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The ArizonaVarsity Fantasy Football Draft- You Pick the Winner

Along with Publisher Ralph Amsden, Brett Quintyne, Fabian Ardaya and Chilly drafted players from across Arizona- you decide on Twitter who put together the best squad.
Along with Publisher Ralph Amsden, Brett Quintyne, Fabian Ardaya and Chilly drafted players from across Arizona- you decide on Twitter who put together the best squad. (Ralph Amsden)

ArizonaVarsity.com publisher Ralph Amsden invited C-Town Rivals Podcast co-hosts Brett Quintyne and Chilly, along with Devil's Digest staff writer Fabian Ardaya to draft a team of 26 Arizona high school football players to see which team the readers thought would have the best chance of beating the rest. The draft results and rosters are below, and the guys answered some questions about why they selected the players that they did, and who they think would be their biggest threat in a head-to-head matchup.

MAKE SURE TO VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE TEAM ON TWITTER! Voting will stay open for a week. We'll create the top two vote-getting teams on NCAA 2014, and see who comes out on top.

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ArizonaVarsity Fantasy Football Draft Results
Round Team Chilly Team Fabian Team Ralph Team Brett

1

Spencer Rattler

Isaiah Pola-Mao

Austin Jackson

Nate James

2

KJ Jarrell

Tyler Johnson

Jonathan Nathaniel

TJ Green

3

Jalen Harris

Jacob Conover

Joey Ramos

Creston Cooledge

4

Terrell Brown

Kolby Taylor

Corey Stephens

Eddie Rivas

5

Kade Warner

Jax Wacaser

Tyler Stephens

Imani Lee

6

Johnny Johnson III

My-King Johnson

Odua Isibor

Ryan Kelley

7

Daniel Callendar

Sean Seawards

Andrew Nichols

Kyle Soelle

8

Shomari Hayes

Zidane Thomas

Rashie Hodge

Chris Manoa

9

Matthew Pola-Mao

Kenny Churchwell

Nami Tuitu'u

Tre Bugg

10

Alijah Gammage

Brandon Ruiz

Dante Blissitt

Tavion Allen

11

Micah Vanterpool

Max Wilhite

Gunner Romney

Chance Brewington

12

Caleb Medina

Lance Lawson

Drew Dixon

Jawhar Jordan

13

Donjae Logan

Max Fine

Braden Valentine

Brayden Flynn

14

Alec Williams

Ralph Frias

Roshaun Johnson

Caleb McRae

15

Sean McMurphy

Bryce Jackson

Solomon Enis

Cristian Zendejas

16

Satchel Escalante

Mark Walton

Jared Poplawski

Zach Bowers

17

Lelon Dillard

Sam Pepper

Josiah Bradley

DeSean Goodman

18

Gabriel Claudio

Kolo Uasike

Donovan Dalton

Kenny Fultz

19

Parker Henley

Jarick Caldwell

Preston Smith

Tate Speaker

20

Jacob Barnard

Cutter Hatch

Trevor Russell

Ben Thomas

21

Stone Matthews

Harold Colbert IV

Noah Pittenger

Josiah Perry

22

Bryce Gilbert

Dallas Dixon

Tyler Vasko

Jessie Sandoval

23

Michael Marx

Previn Loyd

Jeffrey McGuire

Brandon Myree

24

Tyreck Cosay

Ryan Johnson

Draycen Hall

Connor McGhee

25

Yakir Cobb

Xavier Cota

Jamarye Joiner

Colby Dickie

26

Darrion Spottsville

Jack Miller

Tehran Thomas

Brock Purdy

1) What was your strategy going into the draft? What do you like most about your team? What would you say are your team's strengths and weaknesses, if any?

Chilly- My strategy going in was to draft 26 savages. I wanted an aggressive offense that will get in the end zone quickly (and frequently), and a punishing defense that will set the tone and hit harder than death. I definitely think the strength of my team is attitude my team has alot of swagger, and won't ever be shook they know they can't be beat. I don't think that my team has a weakness, but if I had to pick something I guess I'd say TE I took a "flyer" on Gilbert based on what he would have been, a 14-1500 yd guy, he was my only potential-based pick.

