This inaugural battle of two charter schools about four miles apart in the Surprise area was already intriguing as a style clash between the speed and big play passing game of Paradise Honors and the size and physicality of ALA-West Foothills. Then the trash talk started on social media. Then Richard Obert of AZcentral reported a concerned Guardians parent’s allegations of hazing in the first-year program, as well as the school launching an investigation Tuesday and reaching out to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
Suddenly, this 3A showdown had multiple layers.
Oct. 7: #8 (3A) Paradise Honors 50, #10 (3A) ALA-West Foothills 20
THE STAKES
All the outside factors obscured this game’s basic importance for a bit. On the field, though, the bottom line was with both teams entering at 2-0 in 3A Metro West Region play, the winner would have a region title banner in its sights – obviously a first at ALA-West Foothills while Paradise Honors sports a lone 2A Central Region title from 2016. The game also figured to answer more direct questions about each program. Could paradise Honors stand up in the trenches enough to allow its skilled playmakers to exploit mismatches? Were the last two wins by the Guardians a sign this team of junior and senior transfers had jelled and would roll over the rest of its opponents, or were the wins simply against lesser competition after an 0-4 start against a brutal schedule?
THE SCENE
Both teams had a week off to let the matchup simmer. This is already a rivalry, as a couple of Paradise Honors players admitted post game. There was a little extra from fans, particularly in the Panthers stands. Both teams played physical, but there was not much extracurricular activity – aside from a handful of post-touchdown taunts from the Panthers. ALA did not fall apart on the sidelines, though the Guardians made several unforced errors and appeared out of synch on the sidelines – which is not too surprising given the last two weeks.
“This is a rivalry. Even though it’s their first year as a school, we have gone back and forth trash talking, as people do. It became very personal on both sides of the ball,” Paradise Honors senior linebacker/tight end Hank Stabler said. “To be able to control our own destiny and say that if we win these next two games, we’re region champs for the first time in six year we’re region champs, it’s huge for this school and program.”
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Gage Baker is not just piling up stats against overmatched teams, folks. The Paradise Honors quarterback is legit and would not look out of place playing in a big 5A or 6A matchup. The junior got some help from his defense twice in the first quarter and both times he made sure the offense cashed in. After a nearly six-minute Guardians opening drive stalled, Baker led an up-tempo attack, completing all four of his passes in quick succession in 39 yards, capped by a 13-yard touchdown pass to Stabler. Then, right after our play of the night, Baker immediately hit Josh Morales for a 25-yard touchdown. Then he started the second quarter with a deep ball for Jaiden Lailson, who completed a 62-yard scoring play for a 21-0 lead. Baker was 9-9 for 163 yards and four touchdowns at halftime. He finished 16-19 for 296 yards with 6 TD and an interception. While Baker has posted far bigger numbers, this was his best performance in a game against a competitive opponent to date. Stabler was almost a 50/50 pick for player of the game, catching four of those touchdowns over the middle.
“We had a bye week and two weeks to prepare really helped. When we watched film, we noticed their weakness on defense was the middle. They couldn’t move as fast. So we knew we were going to try to pick that apart,” Stabler said.
PLAY OF THE NIGHT
Trotting out in the old T formation, the Guardians’ plan was no mystery. They intended to physically overpower the Panthers with juniors Marquez Smith and Memphis Palelei running behind a jumbo (for 3A) offensive line. Seven straight runs and three first downs followed before penalties and a sack stopped their advance. The second ALA drive presented more of an explicit challenge. The Guardians went for it on fourth down and 3 at their own 29, Stabler, also a linebacker, caught Smith in the backfield and tossed him for a four-yard loss.
“We took that personal, going into tonight. You saw the over/under (on Twitter) that was going to be 88. So we took that personal,” Stabler said. “It really shows how far we’ve come because last year we’d give up a 10- or 15-yard play and shut down. We gave those up tonight and we fought back.”
THEY SAID IT
ALA-West Foothills coach Tim Su’e Su’e Liufau: “I’m not going to say anything because right now it’s these kids we’ve got to focus on,” Liufau said. “We’re not going to make any excuses because of those things. We had to come and execute here tonight, which we didn’t.”
