Basha Sweeps 7s & Big Man Titles at Just Chilly's Flight Club For 2nd Straight Year
- Mason Byers & BJ Media Staff
- 11 hours ago
- 10 min read
Players from 28 different schools descended on Basha High School on Saturday to wrap up the summer football circuit and compete for the 7-on-7 tournament and Big Man Challenge championship belts at Just Chilly’s Flight Club.
7v7 Pool Play
Group D - Corona del Sol 24, Higley 14
The Knights and Aztecs clashed in the first game of Group D play at the start of Saturday’s tournament, kicking off Pool Play with a hotly-contested battle.
Aztecs’ 2027 quarterback Dominick Tavena led his squad downrange with a first-drive touchdown connection to 2027 wideout Riddik Jerdee, who was keen to flex on his defender after the quick score for a 7-0 head start.
The Knights responded in three plays to tie the game up at seven points apiece.
Tavena and Jerdee connected again on CDS’ second drive, a touchdown of just over 10 yards right up the gut for a 14-7 advantage.
Higley 2027 receiver Allan Turner started off an electric day at Basha with his first score to tie the game at 14 points each, securing the catch after scorching his defender with a deep route over the top.
CDS 2027 wideout Keegan Pederson became the second touchdown scorer of the first game for the Aztecs for a 21-14 advantage.
Corona del Sol then secured the win with an interception on Higley’s final drive, beating the Knights 24-14, their first of two wins on the day.
Group F - Brophy 24, Casteel 24
The Broncos and Colts’ pool play contest began with lightning strikes from both teams, as each club recorded a first-play touchdown on their respective drives for a 7-7 deadlock out of the gate.
Casteel 2027 quarterback Tee Smith connected with 2027 athlete Troy Jauregui as the Colts took the lead before Brophy responded with a deep strike to knot it back up at 14 each.
Casteel then turned it over on downs and redeemed itself with an interception for the lead. Smith connected with his tight end for a 24-14 advantage before Brophy galloped back into the contest with a touchdown and an incredible interception, as the Broncos’ defensive back shoved a Casteel receiver to the ground as the ball connected with his hands, then secured it on the drop to tie the game back up.
The contest resulted in a 24-24 tie.
Group F - McClintock 31, Casteel 21
Casteel stayed on the same field for a contest with the Chargers of McClintock right after the tie with Brophy, jumping right back into action.
Smith connected with his younger brother, 2029 receiver Hezekiah Smith, on the first play of the game in an identical scenario to the prior game against Brophy, ending in the same result, a first-play touchdown from senior to sophomore for a 7-0 lead.
McClintock 2029 quarterback Kaiden Agbunag led a scoring drive to respond to the one-play score from the Smith brothers, knotting things back up 7-7.
Chargers’ 2027 defensive back & receiver Aidan Whitaker gave his team a 10-7 lead with an interception, setting the Chargers up for a touchdown to take a 10-point lead.
Casteel scored in response via a great concept to clear out the defenders ahead of a drag route that resulted in a touchdown, cutting the McClintock lead to three.
McClintock re-established the 10-point deficit with an ensuing touchdown before Jauregui hauled in another touchdown for the Colts.
McClintock would score once more, winning 31-21.
Group D - Higley 21, Marana 14
Marana did not wait around to get going against Highley in another Group D matchup, as 2028 quarterback Trenton Hicks found 2027 wideout Jaxsun Sharp for an early lead.
Higley, ever resilient and never one to back down, responded with a deep touchdown to equalize.
Turner caught another touchdown for the Knights to give his team a 14-7 lead, before a Marana turnover on downs opened the door for another touchdown and a 21-7 lead.
Sharp cut the lead to seven points with another touchdown at the end of the game, as the Tigers fell 21-14.
Group A - Desert View 24, Verrado 14
Desert View’s 3-0 pool play run was capped off with a 10-point win over Verrado, the first of two wins the Jaguars would pick up over the Vipers.
The Jags would jump out to a commanding 17-0 lead before Verrado finally answered. The Vipers tagged on one more touchdown to cut the lead to 10 before the final whistle.
Group E - Centennial 15, Basha 14
Basha only suffered one loss across the entirety of Saturday, a pool play loss to Centennial on their home field in the final group stage game.
After the Bears were stopped on their first drive, the Coyotes responded with a touchdown. Basha answered to tie the game, then scored again after a defensive stop to take the lead.
