Pioneers return strong group of RB
Pinnacle's schedule should allow it to get out of gate quick again
WEEKLY BLOG: 5/13/12
Pinnacle has been known the past few years for its running game and strong offensive line play, and this year should be no different as the offense is going to center around the backfield, which will feature running backs Evan Tompkins, Josh Hoekstra, and Matt Dietz.
Pinnacle head coach Dana Zupke, who will be starting his 10th season with the Pioneers, had a team last season that finished 9-3 and broke the school record for rushing with 2,933 yards (244 yards per game).
Tompkins led the team with 928 yards and 10 touchdowns in his junior season. He had a huge night against Horizon going for 225 yards an a pair of scores in a 49-28 victory. Hoekstra, a sophomore last fall, had 544 yards and six scores. He hit the triple-digit mark with 107 yards and a touchdown against North Canyon. Dietz added 384 yards and three touchdowns and will be a senior this upcoming season.
The Pioneers were the surprise story over the season's first eight weeks. Coming off a 6-5 year in 2010, PHS reeled off eight straight wins and broke the 40 point mark in six of those games in its first year competing at the state's highest level - Division I.
Just six years ago, Pinnacle was playing at Class 4A-I. The Pioneers moved up to Class 5A-II in '07 and and started a run that has now seen them make the playoffs in five straight seasons.
In addition to the trio of running backs, a strong and huge offensive line returns to provide the blocking. Among the returners from last season's varsity team are Bryce Frintner (6-1, 250), Gabriel Navarette (6-2, 230), Kyle Bingham (6-1, 250), Matt Salazar (6-2, 240), Carson Purtell (6-3, 260), and Billy Nichols (6-5, 245).
It's a good thing the team is loaded with experience at running back and the OL because two-year starter Jackson Harley is graduating this month. The Pioneers' starting QB will most likely either be last year's sophomore JV starter Devon Palomino or varsity backup Michael Sanders. Harley had a strong season as a senior with 1,500 yards passing and threw for 21 touchdowns while adding another eight rushing.
The receiving corps will also feature many newcomers as seniors accounted for 23 of the 24 touchdown receptions for the Pioneers in '11.
Ball control should also be important for Pinnacle this fall as the Pioneers' defense will likely be a young one as last year's crew was loaded with seniors. Linebacker Addison Palomino (older brother of Devon) led the team in tackles and signed a letter of intent to play college football at the University of Idaho.
I would expect several sophomores to be a part of the roster defensively and while they won't have varsity experience, they will have experience in winning. Last season's frosh team went 7-2.
PHS does boast a couple of weapons in the special teams department.
In addition to playing wide receiver and defensive back, Tyler Townsley was the primary return man. In September, he had kickoff returns of more than 40 yards in two consecutive games. Townsley followed that up in October with a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown in a win over Boulder Creek.
Chris Sailer kicking rates long snapper Mike Lizanich as a 4-1/2 star prospect. In their evaluations, they called him "one of the most accurate long snappers in the country". The scouts have noticed also and this week, Tulane University became the first school to extend an offer.
For now, there are four more days of Spring Ball as the Pioneers will wrap up that activity this Thursday. Looking ahead to the schedule, another hot start is likely as the season begins with a pair of road games at O'Connor and Cactus Shadows followed by a home game against Central. Each of those teams went 3-7 last year. In all, only three of Pinnacle's 10 opponents appeared in the 2011 playoffs.
PHOTO CAPTION: Pinnacle running back Evan Tompkins sees some daylight in a playoff game from last November. The Pioneers finished the regular season with a mark of 8-2. In the postseason, PHS defeated Cibola before falling to eventual Division I champion Desert Vista.
A great fundraising idea for your booster club:
Yes, that's right. My friend Mike over at Liberty Mutual will donate 10 bucks to your organization if you have him give you an insurance quote. Shoot him an e-mail at Mike.Denney@libertymutual.com and he'll give you some rates. Are you paying too much now?
Sponsor of the Week: ?????
This is the part of the web site where I will salute one of my fine sponsors. Perhaps share some of my personal pleasant experiences with them, give some information about the company, or offer up some of their current specials. If you'd like to take advantage of this section, send an e-mail here or to gridironarizona@yahoo.com.