“We had lots of opportunities against a good team. Give kudos to Paradise and Coach Goodloe and a good coaching staff that planned this out,” Liufau said. “As a coach myself I’ve got to take this and tune our kids back in. The only thing I say to our kids is we’ve got to control the things we can control and we’ve got to hold to that RAISE value and who we are. As coaches it’s our responsibility to teach them and develop them.”
Paradise Honors coach Josh Goodloe: “That’s been the biggest turning point. A lot of people have been saying we don’t have defense and picked the teams to score 88 points (combined) and things like that. We put a lot of focus on the d working toward this season and to get where we are. I’m proud of their effort. They’re starting to show up as the season builds and becoming a strong unit.”
“Drew Paredes plays nose grad for us. Caden Wasden and Bode Joncas are our two d tackles. Noah Locke and Coleman Burkhart are our two outside backers,” Goodloe said. “I think they’ve got all the belief in the world now that they can go with these big, physical teams. ALA was a big, physical team and we pretty much stayed toe to toe with them.”
“We know we’ve got tempo. That’s kind of our style. So we know if we can get some stops on D, we can push some things vertically and tire out some teams. We’ve got some depth this year. Jaiden is doing a great job this year. We’ve got those smaller quicker guys in the slot this year that can really stretch the defenses vertically. They’ve got great hands, and when they get in space, those guys get loose and put some big yardage together than chunks.”
Gage Baker: “We’re all gelling together. This year it changed with me understanding a lot more of the offensive line protections and them giving me a lot more time,” Baker said. “I’m understanding a lot more of what we’re doing each play.”
5 THINGS I LEARNED
· While both ALA running backs made a dent – Smith had 21 carries for 80 yards and Palelei finished with 18 carries for 103 yards – the Panthers’ defense was never overwhelmed by the big boys. As Goodloe said, more often than not his team made the stop when it needed to. Down 21-0, the Guardians put together a nine-minute touchdown drive. That was the only one, though. The second touchdown was set up by Kawika Kaowili-McLain’s interception of a screen pass and return to the Panthers’ 10. The visitors’ final touchdown drive was set up by a fumble ALA recovered to immediately start in the red zone.
· Even more quietly impressive was the work done by the Panthers offensive line, which did not allow a sack and gave Baker a clean pocket all night. Last year the unit was an undeniable weak spot. Friday night all seven linemen - Andrew Domville, Josh Trevillian, Jalen Cox, Noah Shoop, Johnathan Webb, Logan Tsosie and Elias Ortiz – held up against the Guardians’ big boys. The interception was the only play where Baker faced a rush, and that was by design in the middle screen. Paradise Honors put in backups for its final two offensive drives.
· Paradise Honors is a far more complete team than at any point in the program history. The 2A playoff teams of 2016 and 2017 were well-oiled Wing-T style machines. This team has weapons like Josh Morales, Lailson, Burkhart and Garrison Ast. In addition to the development of both lines, the health of Stabler and senior running back/linebacker Vance Cooper provides this year's team with more gravity and balance in the middle of the field on both sides of the ball. Cooper finished with 14 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown, and his presence prevents opponent from selling out to stop the passing game.
· This ALA-West Foothills season – starting a program with a varsity team full of transfers and a JV squad instead of a freshman team – was going to be unprecedented in any case. What has gone on behind the scenes remains a matter of conjecture for now. But this experiment may have turned ugly and the fallout rest of this season and early offseason will be intriguing to follow. While the Guardians have a talented squad, more so than a typical second- or third-year public school, it is also clear that these kids started playing together and working with this coaching staff in June. In my personal opinion, I hope this is the only school that tries this approach. There is something to be said in building a program from the ground up.
ALA has very little ability to improvise offensively, with Caden Callister in his first year of playing quarterback and will have difficulty all year in must throw situations for long yardage. When they’re on schedule against regular 3A teams, the full house backfield and big line are tough to slow. But top 3A teams – of which Paradise Honors is now included – can slow it up just enough to avoid it. And, as Liufau mentioned, a penalty or high snap leaves this offense in the uncomfortable position of chasing the chains.
