Welcome to the newest feature from ArizonaVarsity.com, a partnership with former Arizona high school football players who launched an apparel company, where we work together to highlight some of the biggest and best high school football performances in the state each week.
Jungle Official is an apparel company designed around “Encouraging greater individual heights with construction of a healthy lifestyle.” Make sure to give them a follow Jungle Official on Instagram and give them a follow on Facebook, and to shop their designs, CLICK HERE.
Ralph Amsden's Jungle Official Beasts of the Week
Offense: Angel Flores (Casa Grande)
Walden Grove visited Casa Grande a heavily favored team with a talented defense, and an opposing quarterback with some serious talent. But it was Angel Flores, a sophomore who already had 12 games' worth of experience under his belt, who would get his first signature win of his promising prep career, knocking off a top-10 team by throwing for three touchdowns, and rushing for another.
Defense: Donovan Armstrong (Yuma Catholic)
Donovan Armstrong went and had himself an entire season's worth fo stats in one game. Eleven solo tackles. SIX sacks. Those two things alone are ridiculous, but he also forced a fumble, and picked off a pass! A real beast destroys everything in his path, adn that's what Armstrong did in a 50-35 win over Brawley last Friday night.
Honorable Mention: Kamden White (Florence)
A good way to get mentioned on a list like this is to have yourself a ballgame right in front of me or one of my staff. Alec Simpson and I watched Kamden White follow up an impressive catch and run for a TD in the first half against Blue Ridge, with an interception that he took back for a TD while weaving through the Yellow Jacket offense. Florence may not have gotten the win, but a big reason they carried a lead late into the game was the play of Kamden White.
Chilly's Jungle Official Beasts of the Week
Offense: Caleb Diaz (Paradise Valley)
When you have one of the top 10 QBs in the state, you're gonna get opportunities. Caleb Diaz took advantage this week, snatching 8 receptions, and piling up 253 yards and FOUR TOUCHDOWNS. It was a no brainer making Caleb Diaz my offensive Beast of the Week!!
Defense: Brandon Fondong (Millennium)
This Millenium Defense is HUNGRY for respect. Brandon Fondong went out versus a very talented Desert Edge team, and was snatching that respect one tackle at a time (15 tackles, 10 solo). Even with Desert Edge having one of the state's best offensive lines, Fondong met the ball carrier in the backfield three seperate times (3 TFLs), and got to the quarterback once (1 sack). #BrandonTheBeast
Honorable Mention: Trevion Watkins (Sahuaro)
In a tough victory over Marcos De Niza, Trevion Watkins had 15 tackles, and on the offensive end, he ground out 187 yards on 28 carries.
Cody Cameron's Jungle Official Beasts of the Week:
Offense: Nico Vasko (Westview)
Nico Vasko had a monstrous performance in the Knights' 68-7 victory over Alhambra last Friday night. The junior dual-threat QB totaled up over 300 all-purpose yards and 5 total TDs in the game. Vasko had a 72% completing percentage through the air, and also averaged over 31 yards per carry.
"He's special," said Westview Head Coach Nick Gehrts. "His ability to run has always been there, but what's impressed me this year is his ability to keep his eyes downfield while extending plays with his legs. Nico doesn't lose composure he's just a football player. He plays the next play the hardest he can and his teammates feed off of that."
Defense: Collin Thompson (Thatcher)
Collin Thompson was an indestructible force in the Eagles 14-0 shutout against Safford last week. The Senior defensive end had a grand total of 5 sacks on the night to go with 11 total tackles and 8 QB hits. The defensive star also forced two fumbles in the Eagles big rivalry win.
"We had a good study of the game and knew what to expect..." said Thompson. "Just knowing that I had 10 other guys there to back me up helped a lot and I was able to get done what I needed to do."
Alec Simpson's Jungle Official Beasts of the Week
Offense: Will Plummer (Gilbert)
Will Plummer and the Gilbert Tigers have had a rough start to the season, but Plummer led the tigers to a big time win last week against Goldwater, and had some big time stats for the night. Plummer was 15/24 with 249 yards passing, and 5 TDs. On the ground, Will had 13 carries for 133 yards and 2 TDs. That’s 7 total touchdowns on the night for the Arizona QB Commit.
Defense: Dalton Card (Casteel)
Dalton Card has put up some impressive numbers so far this season. He's a bit undersized at the defensive end position at 6’0, 210, but he makes up for it in his pursuit to the football, and by consistently making plays. On Friday night, Card had 14 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 1 forced fumble to add for good measure. Dalton Card currently has 49 tackles on the year and 21 of them are for loss. He's my Jungle Official Beast of the Week on Defense.