WEEKLY BLOG: 11/15/24

American Leadership Academy - Gilbert North has seen the best of what the 5A has in 2024. The Eagles faced three teams within the Northeast Valley Region that all moved on to the Open Division bracket. They also saw their charter school relatives with ALA-Queen Creek (another Open team). That brutal schedule is what made the Eagles the top seed in the 5A tournament with a 7-3 record. Now, their head coach gets to look forward to something new.

While ALA-Gilbert North reached the quarterfinals last year, it wasn’t with current head coach Ty Detmer. He was at ALA-Queen Creek and in the Open for all three years he guided the Patriots as they climbed from 4A to their current home in 6A.

On Friday night, the Eagles captured a first-round state playoff win for a sixth straight year as they exploded for five touchdowns in the second quarter for a comfortable 49-21 victory over visiting Barry Goldwater.

After being forced to punt on its initial possession, ALA-Gilbert North scored touchdowns on all four of its remaining drives in the first half. The Eagles showed they could put together long drives or make quick strikes.

ALA-Gilbert North (8-3) advanced to play Campo Verde (8-3). As the No. 1 seed, the Eagles will host their Gilbert neighbors next Friday. It will be ALAGN’s first meeting with the Coyotes, who are just six miles south.

In a game that was decided before halftime, it happened on ALA-Gilbert North’s second possession.

The Eagles tried passing on each of their first three plays and had to punt after throwing two incompletions and getting sacked by junior Jayden Rodgers. After noticing that Goldwater was playing a three man front with more coverage, ALAGN turned to the run game, which created lanes.

In the second drive, eight of the 13 plays were runs during a 75-yard drive. The Eagles were able to see what was there and exploited it in the second quarter with a 52-yard touchdown run from Weston Powell and a 58-yard burst from Kody Thorley that also went for a score. Both happened on the first play of the drive.

Goldwater ran almost 20 more plays than ALA-Gilbert North throughout the game. But the key was the opportunistic defense by the Eagles.

Goldwater fumbled twice in the second quarter and threw an interception in the third period. All were returned for touchdowns by ALA-Gilbert North.

During the season, the Eagles intercepted 11 passes and recovered six fumbles. Until Friday, the team had not scored a defensive touchdown. In this one, ALA-Gilbert North got three.

It came during the onslaught of the second quarter when Goldwater fumbled the exchange from center and senior linebacker Colten Beardall was there for the scoop and score.

Kody Thorley was named this week as a First Team All-Region performer at linebacker and Second Team as a running back. He showed skills on both sides of the ball as he scored on a 58-yard run in the second quarter and then had the Eagles’ only touchdown of the second half with a 95-yard interception return.

Thorley, a 6-foot, 210-pound athlete, played on the Eagles’ varsity team in 2022 as a sophomore when they won the 4A State title. He has college offers from five Division II and III schools.

One of the more compelling matchups coming into this game was Goldwater’s Single Wing rushing attack led by Dylan Hayhurst against the ALAGN defensive front. Hayhurst led the state during the regular season with 2,238 yards. The Eagles allowed just one 100-yard rusher all season (Andrew Muirhead of Cactus Shadows). ALA-Gilbert North was also giving up just 83 yards on the ground per game.

In the matchup of strength-on-strength, ALA-Gilbert North came out on top limiting Hayhurst to 73 yards on his 26 carries. Aside from Hayhurst, BGHS had just 26 yards. So, 99 yards as a team. Slightly above the number ALAGN gives up, but well below the 345 yards per game the Bulldogs got via the run during the season.

ALA-Gilbert North also recovered a pair of fumbles (both in the first half), and allowed just one touchdown in the first half while forcing four punts.

Goldwater (7-4) was in the playoffs for the first time in 17 years. The Bulldogs also claimed the Northwest Region title in 2024 for the first time ever. Lautt is in his sixth year as head coach there and a powerful running game has been his staple with the program. The seven wins was the most for the team in a regular season in school history (first varsity season in 1987).

The Bulldogs needed a win in the season finale last week at Willow Canyon and Hayhurst put the team on his back with 413 yards and six touchdowns. With all of the spread offenses in the game today, the Single Wing is a throwback, and not something defenses see regularly. It takes a lot of discipline to learn and patience at certain positions. Hayhurst finished the scoring on Friday with his 35th TD of the year.

Goldwater also pulled out some razzle-dazzle with ALAGN stacking the box. Twice, the team pulled off a double handoff and then a pitch back to the quarterback who fired the ball downfield. It worked both times with Colin Parker completing the pass to Ben Hirn. Junior Cale Drank, who was a First Team All-Region selection, caught a 40-yard pass for the Bulldogs’ first touchdown.

It’s also a rare sight to see a Number 66 running with the ball, but the Bulldogs did that too with senior lineman Jayvion Whitt scoring on a four-yard run on fourth-and-goal.

Finally, with the score 42-7 at the half and a running clock for the entire third and fourth quarters, many teams would’ve packed it up. The Bulldogs signed up for 48 and in the last 24 of those, they outscored the No. 1 seed, 14-7.

“Defense has been playing well,” ALA-Gilbert North head coach Ty Detmer said. “We came out and got stops right off the bat and we ran well tonight. Every week is going to get tougher.”

“I can’t do it by myself,” ALA-Gilbert North linebacker/running back Kody Thorley said. “My whole team helps me all week long.”

“That was a hard offense to prepare for,” senior defensive lineman Talon Groneman said. “They’re all run game. Options left, options right. We’ve never seen an offense like that. I’m glad all the boys came and showed out.”

“The wheels kind of fell apart,” Goldwater head coach Frank Lautt said. “We just couldn’t get back out of the hole after that. Our kids battled. We’re proud of them that they didn’t quit.”

“He’s a one-of-a-kind back,” Lautt said of Hayhurst. “When things are going good, he makes the whole thing go. He’s a patient runner that loves running it.”

“I think we’d really have a great 5A state playoff if you add the other four (5A teams in the Open) in there,” Detmer said. “But we’re excited to be the 1 seed right now and have some home games.”

First Quarter:

ALAGN - Isaac Massey 15 yard pass from Conner White (Eli Ash kick), 0:28

Second Quarter:

ALAGN - Kody Thorley 58 yard run (Ash kick), 9:56

Gold - Cale Drank 40 yard pass from Colin Parker (Kyler Tanner kick), 7:52

ALAGN - Weston Powell 52 yard run (Ash kick), 7:32

ALAGN - Colten Beardall 10 yard fumble return (Ash kick), 6:05

ALAGN - Beardall 10 yard pass from Bryson Landon (Ash kick), 3:57

ALAGN - Stosh Jobe 70 yard fumble return (Ash kick), 0:08

Third Quarter:

Gold - Jayvion Whitt 4 yard run (Tanner kick), 5:43

ALAGN - Thorley 95 yard interception return (Ash kick), 1:31

Fourth Quarter:

Gold - Dylan Hayhurst 1 yard run (Tanner kick), 7:33

Support our sponsor:

AALL Insurance