Mesa Wins 7v7 & Corona Del Sol Wins Big Man Challenge at Gotta Believe HS Championships

Big Man Competition

During the Big Man Competition, multiple offensive and defensive linemen stood out.

Here were a few that did:

Desert Edge 2028 defensive lineman Jalanie George

George is a 5-star prospect in the class of 2028, and he showed on Saturday why that is. 

For almost every rep he had in the one-on-one drills, George dominated. 

He lined up on the right tackle for every rep, and he would get one point for the sack almost every time. 

Horizon 2028 offensive lineman Liam McNeal 

Even though he is only in the class of 2028, McNeal has shown he can hang with anybody. 

During the big man competition, McNeal dominated and scored a few pancakes as he kept putting defensive ends into the ground. 

McNeal was dominant during every rep, displaying great power and technique. 

Overall, on the day, McNeal proved why he is one of the best offensive linemen in Arizona. 

Mountain View 2027 offensive lineman Tye Kennedy/2028 offensive lineman Alvin Regalado

Kennedy and Regalado held down the left side of the Mountain View offensive line. 

Playing left tackle, Kennedy is one of the top 2027 recruits in Arizona, and he shut down multiple pass rushers throughout the day.

For the left guard position, Regalado was one of the most impressive players on Saturday. 

Regalado had the power, but his footwork and technique were some of the best as he displayed dominance during the one-on-ones. 

Corona del Sol

The Corona del Sol Aztecs big man team all showed up.

Both the offensive and defensive linemen dominated during the competition. 

In the final round, Corona del Sol faced off against Desert Edge.

Every single Corona del Sol defensive lineman would end up winning their rep versus Desert Edge.

While on the offensive line, the Aztecs won three out of the five.

Winning eight out of the ten points available in the final round, the Corona del Sol Aztecs would win the Gotta Believe Big Man Competition. 

7v7 Bracket Play

#8 Horizon vs. #9 Higley

At the start of the game, the Horizon Huskies got off to a fast start. 

2028 quarterback Kai Knudson would get the game going with an early touchdown pass that was caught in the end zone after a tip drill scenario. 

The Higley Knights wouldn’t take long to respond. 

2028 quarterback Cayden Schlueter was able to float a pass to 2027 athlete Anthony Palka for the touchdown. 

Horizon, however, would rattle off a few more touchdowns. 

The Huskies put together an efficient drive to get near the goal line. 

Knudson connected with 2027 wide receiver Rhys Yablon in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown. 

The next drive, Horizon would only need one play to get into the end zone. 

Launching the ball 40 yards down the field, Knudson connected with Klopfenstien for a score. 

Higley was able to close the gap, though, as they started to gain momentum on the offensive side. 

Schlueter rattled off two more touchdown passes. 

One was to 2027 wide receiver Kam Richardson in the corner of the end zone, and the second was to Palka once more. 

The Huskies finished off the game, though, as for the second time in the game, Knudson found Klopfenstien for a touchdown. 

Horizon would win the shootout over Higley 35-28 to move on to the next round.

#3 Mesa vs. #6 Notre Dame Prep

Heading into the quarterfinals round, #3 Mesa defeated #14 Cactus Shadows 29-28 in overtime.

For #6 Notre Dame Prep, they got a win over #22 Liberty B 17-7.

The Mesa Jackrabbits gained an early lead. 

On a one-play touchdown to start the game, 2027 quarterback Derek Carr launched the ball to 2027 athlete Kameron Williams for a 40-yard touchdown. 

Williams would also get it done on the defensive side of the ball. 

Shooting out of a cannon, Williams would be able to snag an interception to give his team a point and then the ball back. 

Mesa capitalized on the turnover.

Carr proceeded to throw two more touchdown passes and give Mesa complete control of the game.

Ultimately, Mesa would take down Notre Dame Prep 22-13. 

 #3 Mesa vs. #23 Liberty 

In the semifinals, it would see Liberty and Mesa square off for a game that would come down to the last play of the game. 

On the Jackrabbits first drive, they failed to score, allowing Liberty to get out to an early lead.

2029 quarterback Jason Haines fired a quick pass into the middle of the field to 2027 running back Jayden Sanchez for the score. 

Mesa was able to shift the momentum to their side and score 14 unanswered points.

Carr completed two touchdown passes, both of which went to Mesa 2027 athlete Kingston Anetema. 

Anetema not only dominated in the game versus Liberty, but during pool play and previous bracket play games, he was making plays on both offense and defense. 

Around halfway through the game, Mesa led 14-7.

Liberty was able to take back the lead on its next possession.

Just like the first touchdown, Haines connected with Sanchez in an almost identical play for the touchdown. 

Liberty proceeded to convert an extra point to give them a 15-14 lead. 

Closing out the game, Mesa called upon their defense to win it.

Preventing Liberty from adding to their lead was Mesa 2028 linebacker Kainalu Skipps.

In the back of the endzone, Skipps made a great play on the ball to snag the interception and tie the game at 15 apiece. 

With only a minute left in the game, Liberty had the ball and a chance to win the game. 

On the final play of the game, Mesa would win it as Williams made one of the best plays of the day when he snatched an interception as time expired. 

Mesa would win 16-15 and move to the championship round.

#3 Mesa vs. #12 Centennial

The championship game at Gotta Believe saw Mesa square off against the Centennial Coyotes.

Being the final game of the day, both teams played tough. 

For both teams, their offenses would struggle to get things going.

The Coyotes would be the ones to score first through.

Centennial 2027 defensive back Devin Taylor was able to get an interception to give his team the ball back and a 1-0 lead. 

The Coyotes would score off the turnover as Centennial 2027 tight end/linebacker Tyler Overstreet would climb the ladder in the back of the end zone to score the touchdown. 

Early into the game, Centennial had an 8-0 lead.

After trailing early, Mesa was able to rally and get on the board. 

Like they have multiple times already during the tournament, Carr and Anetema connected on an out route for a touchdown. 

The Coyotes, however, kept fighting as their defense snagged their second interception of the contest.

Already catching a touchdown earlier in the game, Overstreet got it done on defense as well, as he jumped a route to get an interception.

The Jackrabbits would need their best drive of the day.

Recovering from throwing two interceptions, Carr delivered strike after strike to march down the field and cap it off with a touchdown pass. 

After the touchdown, Mesa had their first lead of the game and needed their defense to get one stop. 

With the entire tournament on the line, the Jackrabbits defensive unit came through and caused a turnover on downs.

The stop meant Mesa would win 15-9 and be crowned the champions of the weekend at the Gotta Believe tournament.