ALLSPORTSTUCSON.COM CONTINUES ITS 50 POSTS FOR THE 50-DAY COUNTDOWN TO THE 2025 SEASON THAT STARTS AUG. 22 FOR SOME SOUTHERN ARIZONA SCHOOLS WITH A LOOK AT A LIST OF TOP CLASS OF 2026 KICKOFF AND PUNT RETURNERS. CATCH UP WITH ALL THE POSTS BY CLICKING HERE.
.@_TucsonHigh ATH @ChanezNoah is one of the most versatile football players in the state. He can play running back and return punts and kickoffs at an elite level. Caught up with him at the @BJMedia1 Southern Arizona Media Day at Jet Sports Training. pic.twitter.com/pYldRphc6d
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) August 16, 2025
TOP CLASS OF 2026 SOUTHERN ARIZONA KICKOFF & PUNT RETURNERS
Honor selections made by region coaches following last season.Honors are listed by region - 1 indicates first-team selection, 2 is second team and H is honorable mention.
*Denotes player who was also an all-conference selection.
| Kickoff Returners | School | Ht | Wt | Hnr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron Armstrong | Casa Grande | 5-5 | 170 | 5A1 |
| Myles Richardson | Valley Union | 5-9 | 155 | 1A1* |
| Jaden Rogers | Cienega | 6-2 | 175 | 5A2 |
| Liam Lewis | Mountain View | 5-10 | 170 | 5A2 |
| Cedar Haynie | St. David | 5-10 | 175 | 1A2 |
| Punt Returners | School | Ht | Wt | Hnr |
| Jayden Thomas | Buena | 5-10 | 165 | 5A1 |
| Riley Carson | Mica Mountain | 6-0 | 173 | 4A1* |
| Josiah Jones | Pusch Ridge | 6-0 | 150 | 3A1 |
| Kameron Pippen | Palo Verde | 5-9 | 180 | 2A1 |
| Noah Chanez | Tucson | 5-7 | 160 | 5A2 |
| Xavier Shelton | Sahuaro | 6-0 | 140 | 4A2 |
| Hunter Wright | Bisbee | 5-11 | 150 | 2A2 |
| Tanner Decker | San Manuel | 5-9 | 160 | 1A2 |
TOP RETURNING CLASS OF 2026 KICKOFF RETURNERS
| Player | School | KR | Avg. |
| Armstrong | CG | 6 | 52.0 |
| Chanez | Tucson | 15 | 43.5 |
| Haynie | StD | 13 | 33.1 |
| Rogers | Cienega | 10 | 32.0 |
| Richardson | VU | 15 | 31.3 |
| Lewis | MtV | 11 | 26.5 |
| Winton | Sabino | 8 | 17.3 |
TOP RETURNING CLASS OF 2026 PUNT RETURNERS
| Player | School | PR | Avg. |
| Chanez | Tucson | 5 | 26.2 |
| Wright | Bisbee | 10 | 20.4 |
| Carson | MM | 34 | 14.9 |
| Thomas | Buena | 22 | 14.9 |
| Jones | PR | 22 | 12.3 |
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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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