Mica Mountain junior Riley Carson gets 2nd shot at state title this year

As a new school playing in its third season with a full varsity schedule, the state championship game is uncharted territory for many on the Mica Mountain football team — but not for all.

Mica Mountain junior Riley Carson will be making his second state championship appearance of 2024 this Friday when the Thunderbolts face Chandler Arizona College Prep for the Class 4A football title.

In February, Carson helped Mica Mountain’s boys soccer team reach the state final before falling 4-1 to Salpointe Catholic.

“I don’t think it’s disappointment at all,” Carson said. “It’s being a very young team, football is a young team, but soccer was even younger, not being able to start the first year.

“So, making it into that state championship, making that run, unfortunately, losing sucks, obviously, but being able to make that run so early, it was a really good look for the program.”

Last year, Mica Mountain boys soccer went 17-6 in its second competitive season and Carson was fourth on the team in goals with seven.

Not just a two-sport star, Carson — receiver/safety/kicker/punter/kick returner/punt returner — is very busy on the football field.

“I’m not gonna lie and say that I’m the biggest soccer fan, so I was a little nervous about a soccer player playing football and he has changed my opinion about everything,” said Mica Mountain defensive coordinator Brett Darling. “He is a football player. I don’t think of a single kid on our team who’s had more of an impact in all the little areas … when it comes to all the little things, field position, last year we couldn’t catch punts, so we always started inside our own 20, now we’re starting at our 40 or their side because he’s catching punts and running them.

“His punts are booming, so we’re pinning kids, it’s awesome to be a defensive coach when the teams always starting at the 20 after kickoffs or inside the 10 after punts,” he added. “I mean, he has transformed this game for us in ways.”

On offense this year, he has 15 catches for 377 yards and on defense, he has six interceptions for 189 yards. On special teams, he has kicked 47 touchbacks, has 41.1 yards punting, five kickoff returns for 104 yards and 32 punt returns for 476 yards.

“Personally, I couldn’t be more happy with my season,” Carson said. “Being able to play multiple sides of the ball in different ways, it’s just been a lot of fun, a lot of opportunities to make plays and I’m glad the coaches trust me to do so.”

He made the All 4A Kino team in football twice this year, first team as a punt returner and second team as a punter and was also honorable mention.

Last season he was second-team All-4A Gila in soccer.

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“Wow, Riley is just a special athlete, he’s a tremendous soccer player and he’s one of those great kids,” said Mica Mountain head coach Pat Nugent. “He was a kicker/punter for us last year, we knew he was a great player on the JV team, but he only played a little bit because we needed him on the varsity.”

Last week, in the Thunderbolts’ 24-14 win at No. 1 Yuma Catholic, he had 4 catches for 81 yards and an interception he returned 38 yards.

“Defensively, he’s a ballhawk,” Darling said. “He just goes out to the ball, he catches it, he’s had two interceptions this year that didn’t count because of interference somewhere else on the field.

“He makes plays everywhere he is.”

Since he was to play on offense, defense and most of the special teams, Carson made sure to be prepared, but his teammates did help him out.

“Well, I had to definitely make sure I did all my conditioning in preseason because what we do preseason reflects in the regular season,” Carson said. “And I just got used to it, first couple games got tiring, but it really helped when we were beating teams and didn’t have to play the full game.”

The Thunderbolts have outscored opponents this season 492-78.

When they make stops on defense, being a punt returner who punts has advantages.

“Absolutely. I think being a punt returner while also being a punter, you understand how the ball is gonna rotate and that’s only led me to have two drops out of the whole year and I’ve been punt turning all year,” Carson said.

Regardless of what happens Friday, Carson may get another chance for a title on the pitch. He expects the soccer team to contend for the state title again.

“I think we’re gonna be really good this year,” Carson said. “It’s our young team that we started with two years ago when I was a freshman and now we’re all back and we’re all bigger, stronger, and now we have team chemistry.”