Centennial scored on two plays to tie the game, then went for two and successfully took the lead, which it would not relinquish.
The final Big Man Competition of the summer was unforgettable as a plethora of stars showed out for Flight Club.
Here are a few players who stood out during the Big Man Competition at Just Chilly’s Flight Club.
Big Man Challenge
AZ Compass Prep 2028 defensive/offensive lineman Isaac Cattanach
Throughout the 2026 offseason, Cattanach has been a true standout.
A new addition to the AZ Compass Prep team, Cattanach has already shown he could be due for a big junior season.
At Flight Club, he was able to showcase his ability on both sides of the ball.
When lined up against a pass rusher, his footwork and skillset were on full display as his team relied on him to win multiple reps.
There were also moments his team called upon him to take reps at offensive lineman to earn points.
Cattanach was one of the strongest players at Flight Club, and there were many times when the opposing pass rusher simply could not move him.
Overall, Cattanach has been a must-watch this offseason, and he will be a big help for AZ Compass Prep as they take on a national schedule.
Corona del Sol 2027 offensive lineman Mauricio Villalobos
Villalobos was the anchor for the Corona del Sol Aztecs’ offensive line at Just Chilly’s Flight Club.
Not just at Flight Club, but in general, Villalobos has been dominant at the right tackle position for the Aztecs.
Villalobos has great technique, as his hand placement, combined with his strength, makes him a solid player.
While he is strong and a big player, he moves well for his size.
He can adjust on the fly and took down multiple high-level pass rushers Saturday night.
Villalobos is a player to watch out for, as during the season, his recruiting could start to take off.
He currently holds one D-1 offer from Drake.
Basha 2027 offensive lineman Jake Hildebrand
For the final Big Man Competition of the summer, Arizona State commit Hildebrand laced up his cleats and competed.
There is a reason why he is one of the top recruits in the nation.
Hildebrand is as sound as it gets in terms of technique and IQ.
His footwork, hand placement, strength, and skillset are elite.
It didn’t matter who lined up across from him on Saturday as Hildebrand took care of business and won every rep that he had.
Not only did he dominate during the one-on-one portion, but he was a big help in the skills competitions as well.
Hildebrand was able to lead Basha to the final round of the competition, where he led his team to victory.
For the final competition, Hildebrand pulled a Hummer EV 20 yards and helped Basha earn the challenge’s top time.
Basha would be crowned the 2026 Just Chilly’s Flight Club Big Man Competition Champion, and Hildebrand would be named the competition’s MVP.
7v7 Bracket Play
McClintock’s bracket play run began against Sunnyslope, which was a tight battle before the Chargers established a proper grip on the game.
McClintock scored to open the contest, before both sides turned the ball over on downs. The Chargers took a 14-0 lead before the Vikings got on the board, trailing by seven.
After trading unsuccessful drives, the Chargers recorded an interception and sealed the contest with a pass from Agbunag to Whitaker to win 24-7 and move on.
Just a few hours after Basha’s loss to Centennial, the Bears were in full stride, looking as if their only loss had knocked them back into winning shape.
2027 quarterback Jake Rodgers threw his first of five touchdowns on the first drive, only to be matched by Marana.
Basha paced the Tigers with two more scores for a 21-7 advantage and some unbelievable catches by the Bears’ wideouts.
Marana 2027 wideout Sean Roebuck hauled in a one-handed catch to cut the lead to 21-14. Basha scored again before Sharp scored another touchdown for the Tigers, once again cutting the lead to a single touchdown.
One last touchdown pass from Rogers sealed Marana’s fate, moving Basha on to face Cactus Shadows.
The Bears narrowly scraped past the Falcons in the quarterfinals in a thrilling game under the lights.
Rogers threw his first touchdown pass of the game to 2027 wideout Jaden Baldwin for a 7-0 advantage, then threw a second to 2028 wideout Makai Nelson to go up 14-0.
Cactus Shadows 2028 wideout Brock Cashin singlehandedly got his team back in the game, securing the first of three touchdown receptions in the game.
Nelson would secure another touchdown to bring the lead back to 14 before Cashin struck to bring it back down to seven. Basha 2027 running back Noah Roberts secured the final touchdown of the game for the Bears before the Falcons came all the way back in the dying moments, finding Cashin and another receiver on drives with a defensive stop in between.
