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 QUARTERBACKS AS DETERMINED BY COACHES. CATCH UP WITH ALL THE POSTS BY CLICKING HERE.
.@BuenaColtsFB senior QB @kaleb_Layton4 is excited about the opportunity with Joe Thomas’ Colts, especially knowing he is eligible the whole season after transferring from Walden Grove to Buena because his parents moved from Sahuarita to Sierra Vista. pic.twitter.com/JxvQQ0F032
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) August 17, 2025
TOP RETURNING CLASS OF 2026 SOUTHERN ARIZONA QUARTERBACKS
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.
a-Buena's Kaleb Layton is a transfer Walden Grove
| PLAYER | SCHOOL | Ht | Wt | Yr | Hnr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colten Meyer | Marana | 6-1 | 180 | Sr. | 5A1* |
| Derek Mesa | Tucson | 6-0 | 190 | Sr. | 5A1 |
| Jaiden Martinez | Ironwood Ridge | 5-8 | 168 | Sr. | 5A1 |
| Ivan Higuera | Douglas | 5-8 | 150 | Sr. | 4A1 |
| Chad Johnson | Thatcher | 6-0 | 164 | Sr. | 3A1 |
| Kaleb Layton-a | Buena | 6-2 | 170 | Sr. | 5A2 |
| Jose Cardona Jr. | Maricopa | 5-10 | 170 | Sr. | 5A2 |
| Dawson Judd | Benson | 5-11 | 175 | Sr. | 2A2 |
| Rayce Alvarez | Salpointe | 6-0 | 190 | Sr. | 6AH |
| Luke Keeton | Casa Grande | 5-10 | 160 | Sr. | 5AH |
| Julian Hainley | Cienega | 5-10 | 175 | Sr. | 5AH |
| Marcos Vasavilbaso | Desert View | 6-1 | 156 | Sr. | 5AH |
| Raymond Duarte | Sunnyside | 5-9 | 170 | Sr. | 5AH |
| Jevyn Elliott | Safford | 6-4 | 220 | Sr. | 3AH |
| Manzo Blackwell | Sahuaro | 5-11 | 150 | Sr. | 4AH |
| Jacob Jackson | Rincon/UHS | 5-8 | 165 | Sr. | 4AH |
| Kason Garcia | Baboquivari | -- | -- | Sr. | 1AH |
TOP RETURNING CLASS OF 2026 QUARTERBACKS
* Rushed for more than 200 yards
| Player | School | ATT | CMP | YDS | TD |
| Meyer | Marana | 294 | 399 | 3687 | 30 |
| Keeton* | CG | 164 | 273 | 2755 | 28 |
| Layton* | Buena | 121 | 210 | 1943 | 19 |
| Cardona* | Maricopa | 142 | 249 | 1938 | 15 |
| Mesa | Tucson | 113 | 202 | 1872 | 24 |
| Martinez* | IRHS | 135 | 226 | 1864 | 21 |
| Hainley | Cienega | 94 | 179 | 1607 | 13 |
| Higuera* | Douglas | 99 | 165 | 1437 | 16 |
| Judd* | Tucson | 93 | 167 | 1261 | 17 |
| Johnson* | Thatcher | 76 | 135 | 1135 | 10 |
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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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