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.
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