Meet Southern Arizona's top high school football players of 2012.
First-team offense
QB: Tyler Williams, Sr., Ironwood Ridge - Offensive player of the year
The dynamic senior rushed for more than 1,000 yards (1,354) and passed for more than 1,000 (1,143) in helping to lead the Nighthawks to the Division II state championship.
RB: Johnny Peña, Sr., Salpointe Catholic
The four-year varsity player put a stamp on an accomplished career this year by rushing for 1,526 yards and 25 touchdowns for the 12-2 Lancers. He likely will end up playing for an Ivy League school at the next level.
RB: Anthony Braunreiter, Sr., Ironwood Ridge
Braunreiter was solid all season but turned it on even more in the postseason, rushing for 700 yards and 12 touchdowns in four playoff games to help the Nighthawks win a state title.
RB: Dominique Drake, Jr., Sierra Vista Buena
The new kid on the block, Drake was special in his first season in Southern Arizona after transferring from Maryland, rushing for 2,109 yards and 29 touchdowns.
WR: Luke Holley, Sr., Cienega
Holley hauled in 55 catches for 874 yards and and seven touchdowns this season for the Bobcats and was also one of the best punters in the state, averaging 43 yards per kick.
WR: Sunthi Danh, Sr., Sabino
Danh did multiple things well for the Sabercats offense, including rushing for 512 yards and seven scores, but he was mainly used at WR, where he caught 35 passes for 614 yards and seven more touchdowns.
TE: Matt Bushman, Jr., Sabino
Out of the tight end position, Bushman was the only receiver in Southern Arizona to have more than 900 yards, and he added 10 touchdowns on 41 catches. He was also a force on defense.
OL: Andrew Mike, Jr., Sabino
One of the most heavily recruited offensive linemen in the state, the left tackle was a big reason the Sabercats offense rushed for more than 2,700 yards and passed for more than 1,600.
OL: Travis Fister, Sr., Salpointe Catholic
The SMU commit anchored the best offensive line in Southern Arizona. He was a dominant run blocker for RB Johnny Peña and gave QBs Andrew Cota and Cameron Denson plenty of time to throw.
OL: Antonio Rosales, Sr., Tucson
Rosales committed to San Diego State before the season and then had a stellar senior year for the 7-3 Badgers, helping them gain more than 3,000 yards of total offense on the season.
OL: Gordon Longville, Sr., Ironwood Ridge
Longville was a two-way standout on the line for the Nighthawks, and on offense, he was a pivotal piece at guard, showing impressive skills as a run blocker for Tyler Williams and Anthony Braunreiter.
OL: Garrett Kohnke, Sr., Sahuaro
At 6 feet 3 inches and 235 pounds, Kohnke was another big body on an already big Sahuaro O-line. He was the Cougars' most consistent blocker on a team that gained more than 300 yards a game.
ATHLETE: Cameron Denson, Jr., Salpointe Catholic
Maybe the most exciting player in Southern Arizona, Denson racked up more than 2,000 yards of total offense and rushed for 1,026 yards on just 69 carries (14.87 yards per carry) and 18 TDs.
K: Robert Griffith, Sr., Cienega
The senior was a serious weapon for the Bobcats' special teams, converting on eight field goal tries, 51 point-after attempts and registering 41 touchbacks on 73 kickoffs.
First-team defense
DL: Carlos Carroll, Sr., Salpointe Catholic
A true linebacker, Carroll, who will play at SMU with Travis Fister, often played stand-up defensive end and made his presence felt with 94 total tackles on the season along with nine sacks and four forced fumbles.
DL: Robert Coleman, Sr., Ironwood Ridge
Coleman was a two-way starter for the Nighthawks and was as active as any defensive lineman in Southern Arizona, both stuffing the run and getting to the quarterback for 4 1/2 sacks.
DL: Isaiah Stroder, Sr., Sierra Vista Buena
Stroder was a consistent presence on the defensive line for the Colts and at 6-4, 265, he was hard to miss, especially with his 14 tackles for loss, 56 total tackles, 3 1/2 sacks, three forced fumbles and one interception.
DL: Edgar Teran, Sr., Nogales
Teran was the leader of the defensive line for the Apaches and managed to stand out, no matter who was Nogales' opponent, as evidenced by his 43 tackles, four sacks and two interceptions.
