
Pusch Ridge’s Javier Grajeda is closing in on 1,000 yards rushing this season after serving as a backup to Evan Lovett last seasons. The Lions (8-2) open the 3A state tournament Friday night as the No. 7 seed hosting No. 10 Thatcher. Empire’s Jake Lambert, another senior, will also go for 1,000 yards this season when the Ravens (5-4) look to clinch a winning record in the regular season for only the second time in the last eight years when they host Catalina Foothills (4-4) on Friday night. The game between Empire and Catalina Foothills is essentially for the 4A Gila title.
2025 Southern Arizona Rushing Leaders
Stats compiled from MaxPreps provided by coaches and schools. *Denotes Class 1A (8-man football) player.| Player | School | Yr | Yds | Car | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Lujan | Buena | Sr | 1,455 | 199 | 15 |
| *Cedar Haynie | St. David | Sr | 1,450 | 136 | 19 |
| Jaylee Abraham | Desert View | So | 1,421 | 141 | 27 |
| *Myles Richardson | Valley Union | Sr | 1,380 | 92 | 16 |
| Diego Ibarra | Santa Cruz Valley | So | 1,282 | 129 | 13 |
| Drake Davis | Mountain View | So | 1,239 | 175 | 10 |
| Jayden Simmons | Flowing Wells | Sr | 1,173 | 124 | 19 |
| Kaleb Cooke | Willcox | Jr | 1,002 | 96 | 10 |
| Jeffrey Smith III | Marana | So | 992 | 128 | 12 |
| Noah Chanez | Tucson | Sr | 973 | 125 | 12 |
| Zachari Haley | Sabino | Sr | 950 | 117 | 9 |
| Ismail Cuevas | Willcox | Sr | 777 | 113 | 13 |