Fabian- My biggest thing, especially in the early rounds, was to get the top player available. I made sure to do this especially at the position groups with the least amount of depth, as I could fill up the other spots in the later rounds with quality players. My team's biggest strengths probably have to be in the secondary and with the wide receiver groups. I got the player I felt was the best in the state this past year in Isaiah Pola-Mao to head my secondary, and Bryce Jackson and Kenny Churchwell both impressed me when I saw them in person this year. At receiver, I love what Kolby Taylor can bring me (also as a returner and DB) and Jarick Caldwell will turn some heads. Tyler Johnson and Pola-Mao can also line up outside for me. I like my interior defenders, but I'm not sure I put as much focus on them as I should have.

Ralph- My strategy going into the draft was to let everyone else grab running backs and quarterbacks early, and take what was left at the end. We were only allowed to take 1 QB before the last round, and then had to take a backup after that. I used my last two picks on QBs. I thought the state was deep as far as talented dual-threat QBs and workhorse RBs, so I knew that there would be plenty that I liked left in the later rounds. That allowed me to use the early picks to give them a great offensive line to play behind. That's definitely my team's strength- five division 1 blockers. If I have one weakness it's probably be the secondary. I love all of those guys, but I feel like they'd all be better at safety than corner- even Donovan Dalton. My defensive line is good enough to give my DBs some leeway though.

Brett- I'll say I didn't have any particular strategy going into the draft except for consistently drafting the best available athlete. I did want to make sure my guys had respectably high statistics where applicable. I feel its pretty balanced and am proud of this team with the college offers they have received, and the non-seniors will certainly be getting more.

2) Which of the other teams do you see giving your team the biggest challenge? Who do you think your team would have the easiest time beating, and why? What do you see as the strengths of each of the other teams?


Chilly- Ralph's team might give me some fits in the trenches, Ralph knows the linemen in the state better than most, and if football games are won in the trenches, that could be a problem for me. I think that my team is built to beat Brett's C-Town All Stars. I've got too many prime time receivers for his three-and-half DBs. I think the strength of Brett's team is familiarity all those kids know each other and have played with and against each other for years, AND they pretty much represent C-Town (Chandler) vs AZ. Having the best kids from the side of the state that dominates the game isn't a bad thing. Ralph's team strengths, like I said earlier, is that his lines are probably rated the highest out of the four teams. Fabian's team strength is that he has the best all around on-field athlete in Tyler "Big Money" Johnson. Tyler can play a variety of positions and change the way his defense attacks, be added to his offense to create a new dynamic, or put on special teams and become a nightmare that way. Also Brandon Ruiz is gonna be a problem in any close game because all Fab's offense has to do is make it to the opposing 45-yard line and its possible he's in position to win a game.

Fabian- I really like Chilly's team. They have a lot of guys who are just put together as solid football players, and who aren't going to make a whole lot of mistakes. Brett made sure to hit the Chandler-area talent pipeline, and he got a bunch of the best guys from that bunch. No one, and I mean no one, is better and finding hidden gems and evaluating overall talent than Ralph. Ralph did the best out of all of us in the later rounds, I think, so I think he'll give me a tough challenge. I feel like I stole a lot of talent from Chilly, so I'd like to face his squad.

Ralph- I like Chilly's offense, but his 4-1-6 defensive scheme is something my team is built to destroy. Fabian has what looks like a quick-passing team with versatile options out of the backfield, and that could neutralize my pass rush. Brett's team is full of playmakers on both sides. No matter how good my team is, I doubt I'd be able to stop TJ Green. I'm pretty sure my team would wallop all of them though. I'm not worried.

Brett- Team Ralph would probably give my squad the biggest challenge. He has some depth and some kids that we know always give 100 percent. That's a team that has a strong running game and good line play. I thought both Chilly & Fabian have solid receivers but I believe my strong defensive backfield would be able to neutralize both squads. Chilly has some star power but I'm not sure if his running game would get past Team Q.