GRIDIRON ARIZONA POWER POINTS - 2011
(NOTE: These are not the official AIA ones)
| School | Record | Win Pts | Total Pts | AIA Games | Power Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Hamilton | 10-0 | 500 | 463.9 | 10 | 46.3930 |
| 2. | Brophy | 10-0 | 500 | 453.2 | 10 | 45.3248 |
| 3. | Desert Vista | 9-1 | 445 | 413.3 | 10 | 41.3300 |
| 4. | Desert Ridge | 8-2 | 400 | 403.2 | 10 | 40.3177 |
| 5. | Red Mountain | 8-2 | 400 | 389.0 | 10 | 38.9012 |
| 6. | Pinnacle | 8-2 | 400 | 387.8 | 10 | 38.7767 |
| 7. | Basha | 7-3 | 350 | 384.4 | 10 | 38.4431 |
| 8. | Westview | 8-2 | 400 | 380.6 | 10 | 38.0606 |
| 9. | Chandler | 7-3 | 350 | 373.5 | 10 | 37.3536 |
| 10. | Tucson | 7-3 | 350 | 370.0 | 10 | 36.9985 |
| 11. | Cibola | 8-2 | 400 | 364.2 | 10 | 36.4247 |
| 12. | Sunnyside | 7-3 | 350 | 360.5 | 10 | 36.0540 |
| 13. | Boulder Creek | 6-4 | 300 | 355.3 | 10 | 35.5272 |
| 14. | North Canyon | 6-4 | 300 | 351.8 | 10 | 35.1783 |
| 15. | Mountain Pointe | 6-4 | 300 | 350.0 | 10 | 35.0018 |
| 16. | Valley Vista | 7-3 | 345 | 337.9 | 10 | 33.7946 |
| Corona del Sol | 5-5 | 250 | 334.8 | 10 | 33.4845 | |
| St. Mary's | 5-5 | 250 | 326.0 | 10 | 32.6027 | |
| Gilbert | 5-5 | 250 | 325.7 | 10 | 32.5713 | |
| Mesquite | 3-7 | 150 | 311.4 | 10 | 31.1408 | |
| Alhambra | 6-4 | 295 | 305.2 | 10 | 30.5152 | |
| Desert Mountain | 4-6 | 200 | 296.7 | 10 | 29.6725 | |
| Tolleson | 5-5 | 250 | 292.9 | 10 | 29.2946 | |
| Mountain Ridge | 3-7 | 150 | 292.7 | 10 | 29.2653 | |
| Highland | 4-6 | 200 | 292.6 | 10 | 29.2617 | |
| O'Connor | 3-7 | 150 | 291.1 | 10 | 29.1130 | |
| Mesa Mountain View | 4-6 | 200 | 285.4 | 10 | 28.5440 | |
| Dobson | 3-7 | 150 | 267.6 | 10 | 26.7633 | |
| Mesa | 3-7 | 150 | 264.8 | 10 | 26.4842 | |
| Yuma | 3-7 | 150 | 263.4 | 10 | 26.3389 | |
| North | 4-6 | 200 | 263.4 | 10 | 26.3387 | |
| Buena | 3-7 | 150 | 256.5 | 10 | 25.6465 | |
| Central | 3-7 | 150 | 247.1 | 10 | 24.7076 | |
| Kofa | 2-8 | 100 | 244.1 | 10 | 24.4124 | |
| Carl Hayden | 3-7 | 150 | 238.9 | 10 | 23.8912 | |
| Skyline | 3-7 | 150 | 237.5 | 10 | 23.7473 | |
| Maryvale | 1-10 | 50 | 250.5 | 11 | 22.7772 | |
| Westwood | 1-9 | 50 | 224.9 | 10 | 22.4897 | |
| San Luis | 0-10 | 0 | 187.0 | 10 | 18.6955 | |
| Trevor Browne | 0-10 | 0 | 166.1 | 10 | 16.6082 | |
The AIA includes opponent's opponent's victory points in the power point calculations. The Gridiron Arizona mathematical model has made slight modifications to the formula. The official AIA power points determine the 16 teams that qualify for postseason play. This chart should prove to be very close to that of the AIA version. How close? Last season, my margin of error was 0.02 and all 16 of the Gridiron Arizona Power Point numbers matched the official AIA ones.
AIA FINAL RANKINGS:
1. Hamilton
2. Brophy
3. Desert Vista
4. Desert Ridge
5. Red Mountain
6. Pinnacle
7. Basha
8. Westview
9. Chandler
10. Tucson
11. Cibola
12. Sunnyside
13. Boulder Creek
14. North Canyon
15. Mountain Pointe
16. Valley Vista
Closest battle was for #5 where Red Mountain passed Pinnacle by 0.13 with the Pioneers' loss to Brophy. My margin of error was 0.02, so all 16 of the Gridiron Arizona Power Point numbers matched the official AIA ones!