LB: Jake Casteel, Jr., Salpointe Catholic
In his first year at Salpointe, Casteel, the son of UA defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel, had 110 tackles, six sacks, five fumble recoveries and three interceptions and was everywhere for a potent Lancers defense.
LB: Taylor Powell, So., Salpointe Catholic
The leading tackler for the Lancers, Powell had a breakout sophomore season in which he had 117 tackles to lead his section and also added three forced fumbles and three sacks.
LB: Scott Simmons, Sr., Ironwood Ridge - Defensive player of the year
Simmons, who rarely came off the field for the Nighthawks, was the most critical piece for a stacked I-Ridge defense. He had nine sacks and an eye-popping six blocked punts on the season.
LB: Corbin Gouby, Jr., Mountain View
The junior led an athletic Mountain Lions defense in tackles with 80, including 12 in a playoff win over Cienega, and was the leader of a unit that improved drastically from 2011.
DB: John Robert Klass, Sr., Ironwood Ridge
Like several of his teammates, Klass saved his best game for the state championship, where he picked up 11 tackles to put the finishing touches on a stellar senior season that included 69 tackles.
DB: Jay Williams, Jr., Salpointe Catholic
A defensive playmaker if there ever was one, Williams may have been the most important piece of the Lancers defense and had four interceptions, returning two for TDs to go along with his 62 tackles.
DB: Matt Brindley, Sr., Sabino
The unquestioned leader of the Sabercats defense, Brindley led the team in tackles and had three defensive touchdowns, including a critical fumble recovery for a score in the opener against Cienega.
DB: Nick Colgate, Sr., Nogales
The senior picked off a Southern Arizona-best 11 passes from his safety spot this season and five times had two picks in a game to go along with his 78 tackles, 15 of which came in a first-round upset of Sabino.
ATHLETE: Jake Matthews, Sr., Ironwood Ridge
At 6-3, 205, Matthews was an imposing figure at linebacker for the Nighthawks and led the state champions in tackles with 94 and also had 7 1/2 sacks.
P: Tanner Fanning, Sr., Sahuarita
He wasn't needed much because the Mustangs had an electric offense, but when he did boot it away, Fanning averaged nearly 40 yards per punt and has an offer to play at Pima Community College.
Coach of the year
Matt Johnson, Ironwood Ridge
The obvious pick, Johnson led the program to its first-ever state championship and has been to at least the semis three straight seasons.
Second-team offense
QB: Adriell Alvarado, So., Cienega
RB: Kevionte Alexander, Sr., Rincon/University
RB: Richie Estrada, Jr., Mountain View
RB: Chris Snodgrass, Sr., Sahuarita
WR/RB: Brian McCarty, Sr., Nogales
WR: J.J. Gretta, Sr., Empire
TE: Zach Ayers, Sr., Mountain View
OL: Alex Rios, Sr., Sahuarita
OL: Vaughan Fontana, Sr., Cienega
OL: Dylan Greenberg, Sr., Salpointe Catholic
OL: Patrick Roemer, Sr., Mountain View
OL: Breeon Auzenne, Jr., Salpointe Catholic
Athlete: Jordan Hughes, Sr., Sabino
K: Luke Bakwell, Sr., Salpointe Catholic
Second-team defense
DL: James Kurtak, Sr., Salpointe Catholic
DL: Jason Fierro, Sr., Sahuaro
DL: Carlos Martinez, Sr., Sahuarita
DL: Alex Arnaud, Sr., Salpointe Catholic
LB: Coy Colgate, Fr., Nogales
LB: David De La Ossa, Sr., Sabino
LB: Austin Soszynski, Jr., Marana
LB: Daniel Neal, Sr., Sahuarita
DB: Cris Thorson, Sr., Ironwood Ridge