3) Which player(s) did you have targeted that one of the other teams stole from you before you could draft them?

Chilly- Tyler Johnson was taken right before I was about to take him, and the Phenomenal Freshman Jack Miller (I'll save that story for a twitter note- follow @AZHSFB).

Fabian- I would have killed to have TJ Green on this squad. I loved Zidane Thomas this last year, and there are some quality running backs out there, but none compare to Green. I also would have loved to have had Jalen Harris on my pass rush. I wanted Brayden Flynn, but he was already way off the board by the time I realized it.

Ralph- Chilly's 8th and 9th round back-to-back picks of Mountain Pointe's DL made me a little jealous. I probably could have waited until the 13th round to get Drew Dixon just because everyone was drafting players they'd seen in person, and because I grabbed him in the 12th, I missed out on Lance Lawson. That was a great pick by Fabian. I didn't need a 6th offensive lineman, but Brett getting Ben Thomas in the 20th round made me wonder if I should have gone all in on the OL the way I did. That was a quality pickup.

Brett- Braden Valentine was slated to be a member of Team Q until Ralph jumped in the way. I had plans for both Brayden Flynn and Braden Valentine but only one was able to make in on board. I think he is an excellent LB and was a big part of the Williams Field championship team.

4) Which player do you think was the biggest steal (drafted 15th round or later), for your team and anyone else's?

Chilly- Brett got a steal with his last pick, Brock Purdy. In the event that something happens to arguably the states top QB, Ryan "Machine Gun" Kelley, then Brett can be fully comfortable bringing in Purdy- who, statistically, outperformed his peers.

Fabian- My favorite late-round guy is Ryan Johnson, simply because I don't think we got a full and fair look at him in his only Arizona high school season. I'm a big Kenny Fultz guy, and Tyler Vasko will make PLAYS.

Ralph- I grabbed SIX D1 players, a couple of D1 walk-ons, and multiple 2,000 yard rushers from the 15th round on. I'm pretty happy about that. Fabian picking up Dallas Dixon was fantastic, because he can play all over the field.

Brett- Tyler Vasko & Noah Pittinger were two guys who might have been overlooked and I felt were steals. Awesome running backs are hard to come by, and both were vital to their team success so to grab them at 21 and 22 was good for Ralph but I will say the last two picks by Team Q combined for a lot of touchdowns in 2016, and will do so again in 2017.

5) Is there anyone who didn't get drafted that you'd like to see on your team if you had 1-2 more picks?

Chilly- Tyler Alexander from Hamilton- one of the toughest most resilient pure football players out there, and Curtis Hodges from Mountain View was about to be my pick instead of Gilbert, but my desire for a pure TE made me go with Gilbert.

Fabian- CJ Jarmon, for sure.

Ralph- If I hadn't have gone all OL early the way I did, Chase Cord would have been my first round pick. By the end of the draft I decided I wanted run-first QBs that could use deep threats to bail them out if necessary, and so I went with Joiner and Thomas. Cord didn't even get drafted. I'd loved to have had him leading my team. Also, Cactus RB Damaria Norris would have been great to have.

Brett- Team Q is really solid but if the draft another round, I feel CJ Jarmon would have been part of this winning squad.

