No rings, but no regrets for Firebirds, who played in first Super-8 Bracket
WEEKLY BLOG: 5/16/20
Before the 2019 season began, some of us on the outside pondered the question: Would you rather be on a team that qualifies for one of the last spots in the Open Division playoffs, or be at the top of the conference bracket?
Chaparral lived it.
The Firebirds entered the final week of the season with a 7-2 record and were at the No. 11 position in the AIA Open rankings. Chaparral trailed Liberty, 35-30 in the closing seconds. And then, this happened. . .
That touchdown pass from Jack Miller (who signed with Ohio State) to Sean Parker not only propelled the Firebirds to victory on the first night of November in Peoria, it had a rippling effect on the final Open standings, the 6A bracket, and the 5A bracket. CHS passed Notre Dame and Red Mountain (which both defeated lesser opponents in Week 11) along with Higley (which lost to Williams Field).
The final points couldn't have gone much closer.
8. Chaparral 17.1149
9. Williams Field 17.0527
Chaparral had proven itself as Open-worthy a week earlier in a 28-21 victory over Pinnacle (which also made the Open). The Firebirds' only regular season losses came against Hamilton and Saguaro, which were both Open teams.
"If the Open is truly recognized as the best eight teams in the state, then the goal should always be to make it there," Chaparral head coach Brent Barnes said in an e-mail interview. "We played to win our last game even knowing that would put us against Chandler the following week because that's the right way to play the game and compete."
After a week off to prepare, Chaparral faced the buzz saw that was the Chandler Wolves and fell 56-14.
As a postscript, Williams Field was the top seed in the 5A tournament and won the conference championship. Liberty, the No. 7 seed, defeated Red Mountain in overtime to claim the 6A conference crown.
"It was hard to watch the 6A playoffs knowing we could have had a chance to experience more games together and compete at ASU for a championship," Barnes said. "But whatever the system is, you just have to compete to be the best."
I'd like to say fast forward to the offseason here, but of course, this has been one unlike any other with the COVID-19 virus not only ending strength and speed workouts, but taking away the three weeks of spring football.
Chaparral has been holding Zoom meetings each week for more than a month now. It's a way to not only reconnect, but also cover some of the x's and o's and install packages that you would normally do on the field during spring ball. Like every other facet in life, you have to look at the benefits of the situation as well.
"Spending a lot of quality time with my family has been a real positive," Barnes said. "I have two boys (ages 9 and 5), so they're at great ages to be able to hit pause with."
Looking ahead to the 2020 season (we're optimistic around here), Chaparral will have a new signal caller to replace Miller and that will be Brayten Silbor. Silbor, who will be a junior, started one game his freshman year and four last season. He did a great job in those five starts, completing 97 passes (at a 63 percent clip) and threw 11 touchdown passes.
"He's extremely talented and has to be considered at the top of his class at that position," Barnes said. "The experience he gained will help tremendously and I think that will show early in the season. He has a great demeanor and poise, and now also has a good command and understanding of what we do offensively."
Silbor won't have to do everything himself as the 'Birds return running back Jared Williams, who rushed for 1,034 yards and 21 TDs in his junior season (plus four receiving touchdowns). His high game was a 219-yard effort in a 62-17 win over Mountain Ridge.
On the defensive side, Chaparral has a national recruit in sophomore defensive end Anthony Lucas. The 6-5, 280-pounder has offers from eight of the Pac-12 schools plus Michigan, Oklahoma, Florida State, Auburn, Iowa State, and Nebraska thus far. Lucas had 29 tackles and six sacks last season. Barnes saw progress in his game as the year went on.
"Coach Zoo (Defensive Coordinator Derrick Nsubuga) does a great job teaching those guys technique, so he really started to develop and understand the game better," Barnes said. "He has elite athleticism for his size, so gaining the knowledge and experience really helped him grow. He's going to create a lot of problems for offenses."
Had the rules remained the same as they were in 2018 (no Open tournament), Chaparral still could have run into Chandler, but it wouldn't have been until the semifinals in a 16-team field. Barnes said he doesn't mind the idea of an Open division, but he thinks it could be selected better.
"Our matchups with Saguaro have been great battles the last couple years and the Open certainly has a chance to provide intriguing games of rivalries like that, or teams that don't get to play otherwise."
There was a time, not that long ago, when the North Valley teams in the state's highest division were far from being contenders for the state title. The new realignment sought to put together regions that would be competitive from top to bottom. In Chaparral's case, it is in a ridiculously talented Region 1 with Brophy (an 8-win team), Centennial (an Open team), Liberty (the 6A conference champ), and Pinnacle (an Open team). Schedules haven't been released yet, but you can probably figure one of the Firebirds' six non-region games will come against longtime rival Saguaro (an Open finalist).
Barnes said it's fun to compete against the best teams in the state and that's what he'll have in his region.
"That's the exciting part," Barnes said. "But, I think there are going to be some real issues and discrepancies come playoff time because they didn't balance the non-region games very well. There are likely to be a few 4-6 teams that are far better than 8-2 teams, and I don't see any way power points will make up that difference."
As Arizona begins to open up again, coaches are working with their districts and the AIA to determine when summer workouts will be able to begin. Barnes is just looking forward to being around his players and the game itself again.
"It's one thing to stay connected through Zoom and other things," Barnes said. "But getting back together on the field will be exciting."
When those of us at Arizona Varsity pondered the question last September of whether you'd rather be in the elite field of the Open or atop the conference bracket, it was unanimous. You want to compete with the best, even if the odds are stacked against you. Chaparral didn't get to have a ring ceremony like Liberty did. But the accomplishment the Firebirds and all the other Open teams achieved should be celebrated. In Chaparral's case, they have a walkway when you first enter the stadium. On poles next to the stadium lights fly banners that acknowledge past season's region titles and state championships. Here's hoping I get to see a remembrance of the 2019 group that won the games it had to win down the stretch to get into that ultimate tournament.
