Goodyear Desert Edge's Gavin Broscious was barreling down, headed directly for Salpointe Catholic linebacker Davian Carrasco.
It seemed like a matchup Desert Edge would like. Broscious, a Michigan State commit, is 6 feet 5 inches and 305 pounds. Carrasco is 5-7, 170.
The Lancers' defense kept prevailing however, and stuffing Desert Edge running back Christopher Cordero at the line of scrimmage. Cordero finished last week's Class 5A state semifinal game with 138 yards on 22 carries. Take away a 46-yard run, however, and he averaged just 4.3 yards per tote.
The Lancers prevailed in the 5A semis; to win Friday night's state title game in Tempe, Salpointe Catholic (11-2) is going to need another outsized performance from its feisty defense.
“(Broscious) was probably the meanest kid I’ve ever played against,” Carrasco said. “He was a great athlete, but something that we have on defense that is bigger than any offensive line is our hearts. That’s something I’ve noticed: When you look around at our defense, it is nothing but kids willing to play for the players to the left and right of them.”
And when the other team has a size advantage in the trenches, well, the Lancers dominate the line of scrimmage regardless.
Jace Springer, Damian Coley, and Elijah Rushing can play above their weight up front, and it’s been hard for opponents to keep Carrasco and Connor Raetzman, the Lancers' outside linebackers, out of the backfield. TMiddle linebacker Joey Sumlin leads the team with 86 tackles.
Salpointe Catholic's Mason Sanchez drags down Goodyear Desert Edge's Vinny Mansfield during last week's win.
It’s clear the tenacity of second-year coach Eric Rogers, who was a linebacker and team captain for UConn's only FCS playoff appearance in 1998, has rubbed off on his players.
“At the end of the day, it’s about being gap-sound,” Rogers said. “It’s alignment, doing your assignment, and then it’s playing fast and playing physical. A lot of that has to do with kids being familiar with our defense. It was brand new last year but now, they’re familiar with what they need to do.”
Salpointe will go up against another strong rushing attack on Friday. Top-seeded Scottsdale Horizon (10-2) boasts running back Wesley Lambert, who has racked up 1,551 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns this year. Quarterback Skyler Partridge, who has more than 2,000 passing yards and 30 touchdowns, has also been a factor in the run game, rushing for 640 yards and seven scores.
Those stats back up what is readily apparent upon seeing Horizon’s sizable offensive line plus tight end Matthew Klopfenstein, who holds offers from Michigan, Iowa State, and Arizona among others. The group can be a handful.
But Salpointe has shown a consistent ability to create just the room it needs, on both sides of the ball.
Having running back Anthony Wilhite makes it a little easier. Wilhite has 1,454 rushing yards with 18 rushing touchdowns this year, and he seems to be at his best late in games.
After a 114-yard fourth quarter against Notre Dame Prep in the 5A quarterfinals, Wilhite rushed for 110 yards in the second half against Desert Edge.
“Anthony means a lot to this team,” Carrasco said. “I’ve not only seen Anthony grow to be a great running back but the way he’s led this team as a leader, it’s truly amazing.”