| School | Record | Win Pts | Total Pts | AIA Games | Power Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Chaparral | 10-1 | 510 | 460.4 | 10 | 46.0395 |
| 2. | Cienega | 10-0 | 510 | 444.6 | 10 | 44.4550 |
| 3. | Salpointe | 9-1 | 455 | 442.5 | 10 | 44.2530 |
| 4. | Deer Valley | 9-1 | 455 | 433.4 | 10 | 43.3400 |
| 5. | Centennial | 9-1 | 455 | 430.2 | 10 | 43.0185 |
| 6. | Ironwood Ridge | 8-2 | 405 | 413.5 | 10 | 41.3460 |
| 7. | Marcos de Niza | 8-2 | 405 | 406.1 | 10 | 40.6055 |
| 8. | Perry | 8-2 | 405 | 398.8 | 10 | 39.8752 |
| 9. | Lake Havasu | 9-1 | 470 | 395.0 | 10 | 39.4968 |
| 10. | Canyon del Oro | 7-3 | 355 | 386.8 | 10 | 38.6835 |
| 11. | Apollo | 8-2 | 400 | 385.1 | 10 | 38.5090 |
| 12. | Willow Canyon | 7-3 | 355 | 377.6 | 10 | 37.7565 |
| 13. | Ironwood | 7-3 | 360 | 371.4 | 10 | 37.1438 |
| 14. | Notre Dame | 6-4 | 305 | 358.1 | 10 | 35.8145 |
| 15. | Sahuaro | 7-3 | 360 | 357.5 | 10 | 35.7485 |
| 16. | Gila Ridge | 7-3 | 380 | 356.3 | 10 | 35.6322 |
| Catalina Foothills | 5-5 | 250 | 355.2 | 10 | 35.5155 | |
| Millennium | 6-4 | 305 | 349.2 | 10 | 34.9215 | |
| Flowing Wells | 6-4 | 300 | 341.8 | 10 | 34.1750 | |
| Cesar Chavez | 7-3 | 350 | 339.9 | 10 | 33.9895 | |
| Fairfax | 7-3 | 360 | 337.9 | 10 | 33.7887 | |
| Horizon | 5-5 | 250 | 328.2 | 10 | 32.8150 | |
| Bradshaw Mountain | 6-4 | 290 | 315.2 | 10 | 31.5185 | |
| Camelback | 5-5 | 260 | 305.7 | 10 | 30.5683 | |
| Marana Mountain View | 4-6 | 200 | 304.3 | 10 | 30.4335 | |
| Kellis | 4-6 | 205 | 300.2 | 10 | 30.0172 | |
| Rincon | 4-6 | 200 | 284.3 | 10 | 28.4330 | |
| Shadow Mountain | 4-6 | 200 | 280.0 | 10 | 28.0040 | |
| Pueblo | 3-7 | 150 | 278.7 | 10 | 27.8690 | |
| McClintock | 3-7 | 150 | 278.5 | 10 | 27.8515 | |
| Prescott | 4-6 | 200 | 274.4 | 10 | 27.4435 | |
| Cactus Shadows | 3-7 | 150 | 271.7 | 10 | 27.1720 | |
| Santa Rita | 3-6 | 155 | 240.6 | 9 | 26.7378 | |
| Sunnyslope | 3-7 | 150 | 265.0 | 10 | 26.5020 | |
| Goldwater | 2-8 | 100 | 235.0 | 10 | 23.4985 | |
| Independence | 1-9 | 50 | 225.3 | 10 | 22.5330 | |
| Cholla | 1-9 | 50 | 220.1 | 10 | 22.0145 | |
| Marana | 0-10 | 0 | 210.9 | 10 | 21.0930 | |
| Kingman | 1-9 | 50 | 209.2 | 10 | 20.9215 | |
| La Joya | 0-10 | 0 | 200.8 | 10 | 20.0757 | |
| Desert View | 0-10 | 0 | 197.2 | 10 | 19.7165 | |
| South Mountain | 0-10 | 0 | 191.6 | 10 | 19.1595 | |
The AIA includes opponent's opponent's victory points in the power point calculations. The Gridiron Arizona mathematical model has made slight modifications to the formula. The official AIA power points determine the 16 teams that qualify for postseason play. This chart should prove to be very close to that of the AIA version. How close? Last season, my margin of error was 0.02 and once again, all 16 of the Gridiron Arizona Power Point numbers matched the official AIA ones.
AIA FINAL RANKINGS:
1. Chaparral
2. Cienega
3. Salpointe
4. Deer Valley
5. Centennial
6. Ironwood Ridge
7. Marcos de Niza
8. Perry
9. Lake Havasu
10. Canyon del Oro
11. Apollo
12. Willow Canyon
13. Ironwood
14. Notre Dame
15. Sahuaro
16. Gila Ridge
Closest battle was for #14 where Notre Dame got by Sahuaro by 0.07 with their win at Horizon. My margin of error was 0.02, so once again all 16 of the Gridiron Arizona Power Point numbers matched the official AIA ones! As an added bonus, my brackets were up at 11:35 pm (30+ minutes before the television show unveiled the brackets).
bravenet.com