Team Chilly

QB- Spencer Rattler- Pinnacle

QB- Darrion Spottsville- Shadow Mountain

RB- Stone Matthews- Saguaro

RB- Yakir Cobb- Alhambra

RB- Tyreck Cosay- Alchesay

WR- Kade Warner- Desert Mountain

WR- Terrell Brown- Basha

WR- Johnny Johnson III- Chandler

TE- Bryce Gilbert- Higley

OL- Micah Vanterpool- Central

OL- Caleb Medina- Chandler

OL- Sean McMurphy- Perry

OL- Alec Williams- Westview

OL- Jacob Barnard- Hamilton

DL- Jalen Harris- Desert Ridge

DL- Shomari Hayes- Mountain Pointe

DL- Matthew Pola-Mao- Mountain Pointe

DL- Daniel Callendar- Yuma Catholic

LB- Parker Henley- Chandler

DB- Lelon Dillard- Desert Vista

DB- KJ Jarrell- Saguaro

DB- Satchel Escalante- Hamilton

DB- Alijah Gammage- Desert Vista

DB- Donjae Logan- Desert Ridge

DB- Gabriel Claudio- Cibola

K/P- Michael Marx- Seton Catholic

Team Fabian

QB- Jacob Conover- Chandler

QB- Jack Miller- Chaparral/SCA

RB- Zidane Thomas- Centennial

RB- Lance Lawson- Red Mountain

RB- Ryan Johnson- Chandler

WR- Kolby Taylor- Chandler

WR- Max Fine- Williams FIeld

WR- Jarick Caldwell- Chandler

TE- Mark Walton- Cibola

OL- Jax Wacaser- Saguaro

OL- Max Wilhite- Desert Edge

OL- Sean Seawards- Saguaro

OL- Harold Colbert IV- Chandler

OL- Ralph Frias- Safford

DL- My-King Johnson- Tempe

DL- Sam Pepper- Chandler

DL- Kolo Uakise- Skyline

DL- Previn Loyd- Westview

LB- Tyler Johnson- Highland

LB- Xavier Cota- Mountain Pointe

LB- Cutter Hatch- Perry

DB- Isaiah Pola-Mao- Mountain Pointe

DB- Bryce Jackson- Chandler

DB- Kenny Churchwell- Mountain Pointe

DB- Dallas Dixon- Tolleson

K/P- Brandon Ruiz- Williams Field

Team Ralph

QB- Jamarye Joiner- Cienega

QB- Tehran Thomas- Desert Edge

RB- Noah Pittenger- Brophy

RB- Tyler Vasko- Westview

RB- Draycen Hall= Higley

WR- Drew Dixon- Sabino

WR- Gunner Romney- Chandler

WR- Solomon Enis- North Canyon

TE- Jared Poplawski- Saguaro

OL- Austin Jackson- North Canyon

OL- Corey Stephens- Saguaro

OL- Joey Ramos- Deer Valley

OL- Tyler Stevens- Hamilton

OL- Jonathan Nathaniel- Basha

DL- Odua Isibor- St. Mary's

DL- Dante Blissitt- Desert Edge

DL- Nami Tuitu'u- Mesa

DL- Andrew Nichols- Centennial

LB- Roshaun Johnson- Desert Edge

LB- Braden Valentine- Williams Field

LB- Rashie Hodge- Mountain Pointe

DB- Donovan Dalton- Saguaro

DB- Josiah Bradley- Saguaro

DB- Preston Smith- Mesquite

DB- Trevor Russell- Casa Grande

K/P- Jeffrey Mcguire- Pinnacle

Team Brett

QB- Ryan Kelley- Basha

QB- Brock Purdy- Perry

RB- TJ Green- Chandler

RB- Jawhar Jordan- Hamilton

RB- DeSean Goodman- Basha

WR- Nate James- Perry

WR- Chance Brewington- Hamilton

WR- Colby Dickie- Perry

TE- Tate Speaker- Perry

OL- Creston Cooledge- Valley Vista

OL- Eddie Rivas- Mountain Pointe

OL- Ben Thomas- Pinnacle

OL- Josiah Perry- Chandler

OL- Jessie Sandoval- Centennial

DL- Chris Manoa- Chandler

DL- Brayden Flynn- Hamilton

DL- Brandon Myree- Basha

DL- Connor McGhee- Desert Ridge

LB- Kyle Soelle- Saguaro

LB- Caleb McRae- Marana Mountain View

LB- Zach Bowers- Chandler

DB- Imani Lee- Chandler

DB- Tre Bugg- Williams Field

DB- Tavion Allen- Cesar Chavez

DB- Kenny Fultz- Perry

K/P- Cristian Zendejas- Perry

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