Passing duo moves up in state ranking

Prep Football Notebook
by Jason Stone

If the passing duo of Phillip Aholt and Kyle Watkins was not already considered one of the top combinations in the state, statistics now prove it. Aholt’s big game against Coronado last week (247 passing yards) has put him second in the state at all levels in total yards, while Watkins vaulted to the No. 1 spot for receiving yards.

Aholt enters this week’s big matchup against Higley with 1,002 passing yards–509 of them via Watkins. The pair has hooked up on 10 of Aholt’s 13 touchdown passes.

Running back Eric Gorraiz, meanwhile, has 611 yards through five games after notching his third 100‑yard game of the season last week. The total is best in the Wells Fargo 2 Region.

Making the long trip to Anthem

Cobre High School will make the long bus ride from New Mexico to Anthem this week to take on Boulder Creek. But don’t expect the Jaguars to feel they have an advantage going into the game. Boulder Creek made a similar trip in Week 2 when it played in Las Vegas against Silverado.

“I don’t think the bus ride to Vegas affected us very much,” Jaguars coach Scott Heideman said about his team’s 28‑7 loss at Silverado. “I’m not much on bus rides affecting playing ability.”

That’s easy for Heideman to say. As a former athlete at Flagstaff High School, Heideman had to travel fair distances for just about every road game.

“It really depends on how early they get here,” Heideman said about this week’s opponent fighting bus lag.

O’Connor to make push on the road

It appears O’Connor will need some help if it wants another postseason appearance. The Eagles play four of their final six games on the road and already have an uphill climb in the power point rankings.

The top 16 teams qualify for the 5A Division‑II tournament, but O’Connor’s 38‑0 loss to Deer Valley last week dropped the Eagles to 18th in the rankings.

The Eagles still have trips to Mountain Ridge, North Canyon, Goldwater and San Luis. They will host Kingman and Trevor Browne.

Reach the reporter at jason@thedesertadvocate.com.