DB: Austin Trebilcock, Sr., Mountain View
DB: Cole Sterns, Jr., Sahuaro
DB: David Vega, Sr., Cienega
All-purpose: Thomas Romack, Sr., Sierra Vista Buena
P: Cody Rochon, Jr., Mountain View
Third-team offense
QB: Andrew Cota, Jr., Salpointe Catholic
RB: Alexander Howe, Sr., Sahuaro
RB: Spencer Woody, Sr., Empire
RB: Isaac Chacon, Sr., Canyon del Oro
WR: Ben Sims, Jr., Sierra Vista Buena
WR/RB: Donovan Moore, Jr., Tucson
TE: Mikey Lopez, Sr., Nogales
OL: Nick Horn, Sr., Empire
OL: William Partridge, So., Sierra Vista Buena
OL: Rhett Sutherland, Sr., Canyon del Oro
OL: Cody Gibson, Sr., Salpointe Catholic
OL: Jorge Felix, Sr., Flowing Wells
Athlete: Dominic Martinez, Sr., Sunnyside
K: Robert Gorman, Jr., Nogales
Third-team defense
DL: Eric Miller, Sr., Sahuarita
DL: Quintin Tigges, Sr., Canyon del Oro
DL: Aubrey Littelton, Jr., Sahuaro
DL: Chris Shicker, Sr., Rincon/University
LB: Joseph Zuta, Sr., Cienega
LB: Chance Hatfield, Jr., Empire
LB: Austin Goddard, So., Ironwood Ridge
LB: Nick Welchert, Sr., Salpointe Catholic
DB: Chris Goss, Sr., Sierra Vista Buena
DB: Levi Wallace, Sr., Tucson
DB: Tommy Ciaccio, Jr., Catalina Foothills
DB: Jake Noonan, Sr., Salpointe Catholic
All-purpose: Neil Kimberlin, Sr., Cienega
P: Fernando Rojas, Sr., Douglas
Honorable mention
Amphitheater: Roman Todorovich
Bisbee: Rey Chavez, Mike Edsall
Canyon del Oro: Max Anae, Ray Cruz
Catalina: Will Crandall, Marquise Moore
Catalina Foothills: Austin Baldwin
Cholla: Eliu Hernandez, Martin Osuna, David Sanchez
Cienega: Angel Holmes, Diavanni Johnson, Christian Nash, Jacob Reed, Carlos Ventura
Desert View: Dante Austin, Robert Jack
Douglas: Marcus Toscano, Grant Watkins
Empire: Grayson Weeks
Flowing Wells: Kevin de la Vara, Alfredo Pena, Wesley Pritchett
Ironwood Ridge: Julian Figueroa, Cole Kuglitsch, Devon Olivarez, Ryan Treiber, Joe Vetrano, Drew Yaglowski
Marana: Ben Honea, Travis Howard, Dennis Wilson
Mountain View: Brandon Cruz, Weston Kimmel, James Robinson, Justice Summerset
Nogales: Victor Chiquete, Wesley De Giuiseppe, Alan Garcia, Liviu Hernandez, Luis Lee, Jason Luna, Marcel Renteria, Chris Valencia
Palo Verde: Joseph Lewis, Rozario Martinez
Pueblo: Isaiah Clayton, Vincent Palma
Pusch Ridge Christian: Robert Ferrari, Kif Nichols
Rincon/University: Pete Akerele-Ale, Dominic Badalamenti, Andrew Cable
Rio Rico: Aaron Fanning, Mark Gastellum, Jose Valle
Sabino: Lee Holland, Zack Joseph, Cody Lloyd, Lukas Miller, Stephen Palmer, Adrian Ramos, Chance Stephens, Alex Turner
Safford: Chris Garrobo, Andrew Ornelas
Sahuarita: Armando Acedo, Olen Brown, Bryant Eaves, Aric Howard, Joey Howard, Josh Lee, Elliott McKinney, Sati Santa Cruz, Emilio Torres
Sahuaro: Laramie Brown, Nic Cisney, Derik Hall, Joseph Grono, Anthony Sabatino, Lucas Smith
Salpointe Catholic: Kevin Hamlett, Justin Holt, Brogan Kemmerly, Donovan Olumba, Austin Sene, Austin Weaver
San Manuel: Anthony Garcia, Danny Quijada
Santa Rita: Elijah Anderson, Gary Uselton
Sierra Vista Buena: Rafael Adames, Alex Allen, David Riehle, D.J. Schroder, Cliff Taylor, Jacob Valdez
Sunnyside: Izzy Calvillo, Kevin Hernandez, Aurelio Gonzalez, Christian Oropeza
Tanque Verde: Jonah Coldiron, Connor Drenkhahn
Thatcher: Jacob Drage, Garrett Kartchner
Tombstone: William Braswell
Tucson: Andres Castro, Matt Read, Marcos Romero, Markell Simmons, Cameron Volk
Walden Grove: Johnny Dominiguez, Jesus Gomez, Carlos Martinez, Alan Robles
Willcox: Tanner Hogue, Isaac Samudio
