Editor’s note: This week, the Star is listing reasons why 2019 was one of the best high school football seasons in Arizona history. Today’s reason: quarterback play. Three QBs in particular were part of a passing revolution.
Consider these numbers: 6,607 total yards, 75 touchdowns and three playoff berths. That represents the combined stats of three of Tucson’s top high school quarterbacks in 2019.
Salpointe Catholic’s Treyson Bourguet, Walden Grove’s Alex Lopez and Sabino’s A.J. Skaggs each had a big hand in leading their teams to the playoffs last fall. During a season marked by Bijan Robinson’s record-setting rushing attack and the development of Division I prospects throughout Tucson, the quarterbacks’ success may not have received the attention it deserves. No longer: Here’s a look at the three quarterbacks, their numbers and how their teams fared:
Salpointe Catholic quarterback Treyson Bourguet verbally committed to Arizona on Wednesday, giving the Cats a 1-2 punch in the Class of 2022.
Treyson Bourguet, Salpointe Catholic
2019 stats: 7 games, 805 passing yards, 13 TDs, 66% completion
Bourguet sat out the first half of the season because of Arizona Interscholastic Association transfer rules, was named Salpointe Catholic’s starter in early October and then had an immediate impact.
Just a sophomore, Bourguet — who transferred from Marana — led the Lancers to an average of 48.5 points per game while showing a familiarity with the Lancers’ offense.
A week after tossing a career-high five touchdowns against Casa Grand Vista Grande, all in the first quarter, Bourguet and the Lancers hosted Phoenix Pinnacle in the first round of the Open Division playoffs. Tucson teams have often lived in the shadow of Phoenix teams, especially in the playoffs.
“I was on Twitter a little bit and I was reading all these things about how Salpointe couldn’t do it and Pinnacle was gonna get us,” Bourguet said. “I just used that as fuel.”
Bourguet threw for four touchdowns against one of the best defenses in Arizona. He needed just nine completions to gain 236 passing yards, an average of 26 yards per strike. The Lancers won handily, 48-10.
“That was my coming-out party,” Bourguet said. “When I’m playing with a smile on my face like that night, that’s when I’m most dangerous.”
Salpointe fell the following week to Chandler 24-16. Bourguet called it a “tough end” to the year, but felt he learned a lot in his first season with the team.
“My deep ball was good last year and I’m confident. But this year, I want to stay in the pocket more, work on my footwork and spread the ball around to my receivers even more.”
A.J. Skaggs, Sabino
2019 stats: 2,495 passing yards, 25 TDs, 65% completion percentage, 2 rushing TDs
The Sabino junior produced a breakout campaign in his second full season as the team’s starter. Skaggs set career highs in passing yards, touchdowns and completion percentage, guiding the Sabercats to the second round of the Class 3A state playoffs.
“Where I felt I improved was in my reads and my arm power,” Skaggs said. “As a sophomore, my ability to read a defense wasn’t too great and I progressed a lot in that area.”
It wasn’t until the end of the season when Skaggs felt he had started to put it all together.
“My best all-around games were against Sahuarita and then Safford in the playoffs,” Skaggs said.
In those contests, Skaggs averaged over 250 passing yards and threw for two touchdowns in each. Sabino won both games; 28-22 against Sahuarita and 30-19 versus Safford. Skaggs described those wins as games when he felt everyone on the team came together and he was making all the right decisions under center.
“It wasn’t my best in terms of numbers, but I think I found myself as a quarterback,” Skaggs said.
Walden Grove quarterback Alex Lopez.
Alex Lopez, Walden Grove
2019 stats: 2,337 passing yards, 25 TDs, 63% completion percentage, 924 rushing yards, 10 TDs
The dual-threat senior was part of the best season in Walden Grove history, and was named the Class 4A Gila Region Offensive Player of the Year. Lopez has been a nightmare matchup for opposing Tucson schools for the past several years.
“I’ve been told I have a somewhat of a cannon arm,” Lopez said “And I can run well as a QB, too.”
In his final season, Lopez had seven games with 200-plus passing yards, four games with over 100 rushing yards and two games with at least 200 passing yards and 100 rushing yards. The QB credits the rest of the senior class for the team’s 9-2 finish.
“We knew we wanted to be the ones that broke the program win record,” Lopez said
Despite losing in the opening round of the playoffs, Lopez thinks it was his most complete performance with the Red Wolves.
“I’ve watched a lot of film on it. I think that was my best game in terms of making the right reads and moving the ball downfield,” Lopez said.
