Head Football Analyst Cody Cameron is in his fourth year with ArizonaVarsity, and he brings a unique mix of playing, broadcasting and analytical experience to the team. Follow him on Twitter HERE, and make sure to Follow Arizona Varsity on:
It was a tale of two halves for the Queen Creek Bulldogs. Trailing 12-0 after the first half, the Bulldogs outscored the Liberty Lions 26-9 in the final two quarters, dominating every facet of this ball game to beat one of the top teams in the state, on the road with a final score of 26-21. The victory moves the Bulldogs to 6-0 on the year, their best start since 2017 season.
Impact Players
Liberty 2022 Safety Jax Stam (5-11 200)
"Stam is a player who’s intelligence of the game is a gift that can not be taught. There was moments during the game where he was calling out the play that the Bulldogs were running before the snap. He has a nose for the football and wants to be involved in every play, whether it be right in front of him or across the field. Stam finished with 16 total tackles on the night and blew up a few plays in the back field, adding three tackles for loss. He is one the leaders of the Lions defense and will be key as the Lions get closer to the postseason." - Jacob Seliga
Liberty 2023 QB Dom Ochoa
"Ochoa has emerged as one of the better quarterbacks in the 6A conference this season and Friday night showed once again why. Ochoa finished the night with 317 total yards and two touchdowns. I was impressed with his ability to accurately throw the ball down field in certain situations, as it was a very windy night which made it very hard to move the ball for either side. He also showed his athleticism by extending multiple plays as the Bulldogs pressure got stronger by breaking out of potential sacks and by knowing when to roll out of the pocket to gain yardage. Ochoa has the keys to the offense and has continued to get better as the season has progressed." - Jacob Seliga
Queen Creek 2022 RB Payton Barlow (6-0 180)
"I've really enjoyed watching Barlow play throughout the years. A complete workhorse of a running back, he's tough and shows a burst of acceleration when he hits the second level. The Senior RB finished the night with 104 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. Barlow showed great balance, bouncing off would-be tacklers to pick up extra yards. He's one of the top RBs in 6A in my opinion." - Cody Cameron
Queen Creek 2023 LB Cole Lalama (6-1 210)
"Man this kid was fun to watch in-person on Friday night. Lalama is a true thumper in the middle for the Bulldogs defense. He strikes with force and violence, leaving his mark every time he makes a tackle. The Junior LB racked up a team-high 16 tackles (10 solo), a tackle for loss, and came away with the game sealing interception deep in their own red zone. One heck of a performance from Lalama in the big road victory." - Cody Cameron
Queen Creek 2022 Safety Kade Farrell
"Farrell totaled up nine tackles (six solo) from his deep safety position on Friday, as well as well as being apart of two major turnovers for the Queen Creek defense. Farrell recovered a fumble on their own one-yard line right before the first half ended and he also forced a fumble in the road win." - Cody Cameron
Who To Watch
Liberty 2023 DL My'keil Gardner (6-2 285)
"Gardner is one of my favorite players in the state to watch compete. He is a game-wrecker when rushing off the edge and the stats prove it. On the night Gardner finished with 11 total tackles with four of those being for loss. But those numbers don’t show the plays where the Bulldogs would drop back to pass and Gardner’s strength would push him past the offensive line and force an errant pass or force the quarterback out of the pocket. I believe he is a player who’s recruitment should skyrocket either after the season or during spring." - Jacob Seliga
Quotable
"A lot of people are just doubting us, but (as a) team all we need is for us to believe in each other and play all four quarters hard." - Queen Creek Senior QB Sebastain Tomerlin.
Up Next
(6-0) Chandler @ (6-0) Queen Creek
(4-2) Liberty @ (4-3) Chaparral