage said.

“We’ve bought in to the idea of getting these sophomores and juniors ready for the next season, and just having fun playing one more game.”


“We’ve bought in to the idea of getting these sophomores and juniors ready for the next season, and just having fun playing one more game," Mountain Ridge senior linebacker Deryk Leverage said.
“We’ve bought in to the idea of getting these sophomores and juniors ready for the next season, and just having fun playing one more game," Mountain Ridge senior linebacker Deryk Leverage said. (Eric Newman)

He said the team's collective reaction to another game in what coach Doug Madoski called a "frustrating" season was met with some skepticism at first, especially from his graduating class. The Mountain Lions lost three consecutive games to end 2020's campaign, finishing with a 3-5 overall record and far from the postseason. There were a few players who simply wanted to quit. Leverage even said a small number of players chose to quit rather than stick around for more football.

"We're not focusing on them though," he said. "It's about who's here right now."

Challenged with the idea that the seniors can still leave a positive legacy, especially with a win on Thursday, they have come to enjoy the season's extension, despite some bitterness from the losses they suffered recently.

Two years before, following an 0-10 2018 campaign, the Mountain Lions might have been happy with a three-win record. However, after a 5-5 regular season in 2019 and a playoff berth, it seemed like Mountain Ridge was on a fast track to greatness. Though they took a step back, there is still much to be hopeful for in the team's overall development.

Jeffrey Toloa Jr., a junior defensive lineman, said after a 63-22 beatdown of Valley Vista in the regular season that Mountain Ridge is still improving incrementally. He and the other returning defensive players will attempt to take what Leverage and the senior defensive players did and add to it, just like the seniors before them.

“We’re trying to change the mentality of how the football program is. The history, you already know about that. Last year was a great turning point, and now we’re trying to take steps to get to that next level," Toloa said.

There are limited walkthroughs and practices remaining on the schedule. For the defense, slowing down senior quarterback Kai Millner, a California-Berkeley commit, will be one of the main objectives in their preparation.

Leverage said the challenge of competing against a great player drives some of the competitive juice he still has left over. Most importantly he and the senior class are using the opportunity as one final experience together, while attempting to show a positive example for Mountain Lions in future battles.

“As a senior, I enjoy playing the football game, and one last opportunity to play the game I love is great, but obviously the main focus is to get the program in the right direction, and that’s what we’re planning on doing," he said.

Mountain Ridge is set to visit Higley on Dec. 3.

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