No. 12 Paradise Honors (7-4) at No. 4 Pusch Ridge (10-1)
Date: Friday
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Paradise Honors coach: Josh Goodloe (33-18, fifth year at Paradise Honors and overall)
Pusch Ridge coach: Kent Middleton (44-12, fifth year at Pusch Ridge and overall)
PARADISE HONORS
Leading passer: QB Nolan Rau, Jr., 124-240, 1,937 yards, 25 TDs, 6 INTs
Leading rusher: RB Charles Van Dyke, So., 144-645, 7 TDs
Leading receiver: WR Preston Brown, Jr., 53-1,244, 14 TDs
Leading tackler: DE Elijah Garcia, 71
Leader in sacks: Garcia, 10
Leader in interceptions: CB Flavio Kano Jr., 5
PUSCH RIDGE
Leading passer: QB Jacob Newborn, 115-188, 1,622 yards, 23 TDs, 5 INTs
Leading rusher: Newborn, 80-565, 13 TDs
Leading receiver: WR Nate Campa, Jr., 38-518, 7 TDs
Leading tackler: LB Tyler Shoaff, Sr., 111
Leader in sacks: DE Aaron Kenworthy, 7
Leader in interceptions: LB Noah Miller, 5
NOTES
Pusch Ridge is trying to get to the semifinal round of the 3A playoffs for the third time under Kent Middleton, who is only in his fifth year as the head coach. The Lions lost in the semifinals in 2020 to Yuma Catholic and 2022 to Mesa Eastmark. … Paradise Honors lost to Sabino in the 3A state championship game last season. The Panthers lost prolific-passing QB Gage Baker to graduation. Baker became only the third QB in Arizona high school history to surpass 11,000 career passing yards. … Paradise Honors WR Preston Brown is second in the state with 1,244 yards receiving. … The programs have met only once before, early in the 2022 season at Pusch Ridge and the Lions routed Paradise Honors 63-28. Bubba Mustain passed for 332 yards and five TDs in that game.
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon. He became an educator in 2016 and is presently a special education teacher at Sunnyside High School in the Sunnyside Unified School District.
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