No. 9 Walden Grove (8-3) at No. 1 Yuma Catholic (10-1)
Date: Friday
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Walden Grove coach: Corey Noble (55-26, eighth year at Walden Grove and overall). Won first playoff game in program history in last week’s win at Phoenix Northwest Christian.
Yuma Catholic coach: Rhett Stallworth (189-47, 19th year overall; 175-30, 16th year at Yuma Catholic). Won state championships in 2011, 2013 and 2014. Lost in last year’s 4A title game against CDO.
When Walden Grove has the ball:
Run percentage: 64.2 percent (364 rushes)
Pass percentage: 35.8 percent (203 passes)
Walden Grove, which achieved its first playoff win in program history last week, has been led on offense by efficient junior Kaleb Layton. He is the latest in a line of prolific quarterbacks recently at Walden Grove, including Alex Lopez, Jason Stevens and Gabriel Smith. Layton has completed 117 of 199 attempts for 1,901 yards with 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions. … Layton’s top target is senior WR Jayvon Coleman, who has 33 receptions for 630 yards with nine touchdowns. … The running game is very potent with bruising senior running backs Robert Cash III (198 carries for 1,001 yards with 11 touchdowns) and Carlos Montoya Jr. (625 yards rushing on 76 carries). Layton has also shown mobility with 202 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. … Yuma Catholic LB Rocky Stallworth, the coach’s son, leads the Shamrocks with 171 tackles (15 for loss) with 10 sacks. LB Shaun Carter has 140 tackles (10 for loss). … FS David Haines leads Yuma Catholic with three interceptions. … The Shamrocks have recorded 10 interceptions and 15 fumble recoveries.
When Yuma Catholic has the ball:
Run percentage: 44.1 percent (228 rushes)
Pass percentage: 55.9 percent (275 passes)
Yuma Catholic has a history of prolific passers, including Rhett Stallworth’s son Richard, who holds the state record for career passing yards of 12,590 from 2020 to 2022. … Junior QB Nash Ott has passed for 2,539 yards while completing 151 of 226 pass attempts with 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions. … Senior WR Sir Stokes is one of the top prospects in the state with 56 receptions for 1,177 yards with 13 touchdowns … RB Brenton Beck, a sophomore, leads the Shamrocks with 706 yards rushing on 121 carries. … Montoya has experienced a phenomenal year at linebacker with 108 tackles and 36.5 tackles for loss. He also has five sacks. … DE Steven Michael-Valdez, a junior, has 8.5 sacks and 18 quarterback hurries. … CB Jaxsen Philistine will be one of the top Class of 2026 defenders in the state next season. He is already one of the top players in Southern Arizona with six interceptions and 71 tackles (7.5 for loss). … Seniors Levi Mohler, a linebacker, and Jose Chafin, a safety, have combined for 117 tackles (8.5 for loss). … Walden Grove has 12 interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries.
Series record
First meeting between the schools.
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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 five years ago and is presently a special education teacher at Gallego Fine Arts Intermediate in the Sunnyside Unified School District
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