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 DEFENSIVE LINEMEN AS DETERMINED BY COACHES. CATCH UP WITH ALL THE POSTS BY CLICKING HERE.
.@SValdez2026 is a senior tight end/defensive end with @FB_RedWolves who has committed to @NMStateFootball. One of the top prospects in the state, Valdez had 41 tackles last year, 14.5 for loss with 8.5 sacks. He has 26.5 TFL and 14.5 sacks in the last two seasons. Caught up with… pic.twitter.com/w0o3ONEad7
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) August 17, 2025
TOP CLASS OF 2026 SOUTHERN ARIZONA DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
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.
| Player | School | Ht | Wt | Hnr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noah Bahnie | Salpointe | 6-0 | 290 | 6A1 |
| Hayden Utley | Marana | 6-2 | 265 | 5A1* |
| Andrei Davis-Lopez | Cienega | 6-2 | 215 | 5A1 |
| Taysean Romero | Tucson | 5-8 | 205 | 5A1 |
| Dennis Davis | Mountain View | 5-10 | 260 | 5A1 |
| Ruben White | Maricopa | 6-8 | 230 | 5A1 |
| Isaiah Castillo | Sahuarita | 6-1 | 300 | 4A1 |
| Aaron Kenworthy | Pusch Ridge | 6-3 | 185 | 3A1* |
| Fabian Hernandez | Bisbee | 6-1 | 240 | 2A1* |
| Isaac Wilson | St. David | 6-0 | 175 | 1A1* |
| Lucas Mata | Sunnyside | 6-1 | 190 | 5A2 |
| Trenton Williams | Buena | 6-3 | 218 | 5A2 |
| Justin Elder | Marana | 6-1 | 219 | 5A2 |
| Angel Armenta | Walden Grove | 6-2 | 185 | 4A2 |
| Boden Eustis | Empire | 6-5 | 245 | 4A2 |
| Steven Valdez | Walden Grove | 6-3 | 250 | 4A2 |
| Landon Robbins | Thatcher | 6-1 | 230 | 3A2 |
| Michael Sciarra | San Tan Foothills | 6-3 | 240 | 3A2 |
| Robert Ibarra | Santa Cruz Valley | 6-1 | 220 | 2A2 |
| Christian Teeters | Willcox | 5-11 | 195 | 2A2 |
| Julien Sanchez | Mountain View | 5-8 | 185 | 5AH |
| Xavier Carr | Buena | 5-8 | 255 | 5AH |
| Blaze Ferguson | Vista Grande | 6-0 | 290 | 5AH |
| Kayin Lewis | Ironwood Ridge | 5-9 | 168 | 5AH |
| Xzavier Montano | Tucson | 5-7 | 140 | 5AH |
| George Percy | Tucson | 6-5 | 285 | 5AH |
| Andres Pinedo | Desert View | 5-11 | 185 | 5AH |
| Dominik Soto | Flowing Wells | 5-9 | 170 | 5AH |
| Jack Cartwright | Catalina Foothills | 6-0 | 197 | 4AH |
| Emilio Robledo | Cholla | 6-0 | 210 | 4AH |
| Riley Dennis | Amphi | 5-11 | 180 | 4AH |
| Colin Duncan | Sahuarita | 6-1 | 200 | 4AH |
| Julian Perez | Sahuaro | 5-8 | 215 | 4AH |
| Phillip Flores | Florence | 5-9 | 205 | 3AH |
| Andree Moore | Sabino | 5-11 | 195 | 3AH |
| Dominick Ulloa | Sabino | 5-11 | 195 | 3AH |
| Isaac Ndatimana | Palo Verde | -- | -- | 2AH |
| Elizerio De Dios | Santa Cruz | -- | -- | 2AH |
| Gabriel Perez | Tanque Verde | 5-10 | 235 | 2AH |
| Cole Walker | Catalina | -- | -- | 2AH |
TOP RETURNING CLASS OF 2026 DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
| Player | School | Tkl | TFL | SKS |
| Hernandez | Benson | 135 | 15.5 | 13 |
| Kenworthy | PR | 92 | 27 | 7.5 |
| Utley | Marana | 80 | 21 | 13 |
| Ndatimana | PV | 77 | 12 | 1 |
| Cartwright | CF | 70 | 17 | 8 |
| Mata | SS | 68 | 10 | 6 |
| Williams | Buena | 68 | 4 | 5 |
| Davis-Lopez | Cienega | 61 | 24 | 12 |
| Romero | Tucson | 57 | 7 | 7 |
| Robbins | Thatcher | 57 | 2 | 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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