By Zach Alvira
Head of Content
The Honor Bowl is more than just a high school football showcase.
It’s a way of showing appreciation to service members and their families. It’s a show of appreciation to those who lost their lives defending the United States against foreign enemies.
Since 2010 The Honor Group has put on the showcase featuring teams from California and the western part of the United States as a way to bring awareness to the sacrifices military men and women, as well as their families, make. Arizona teams became involved in 2018, when Saguaro traveled to Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego to face Helix. The Sabercats returned in 2019 alongside Desert Vista. In 2022, when COVID restrictions lifted and Arizona teams were able to travel again, Red Mountain and Chandler made the trip.
That was the first of two trips for the Mountain Lions. Brophy was the other team from Arizona to join last year.
Arizona’s involvement and passion made a good impression with Honor Group CEO and founder Mark Soto. So, the conversations began. And after negotiations, compromises and weeks upon weeks of planning, the Honor Bowl will officially kick off its first-ever showcase in Arizona on Friday.
“I can’t even tell you the excitement we have. I had a hard time sleeping last night,” Soto said. “To bring this to Arizona after Arizona has been so good to us … we’re taking this across state lines for the first time. We’ve never been out of California. But now to launch this in a new community, a new state that is so patriotic about what we do, I get goosebumps talking about it.”
The Arizona Honor Bowl, much like San Diego’s in early September, will feature two flag football games alongside marquee tackle football matchups. Soto said it was important for the Honor Bowl to host girls in the event, too.
Flag football is one of the fastest growing sports in the U.S. In Arizona specifically, the first official sanctioned season saw more than 60 teams from across the state hit the field last year. Now in its second season, more than 120 schools are participating.
California has joined in on the flag football action. Cathedral Catholic, Grossmont, Classical Academy and Bonita Vista were the first girls’ teams to play in the Honor Bowl. This weekend, it’ll be Red Mountain, Mountain View, Campo Verde and Hamilton joining the mix.
“I have to give a hat to Riczer [Desvaristes]. He worked with us when we were trying to put this event together in Arizona,” Soto said. “I talked to Rex early this year and helped us put together these matchups.
“On top of that, the girls … There was no question and no hesitation from these teams to be in this. It’s a great opportunity to showcase the girls.”
The four teams will kick off Friday and Saturday’s festivities. Following their games will be the boys, which consists of two of the top teams from Arizona and California colliding. Soto said he couldn’t have asked for better matchups across the board to welcome the Honor Bowl to the desert.
The Matchups
Mountain View vs Red Mountain Flag Football - Friday, 5 p.m. at Red Mountain
What better way to kick off the Honor Bowl than with two rivals and 6A title contenders?
Mountain View, last year’s 6A champion, returns most of its starters and started the season on a high note with a win over Eastmark Tuesday night. It was slow going for the Toros, however, but that can be attributed to Eastmark’s talent as one of the top teams in the 4A Conference. Mountain View quarterback Tierah Metcalf is one of the top gunslingers in the state as a sophomore, and head coach Jesus Arzaga has put talent around her to succeed yet again.
Red Mountain, led by senior linebacker and wideout Sophia Marquez, helped lead the Mountain Lions to a resounding 31-0 win over Flagstaff to kick off the new season on Tuesday. They got the best of their rivals last season in the only meeting between the two, setting up what should be yet another exciting matchup between two of the state’s best.
This time, it comes in the Honor Bowl.
Red Mountain vs Downey (Calif.) - Friday, 7:30 p.m. at Red Mountain
Teams should know by now never to doubt Red Mountain’s tackle football program. Whether it be under Mike Peterson of current head coach Kyle Enders, the Mountain Lions can virtually be penciled in to make a run in the playoffs on a yearly basis. Often, that comes in a “sneaky” way, with Red Mountain hanging around in the middle of the rankings before making a late push toward a semifinal or 6A title appearance – much like last season.
This year, however, Red Mountain is gaining attention early. The Mountain Lions have dominated through the first three weeks of the season, out-scoring opponents 149-23. The Enders-led defense is shining yet again thanks to phenomenal linebacker play from Jameson Wade and company. Offensively, Simon Lopez has proved to once again be a leader for the Mountain Lions. He’s already nearing the 700-yard mark through the air with 10 touchdowns and no interceptions.
Downey will be the toughest opponent thus far for the Mountain Lions. The Vikings enter the matchup 4-0 with a three-star quarterback in Oscar Rios under center for the third straight year. In four games he has nearly 1,200 yards passing and over 300 yards on the ground. His top target, Damani Porras, already eclipsed the 500-yard mark in receiving.
Hamilton vs Campo Verde Flag Football - Saturday, 4 p.m. at Liberty
Hamilton doesn’t appear to have skipped a beat from last season despite replacing quarterback Catarina “CC” Maccagnano. Marlie Phillips, a freshman, has taken over the offense and did so in a great way Tuesday night.
Phillips led the Huskies to a 48-14 victory over Xavier, establishing themselves early as one of the best teams in the 6A Conference. Phillips made her job look easy against the Gators, though it helps with Samaya Taylor-Jenkins at wideout. She hauled in nine passes for 108 yards and three touchdowns for the Huskies. She also scored on defense. She and head coach Matt Stone earned Cardinals player and coach of the week honors for the win. Now, they face the reigning 5A champions.
Campo Verde’s run to the 5A title last season didn’t come as a surprise to most. Should the Coyotes repeat, it would be even less of a surprise. Isabella Pap returns at quarterback alongside swiss army knife Madison Coger, who has become one of the top players in the state. The Coyotes as a whole return most of the starters from last year’s state championship team, making this early season meeting between two title contenders a heavyweight bout.
Liberty vs Corona Centennial (Calif.) - Saturday, 7 p.m. at Liberty
The matchup everyone hoped would take place again is the premier matchup for the first-ever Arizona Honor Bowl. Liberty, the No. 1 team in Arizona and defending Open Division champions, will host Corona Centennial, one of the top teams out of California to bring an end to the two-day showcase.
Liberty hung around with Corona Centennial last season, leading the Huskies late in southern California. But Corona Centennial scored late, giving the Lions their only blemish on their record last season. The Huskies dealt with injuries early on, specifically to quarterback Husan Longstreet. But he has returned and led the Huskies to two straight wins after starting the season with two straight losses to Mater Dei and Rancho Santa Margarita. The Huskies boast talent all over the field, even in positions where they were forced to reload from last year’s team that finished top 25 nationally.
Corona Centennial will be the first true test for Liberty this season. The Lions struggled a bit against a Desert Edge team that is better than the record shows, but dominated O’Connor and Mountain View the last two weeks. Hayden Fletcher is filling the shoes of Navi Bruzon well so far, and a stable of running backs alleviate pressure on the passing game. Defensively, Hudson Dunn is as good as they come. The linebacker is a menace on the field and one of the best pass rushers in the nation.
All eyes will be on the rematch Saturday night to wrap up a unique showcase.
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