Editorβs note: The Star is counting down the 22 best high school football players in Southern Arizona, in no particular order.
Name: Treyson Bourguet
The rundown: Bourguet is a 6-foot-2, 190-pound junior at Salpointe Catholic High School
Who he is: Although the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the high school football season in Southern Arizona, this summer was still productive for Bourguet, who is now in his second season as Lancersβ quarterback.
In June, Salpointe Catholic was one of two teams β the other being Pusch Ridge Christian β in Tucson to begin its re-entry plan under its own guidance. The months of pod workouts and cautious training sessions allowed the Lancers to develop a bond on the field.
For a Salpointe offense that lost its entire receiving corps from last season β All-American running back Bijan Robinson (Texas) and Pac-12 offensive linemen Bruno Fina (UCLA) and Jonah Miller (Oregon) β connection is essential.
βWeβve created this family friendship that canβt be matched. Iβve met new people and became close with people β¦ and itβs all because of this COVID thing,β Bourguet said.
One of those friendships could result in a number of touchdowns for Salpointe this season, when the Lancers resume play against Sierra Vista Buena on Friday.
Southern California transplant and former Mater Dei High School wide receiver Elijah Barclay, who holds scholarship offers from TCU and Purdue, transferred to Salpointe during the summer and immediately became close with Bourguet. Bourguet and Barclay connected on four passes for 82 yards in the Lancersβ 29-21 season-opening win over Casa Grande.
βWeβve already got this quarterback-receiver chemistry,β Bourguet said. βI knew he was the real deal.β
Quarterback Treyson Bourguet pitches to a back during preseason practice for the Salpointe Lancers, Tucson, Ariz., August 7, 2019.
Besides building relationships with teammates and the new coaching stuff under first-year head coach Eric Rogers, the other important part to Bourguetβs summer was when he verbally committed to the hometown Arizona Wildcats over Vanderbilt in August.
βCommitting to my hometown was a big move not just for me but the whole state of Arizona,β Bourguet said.
Bourguet became the second in-state player to join UAβs 2022 recruiting class, joining Chandler wide receiver Kyion Grayes.
Bourguet is considered one of the top players in Arizona, but that reputation was built in a limited amount of time. As a freshman, Bourguet backed up his older brother, Trenton, at Marana High School. After sitting out the first half of the 2019 season due to the Arizona Interscholastic Associationsβs transfer rules, Bourguet threw for 805 yards and 13 touchdowns in seven games for Salpointe.
Now his junior season is limited with an already condensed schedule along with the teamβs two-week quarantine after one player tested positive for the coronavirus. Bourguet may never play an entire season until his final hurrah at Salpointe, but heβs expected to show why heβs considered arguably the top player in Southern Arizona. The best has yet to come, according to Salpointeβs head coach.
βWeβre going to see a lot of that over the next several weeks when we get to playing some more football,β Rogers said. βI donβt think weβve really seen just yet where heβs going to come to shine. We still have a great surrounding cast and he just needs to go out there, take what the defense gives us and weβll be just fine.β
Bourguet could end up being the most underrated quarterback to ever sling the ball in Tucson.
βWhen Iβm done with this high school football thing, everyone will remember who I am and what I did even if that means I get to only play one full season. Iβm just super excited and blessed to be a part of the Salpointe program and I just want to leave my mark.β
Proof heβs good: Bourguetβs commitment to the UA didnβt prevent other schools from recruiting him hard. Louisville, Colorado, NC State, Maryland and Oregon State, among others, offered the pro-style Bourguet in September.
βIβm not going to take anything for granted,β Bourguet said. βI love the relationships that Iβve built and that Iβm going to build. Itβs a dream come true for me.β
Bourguet is rated by 247Sports.com as a three-star quarterback and the 12th-best prospect in Arizona for the 2020 recruiting cycle.
A lot would have to happen for another school to sway Bourguet away from UA considering the close connection with offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone and head coach Kevin Sumlin.
βItβs a father-son relationship (with Mazzone),β Bourguet said. βCoach Mazzone is a father to me. Calling him, his energy and humor is awesome. I feel like I could talk to him about anything. I canβt wait to play under him in that system. Same with Sumlin; Heβs always been good to me and the other recruits.β
Bourguetβs older brother, who was the top-rated player in the Starβs 2018 countdown, was recently named the backup quarterback at Arizona State.
The former Marana quarterback joined the Sun Devils as a walk-on last season, and if the Bourguets play their cards right, thereβs a chance Treyson and Trenton could quarterback against each other in future Territorial Cup games.
βThat would be unreal and it seems more and more likely that itβs going to happen. β¦ It doesnβt seem real to me, it sounds like something that would be in a movie,β Bourguet said.
He said it: βIβve talked to him a lot this offseason about (last seasonβs Open Division playoff loss to Chandler) last year, and heβs very, very competitive. I really saw him grow up in that football game. Thatβs a big-boy football game right there, and the way he handled himself β I mean, he got knocked around and it was physical. It was everything you ever want in a football game, and he really grew and matured in that game in my eyes. β Rogers