Trailing by one point with just seconds to play, Cactus Shadows elected to go for two. 2028 quarterback Gage Millard found a receiver in the end zone, but failed to get the ball out in time, resulting in a sack and a one-point loss to end a magical Falcons’ run.
With a trip to the championship match on the line, the Basha Bears and the Desert View Jaguars faced off.
The Bears started with the ball and got to work right away.
It only took a few plays for Basha to find the end zone.
Striking first was Basha 2027 Princeton QB commit Jake Rogers, hitting 2027 Texas RB commit Noah Roberts on a short route for the touchdown.
While Basha did score quickly, the Jaguars made it a game.
On their first drive of the game, Desert View 2028 quarterback Andrew Godoy was able to march down the field and fire in a touchdown pass.
Desert View proceeded to score ten more unanswered points.
The defense for the Jaguars stepped up, as one of their defensive backs shot out of a cannon to come down with an interception.
Similar to the first drive, Godoy was then able to throw another touchdown pass and give Desert View an early 17-7 lead.
Trailing early, Basha needed to come out with a response.
The response would end up being Rogers throwing a moon ball to 2027 Pittsburgh WR commit Jaden Baldwin to cut the lead.
Just like the Jaguars defense did earlier in the game, the Bears defense came through with a crucial interception to not only tie the game but give the offense the ball back.
Given a golden opportunity, Basha took full advantage of the turnover.
For a second time in the game, the connection of Rogers and Roberts was on full display as they combined for another score.
Scoring 17 unanswered points gave Basha all the momentum in the contest.
As the game wound down, the Bears tacked on one more touchdown to seal the game.
Throwing his fourth touchdown pass of the game was Rogers, as this time he found 2028 wide receiver Makai Nelson for the nail in the coffin.
Basha defeated Desert View 34-24 and punched their way into the championship round.
The 2026 Just Chilly’s Flight Club Championship saw the Basha Bears and the McClintock Chargers duel for the championship belt.
Both teams fought for six straight hours to get to the final stage, where the winner takes home the glory.
Basha made its way to the final by beating #26 Skyline, #10 Marana, #2 Cactus Shadows and #3 Desert View.
McClintock saw a strange path to the title game, dispatching #20 Sunnyslope, #4 Maryvale and #5 Brophy. The Chargers were set to face the winner of the quarterfinal between #1 Chandler and #9 Higley, but a fight between the Wolves and Knights saw both teams disqualified and the Chargers were automatically sent through to the final.
Opening up the game, the Bears started with the ball.
Making a statement early, Basha looked to defend their home turf.
On the first play of the game, Rogers launched the ball 40 yards to the heart of the end zone to Nelson, who came down with the catch for the touchdown.
The Chargers would take a different approach on their first drive.
While they didn’t score on the first play of the drive, the Chargers moved the ball methodically to get in scoring range.
It would be McClintock 2029 quarterback Kaiden Agbunag who was able to throw the touchdown pass and tie the game at seven apiece.
Basha’s momentum kept on rolling, however.
The Bears again only needed one play to score.
Rogers showed off his arm once more and threw a 40-yard bomb to Baldwin, who used his speed to create separation and score the touchdown.
In only two offensive plays, Basha scored two touchdowns.
The defense for Basha fed off the energy and were able to get the ball right back for their scorching offense.
Not only did Nelson get it done on offense, but he also snagged an interception to make the lead 17-7 for the Bears.
Nelson would later be rewarded for his defensive efforts.
Following the interception, Basha marched right down the field and got near the end zone.
Making it look easy, Rogers lofted a fade ball in the corner of the end zone to Nelson, who came down with the contested catch to score.
Even though they trailed by 17 points, McClintock kept fighting.
Agbunag was able to notch in his second touchdown pass of the championship contest and cut the lead to ten points.
Scratching away at the lead wouldn’t be enough for the Chargers, however, as Basha kept firing on all cylinders.
Finishing up the game, Rogers tossed two more touchdowns, one of which was to Baldwin on another one-play score, and put the game out of reach.
Ultimately, Basha would walk away with a 38-14 win over McClintock.
The Bears hoisted the championship belt as they were declared the 2026 Just Chilly’s Flight Club Champions.
Roberts and Baldwin were named Co-MVPs of the tournament.
Basha swept the day as they went home with the 7’s championship belt as well as the Big Man Competition championship belt.
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