Time at Casteel High prepared Phillips for college at UMary
This is No. 18 in a month-long series of profiles of Arizona high school seniors that signed with four-year colleges. Here's the full list (currently totaling 278) of players from within the state moving on to the next level.
SPOTLIGHT: 2/27/21
The list of college offers for Mason Phillips was a long one. All told, 29 different schools presented offers of some sort to the Casteel senior. They included NAIA colleges, Division III (non-athletic scholarship offers) schools, Division II, and even a walk-on opportunity at the University of Connecticut.
One of the schools that got a visit from Phillips was the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota. When checking out colleges, he was looking to be treated well, meet with coaches, and take a hard look at the education opportunities (Phillips has a 3.8 GPA).
Ultimately, he committed to UMary in January.
"The hospitality they showed me was amazing," Phillips said in an e-mail interview. "The coaches up there were awesome and it felt like home when I stepped on campus. I will also be able to receive my Master's degree in four years, which played a big role."
Phillips plans on studying Finance and then get his Master's in something business related. Four years for that type of degree is ambitious, but his work in the classroom at Casteel has helped get him ready for it.
"Casteel has helped me prepare for my college years, because the teachers here put you in a college-like learning setting," Phillips said. "Casteel allows me to take classes related to my major."
In his junior year, Phillips was on the offensive line as the center. He switched to outside linebacker for his senior campaign and played at 6-2 and 215 pounds while also seeing time on the defensive line. In just a short time, he made quick work of the craft and was named to the Second Team All-6A Fiesta Region (as a D-Lineman). The recognition by the region's coaches meant a lot to him.
"I worked super hard over the offseason to transform my body and get right mentally and physically," Phillips said. "It was just nice to see my work pay off."
By the numbers, Phillips piled up 61 tackles (nine for a loss) and had six sacks. He also blocked a field goal in the Colts' regular-season finale against Red Mountain. The narrow 20-19 victory in that game got Casteel into the 6A playoffs.
Phillips said he believes his biggest strength when playing linebacker is his "ability to rush off the edge and get after the QB".
(By the way, he did get one against Williams Field that night.)
During Phillips' four years at Casteel, the Colts rose from 3A to 5A to 6A (the state's top conference). More impressive, the team continued to win each step of the way and compiled a 37-11 record in that time. Phillips credits head coach Bobby Newcombe (who took over for Spencer Stowers in the 2018 season) for the environment at the school. One of the Colts' losses in the 2020 season came against powerhouse Saguaro. That game was scheduled just 24 hours prior to kickoff as both teams' opponents for the night were shut down due to COVID-19. It showed that the staff would give the kids every opportunity to play in the limited schedule no matter the opposition.
Casteel reached the 5A semifinals in 2019 and made the eight-team playoff field in 6A in 2020.
"The culture that we have here (is a factor)," Phillips said. "We don't care who we are playing or what they look like. We are going to go out there and compete until that clock hits zero. Coach Newcombe and the whole coaching staff here really helps with that stuff. They prepare us each week to our best ability and set us up for success."
It was an unprecedented fall for football at UMary as there was no season in 2020. Its league, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (Div. II) canceled all games. The Marauders instead held 15 practices. Now in the spring, while there won't be any actual games, there will be three practices against NSIC opponents that will rival joint NFL practices. For the spring, Mary can have an unlimited amount of practices. It started them outdoors on Monday of this week. The joint practices are currently scheduled for March 27 (home vs. Northern State), April 10 (at Bemidji State), and April 17 (home vs. MSU Moorhead). The 2021 schedule has been released and the Marauders start that on Sept. 4 at Wayne State (Neb.). In its last season, Mary finished 2-9 and 2019.
