2008 24-7Football.com All 5A1 Team
QB- Kevin Yost- Mt. Ridge- Accounted for nearly 3,000 yards of offense and 30 TDs.
Honorable Mention- Blake Decker- Mt. View, Trevor Eggleston- Salpointe, Brandon Cluff- Chavez, Zak Hambsch- Hamilton
RB- Max Leonesio (JR)- Brophy- Replaced Ray Polk and rushed for over 2,000 yards.
RB- Michael Lange (JR)- Corona del Sol- One of the hardest running players I saw all year. Lange was his region’s player of the year, rushing for 1,400 yards and 20 TDs.
Honorable Mention- Christian Ramirez- Salpointe, Jacob Brimhall- Mt. View
WR- Mike Descisciolo- Salpointe- Led the state with 1,274 receiving yards. Caught 64 passes and 9 TDs.
WR- Markus Wheaton- Chandler- Accounted for over 1,000 yards of offense and 6 TDs.
Honorable Mention- Caleve Deboskie- Chandler, Casey Bolena- Desert Vista, Drew Terrell- Hamilton, Alante Wright- Hamilton, Cody Wollschlager- Mt. Ridge
TE- Tyler French- Dobson- Big man caught 26 balls and was good in the run game.
Honorable Mention- Josh Fulton (JR)- St. Mary’s
OL- Alex Cosenza- Hamilton- Very physical player that finishes blocks. Getting plenty of 1AA interest.
OL- Drew Swartz- Gilbert- Moved from TE to OL and was a great two-way player. Was the Fiesta Region’s defensive and two-way player of the year.
OL- Zach Haptonstall- North Canyon- A two-time 1st team all-region pick, Haptonstall is another player that plays through the whistle.
OL- Tyler Gionnonatti- Corona- Showed great versatility, doubling as a great linebacker.
OL- Conner Wilson- Desert Vista- Three-year starter and had back to back 1st team all-region years.
Honorable Mention- Jacob Westra- Mt. View, Christian Westerman (SOPH)- Hamilton
DL- Mike Tree- Brophy- Hands down the best motor in the state. Had 9 sacks on the year.
DL- Danny Mullarkey- Desert Vista- Proved he could get it done, racking up 10.5 sacks.
DL- Trent Murphy- Brophy- Stanford commit had 9.5 sacks after missing most of his junior year.
DL- Nate Bircher- Mt. View- Great two-way player that was the East Valley Region’s two-way player of the year.
Honorable Mention- Mike Sylvestre- Hamilton, Devon Kennard- Desert Vista, Ruben Rubio- Hamilton, Taylor Kleinman- Mt. View
LB- Rodney Reagans- Chandler- Proved he could play with the big boys after transferring from Coolidge. Had 131 tackles and was 1st team all-region.
LB- Mike Chocholousek- Mt. Ridge- His stats speak for themselves. Had 125 tackles, 5 sacks and 4 picks.
LB- Anthony Jones- Hamilton- I love how this kid plays. Is all over the field and has a passion for the game. Headed to Arizona State.
Honorable Mention- Rueben Robinson- Hamilton, Matt Padilla- Brophy, Deandre Little (JR)- Buena, Demetri Katsoufis- North Canyon, T.J. Nunez- Mesa, Shane Williams (JR)- Desert Mountain, Robert Dalton (JR)- Mesquite, Evan Altheide- Corona
DB- Ryan Milus- Hamilton- Most would not throw at the UofA commit. Was good in run support despite his size, collecting 64 tackles.
DB- Roland Pierce- North Canyon- 6 picks and took many back to the house.
DB- Denton Zander- Dobson- Led 5A with 9 INTs.
DB- Jeremy Morris (JR)- Chandler- His best football is in front of him and he had 6 picks this year.
Honorable Mention- Cole Pembroke- Desert Vista, Ian Welsh- North Canyon, Chris Rutledge- Casa Grande, Devon Carrington (JR)- Hamilton
Return- Derek Molina- Red Mountain- Averaged 30 yards per kick return and took 2 in for scores.
All Purpose- Bryce Lamb- Chandler- 400 yards rushing and 11 TDs, 400 yards receiving and 4 more scores. Had 63 tackles, 2 sacks and a pick on D and is a great return man.
Honorable Mention- Paul Dodson- North Canyon
K- Mason Crandell- Mesa- Was a perfect 7 for 7 on the year.
P- Michael Benjamin- Basha- Led the state, averaging nearly 47 yards per punt.
Honorable Mention- Jordan Frost- Mt. View, Tyler Bennett- North Canyon
5A1 Player of the Year- Max Leonesio- Brophy
5A1 Coach of the Year- Jim Rattay- Cesar Chavez