Canyon del Oro's Kayden Luke (30) high steps through the Yuma Catholic defense on his way to scoring in the second quarter of the 4A State Football Championship game, Tempe, Ariz., December 1, 2023.
Canyon del Oro's Grant Young (33) celebrates with teammate Canyon del Oro's Chase Laux (14) after his pick-six in the third quarter against Yuma Catholic in the 4A State Football Championship game, Tempe, Ariz., December 1, 2023.
Canyon del Oro's Chase Laux (14) out runs Yuma Catholic's Sir Stokes (2), left, and Dagen Dunn (12) to the end zone scoring in the second quarter of the 4A State Football Championship game, Tempe, Ariz., December 1, 2023.
Canyon del Oro High School football head coach Dustin Peace greets star running back Kayden Luke (30) returning to the sidelines after scoring against Yuma Catholic in the second quarter of the Arizona Class 4A State Football Championship game Friday in Tempe.
The Arizona high school football season has now come to a close. The Star's final "rundown" of the 2023 season includes a look back at Canyon del Oro's Class 4A championship β finishing off the Tucson two-fer after Sabino won the Class 3A title a week earlier.
Team of the week
Who else? The Canyon del Oro high school football team completed the Tucson areaβs first 14-0 season in 10 years.
CDO topped No. 1 seed Yuma Catholic (13-1) last week to win the state championship.
The Dorados were the Class 4A preseason No. 1 according to the Arizona Republic and Sollenbergerβs AZ Football Prep Magazine β and they lived up to the hype. They were so good they even flirted with making Open bracket, which was won eventually won by Peoria Liberty; Liberty ended up ranked No. 16 in the country.
Stat book
CDO senior KaydenLuke ran the ball 31 times for 217 yards and two touchdowns in the 4A state championship game. Luke finished the season with 2,307 yards, 164.8 per game.
CDO senior ChaseLaux ran the ball 4 times for 92 yards and two touchdowns against Yuma Catholic.
Throwback
At halftime of the 4A state championship game, the AIA honored the 1998 Sabino 4A state champions on the 25th anniversary of that achievement, as well as the 1973 Flagstaff Coconino state champions. Current Sabino coaches were there with the β90s Sabercats. The Coco squad from 50 years ago topped Flowing Wells 14-3 in that yearβs AA state title game.
β1K Bijan (dashing away emoji),β is how a post from @AtlantaFalcons read on X (Twitter). Salpointe Catholic alum BijanRobinson tied Williams Andrews as the fastest Atlanta Falcon to reach 1,000 yards from scrimmage on Sunday.
On the Hill
Last week Tucson congressman JuanCiscomanirecognized Sabinoβs 2023 state championship team at the U.S. House of Representatives with an address during the general speeches segment and with a team photo.
βThis title is a testament to the dedication of the players and the coaches, an incredible accomplishment they wonβt soon forget,β Ciscomani said.
βKnowing the quarterback, just read his eyes,β CDO senior GrantYoung told the Arizona Republic about his pick six in the state championship game. βI saw him look over, I took off coverage and next thing you know, the ballβs in my hand.β
Young had a 50-yard touchdown after an interception, giving the Dorados a sizable lead late in what ended up as their 35-27 win.
Going social
βCoach Peace you just won the state championship. What are you gonna do nextβ¦. I am gonna go to Disneyland!!!β Thatβs how @cdo_football celebrated the win with a post on X (Twitter). The post was accompanied by a video of CDO head coach DustinPeace with one of his sons interviewing him asking βcoach Peace, how does it feel after winning a state championship and where are you going to go next?β The post also had a family photo at Disneyland. After the state championship game Peace thanked his wife for her support.
Video Vault
Some key plays from CDO's championship-game victory:
Picture this
Photos from the title tilt in Tempe:
Photos: Canyon del Oro holds off Yuma Catholic 35-27 to win the 4A state football championship game