The Star is counting down the top football players in Southern Arizona in the weeks leading up to the season. First up: Salpointe Catholic’s Dae han Chang and Connor Witthoft, who look to cap off their senior seasons with a state championship.
DAE HAN CHANG
The rundown: Chang is a 5-foot-7-inch, 170-pound senior at Salpointe Catholic.
Who he is: Salpointe Catholic’s Mario Padilla graduated, and is now a walk-on at Ole Miss. His replacement at Salpointe is Chang, who steps into the starting role after filling in for the injured Padilla for parts of the 2018 season. Chang finished the season fourth on the team with 743 all-purpose yards behind Padilla, Bijan Robinson and Ohio State commit Lathan Ransom.
“It was good playing under Mario last year and learning from him. A lot of people say we’re the same person, on and off the field,” Chang said. “He taught me how to be a leader and helped me develop as a player last year.”
With Padilla gone, Chang will be given the opportunity to carry the load as a wide receiver and kick returner.
Proof he’s good: Chang recorded back-to-back 134-yard games against Tucson High and Sahuaro last season, and had five catches for 77 yards and a touchdown in the state championship loss to Scottsdale Saguaro. Expect even better numbers from Chang in 2019.
He said it: “He’s gotta replace Mario for us. He’s the guy that can do many things offensively for you: return kicks, he can run the wildcat (offense) if we need to and he’s very versatile. We just need to get him the ball because he always does good things when the ball is in his hands. … He showed up big for us in the state championship.” — Salpointe Catholic coach Dennis Bene
Connor Witthoft transferred to Salpointe Catholic after starting his high school career at Catalina Foothills. He has appeared in three state championship games in as many years.
CONNOR WITTHOFT
The rundown: Witthoft is a 6-4, 215-pound senior at Salpointe Catholic.
Who he is: Witthoft has played at the varsity level ever since his freshman season, when his Catalina Foothills team advanced to the Class 4A state championship. Witthoft transferred to Salpointe Catholic, where he shared time at tight end with Xavier Farhang last season. Witthoft caught six passes for 42 yards and served as a run-blocker for one of the top rushing attacks in Southern Arizona.
Witthoft, team captain, will start at tight end and defensive end as a senior. He’s also the Lancers’ starting punter. Witthoft said he’s itching for a state title after making three championship games in as many seasons, losing each time to Scottsdale Saguaro.
“I’m gonna try my hardest this season to finally come out on top,” he said. “Scottsdale Saguaro added some big guys, but beating them and coming out on top is the main goal. I want to finally win a state championship.”
Proof he’s good: Witthoft doesn’t yet have a Division I offer, but he’s received attention from Power 5 schools. He has taken unofficial visits to Oregon State and Northwestern, and has been in contact with San Diego State and San Jose State.
He said it: “It’d be really nice to get him a ring. He’s just a great kid, excellent teammate, really coachable and he’s extremely important to our team. He’s going to play both sides of the ball and be our starting punter, so he’s pretty vital to our success. … He added length and size to our front seven, but Connor has lost a little weight and he’s more athletic.
“He has more pop this year than he did last year so he’s going to be a wonderful addition to our defense.” — Bene
