Editor’s note: As part of a 10-day project, the Star is looking back at the 2019 season, and asking five big questions about the fall. Today’s question: Who’s the next big star in Southern Arizona?
No one in the history of Southern Arizona high school football had a career like Bijan Robinson.
The Salpointe Catholic workhorse of a running back left behind such a legendary legacy, it’d be baffling to argue against him as the best rusher Arizona has produced.
While the next chapter for the Texas-bound Robinson — the first Tucsonan to play for the Longhorns — is a mystery, there’s no denying the impact he had as Salpointe Catholic’s starting running back:
- He rushed for 7,036 yards, Arizona’s big-school rushing record, and 114 touchdowns, another state record.
- He broke Salpointe Catholic’s single-game rushing record with a 430-yard, six-touchdown performance against Goodyear Desert Edge.
- He won the Ed Doherty Award, given to Arizona’s top player, in back-to-back seasons (2018-19), which no player in Arizona history has accomplished, and was named a MaxPreps All-American.
In a deep 2020 recruiting class in Arizona chock-full of Division-I talent, Robinson was the star who shined the brightest. There’s a reason why Robinson took photos with fans and signed autographs after every Salpointe Catholic game.
“What he did and what he accomplished is surreal, it’s amazing. He’s such a talented player and so gifted,” said first-year Salpointe Catholic head coach Eric Rogers, who was an assistant on the Lancers’ 2019 staff.
Robinson wasn’t alone in the star category. His Salpointe Catholic teammate, Lathan Ransom, proved to be one of the best defensive backs in the country and was a two-way standout for the Lancers as a safety and wide receiver and will play at Ohio State.
Robinson and Ransom were the stars of Southern Arizona’s 2020 class and their drive to greatness complimented each other.
“Their work ethic was second-to-none,” Rogers said. “Those guys outworked everyone and they’re still grinding right now. They have that mentality that knows what it takes to play at the next level. … Not everyone has that and wants to work that hard.
“You can have all the talent in the world, but you still have to have that work ethic.”
So, who’s next? Who are the next faces of Tucson’s juggernaut, Salpointe Catholic? Who are the next stars of Tucson?
Let’s start with Salpointe Catholic, where Robinson’s replacements at running back will be senior David Cordero and junior Anthony Wilhite.
Who are these guys? They are the Lancers’ top two returning rushers, who combined for 780 yards in 2019. Cordero was utilized in Salpointe Catholic’s offense more often than Wilhite and served as a complimentary back to Robinson.
But since Robinson was arguably the best running back in the country, he received the majority of the carries, and it didn’t help that Salpointe Catholic’s average margin of victory in 2019 was 43.4 points.
“It was just difficult to get all of our guys touches last year,” Rogers said. “David knows he’s got a great opportunity and he needs to be a focal point in our offense, there’s no doubt about it.
“I’m excited to watch David this year. He wants to go play big-time football so we want to give him the opportunity and see what he can do.”
Cordero scored nine touchdowns on 47 carries in 2019 and will now most likely takeover starting duties with Wilhite as the secondary running back.
Another player who was impactful in Salpointe Catholic’s offense was sophomore quarterback Treyson Bourguet, a transfer from Marana, who took over starting duties midway through the season after not receiving a hardship to play.
Bourguet completed 45 of 68 passes for 805 yards, 13 touchdowns and four interceptions in 2019, and 475 of those yards were from Salpointe Catholic’s two Open Division playoff games against Phoenix Pinnacle and Chandler.
The 6-foot-2-inch, 190-pound Bourguet currently holds one offer, from UA.
The next possible face of Tucson high school football could be a former Salpointe player, offensive lineman Jonah Miller.
The 6-8, 285-pound mountain of a man transferred to Sahuaro following the 2019 season and is one of the top offensive linemen in the 2021 recruiting class.
Miller currently holds offers from Oregon, Washington, USC, Florida, Texas, UA, Arizona State, Penn State, UCLA and Nebraska, among others. Miller is predicted to choose between USC and Oregon.
Then there’s Stevie Rocker, Robinson’s former Pop Warner and 7-on-7 teammate, who is entering his senior season at Canyon del Oro.
Rocker was Robinson’s full back when the two played together for the Marana Broncos in the Tucson Youth Football league. Rocker was the powerful running back, while Robinson was the flash and speed.
“It was fun. We were the dominant team in Tucson and we’d blow out teams by halftime,” Rocker said.
Rocker doesn’t have the five-star rating attached to his name on recruiting websites like Robinson, but he’s been a recognizable name in Southern Arizona over the last two seasons. Rocker has scholarship offers from Arizona, Cal, Nevada and BYU.
After rushing for 1,163 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2018, Rocker suffered a leg injury in CDO’s scrimmage against Walden Grove that sidelined him for half the regular season, but the Dorados found a spark in senior running back and Pusch Ridge Christian transfer Gavin Davis, who led the team with 864 rushing yards. The third-seeded Dorados were upset by Tempe Marcos de Niza 13-7 in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs.
“I’m expecting this year to be a lot better than last year. … We put CDO back on the map, so I just want to stay big and hopefully get bigger,” Rocker said.
Rocker? Bourguet? Miller?
They might not end their careers showered with accolades like Robinson, but these are just a few names who could end up being anointed as Tucson’s top player in 2020.
