After years of east valley domination, 2023 seemed to be the passing of the torch to the previously inferior west valley. Peoria’s Liberty and Centennial both proved to be amongst the elite in 6A, and in general, Arizona. However, another team in the West proved to be one of the most talented teams in the state of Arizona. The 5A Desert Edge Scorpions put the state on notice when they made a run to the 5A Conference State Championship, narrowly falling short of a comeback win that came down to the very last play of the game. Despite this, success has become the standard at DE, and 2024 just might be the year the Scorpions have been waiting for

By The Numbers

The Scorpions have quietly been one of the most consistent teams in Arizona over the past 10 seasons. In fact, last year was the 14th-consecutive season that Desert Edge finished with a winning percentage over .500%. History has been good, very good to the Scorpions in recent seasons. With the exception of the COVID-shortened 2020 season (which they finished undefeated in the regular season with an Open Division appearance), the Scorpions never finished worse than 7-3 in the regular season, and consistently had playoff success under Co-HCs Mark and Marcus Carter. In 2021, the Scorpions made it to the 5A Semi-Finals. In 2022, it was the 5A Quarter-Finals. Last year, the 5A Finals. The Scorpions have a piled a combined record of 37-11 over 4 Seasons. DE has produced 30+ collegiate scholarship players, including 14 at the D1 level, in the last 4 seasons. The highs have been high, however, like all teams, DE has had obstacles they had to overcome in the past 4 years as well.

Playoff Shortcomings

Last season seemed to be the breakthrough for Desert Edge. The run to the 5A Finals was the first championship appearance for the Scorpions since 2015. The “Scorps” were blown-out in the first round of the Open in 2020 by Chandler, eliminated in the 2021 5A Semi-Finals by eventual runner-up Salpointe Catholic, and fell short of a last minute comeback against Higley in 2022.

2023 broke the mold for DE. The Scorpions kicked off their playoff run with a 58-14 rout of Buena. They then defeated Notre Dame Prep (who was missing Oregon-Commit WR Cooper Perry) 45-14. Things finally got competitive in Round 3, where a 4th Quarter comeback saw the Scorpions narrowly defeat Horizon in an electric finish at home, winning 18-15 to advance to the 5A Finals. On December 1st, 2023, the Scorpions took on Higley, a matchup that has become a rivalry of sorts, in the 5A Conference Final. Things were not looking hot at first, Higley jumped out to a 28-13 lead at halftime. 18 Scorpion Players were ejected in a bench clearing brawl, including Kansas-Commit Jonathan Kamara, Idaho-Commit Markhi McKinnon, and more. The game appeared to be all but over as Higley led 42-21 at the end of the 3rd, but DE would not be denied. They stormed back in the 4th, making a furious comeback, making it a one-point game as time expired. Rather than kicking the game-tying extra point to send the game to OT, DE elected to go for two, in an effort to end the game in regulation. Star EDGE Deshawn Warner punched it in off a direct snap in what appeared to be the game, and championship winning conversion, however, an extremely controversial holding call brought the play back. DE again went for two, and this time, the conversion was unsuccessful. Desert Edge fell to Higley on the last play of the game.

2024 Season Outlook

The Scorpions will look to bounce back from a heartbreaking loss in the 5A Finals this season. A lot of this upcoming season will look the same as last year for DE on several levels.

Taking a look at the schedule first, Desert Edge has nearly the same exact lineup of games as they did in 2023.

Last year, they kicked off their season against Centennial in Peoria. The eventual Open Division runner-ups defeated the Scorpions in a low-scoring affair, 13-0. This year, Desert Edge will open their season against the very team that defeated Centennial in the Open Division Championship, the Liberty Lions. This is expected to be the toughest test the Scorpions will face in the regular season.

After that, they will play Notre Dame Prep at home, before travelling to Phoenix on a thursday to take on Camelback. Desert Edge will then travel across town to take on Higley, in what is expected to be one of the most competitive and heated games of the season. Week 5 will see the Scorpions take on Sunnyslope at home.

Week 6 is a massive game and could be a massive turning point for the Scorpions depending on how the season is going for them at this midway point of the year. At this time, transfers such as WR Bre’on Ballard (Central), LB AJ Burnette (Canyon View), EDGE Jerry Washington (Independence), and more will become available to play. Similarly, last season’s Week 6 matchup saw transfers such as RB Markhi McKinnon (Goldwater), WR Jaqua Andersen (Liberty), and S TJ Tucker all become eligible to play, all of which went on to become key-contributors in the Scorpion’s playoff run.

After a trip to Peoria to play Sunrise Mountain and a region game versus Canyon View at home, the Scorpions will face Cactus on senior night. This Cactus team has been kryptonite to Desert Edge for the past 3 seasons. The Scorpions have not beat Cactus since 2020, as the Cobras have persistently upset DE despite of how successful the Scorps have been in the regular season. Desert Edge rounds out their regular season schedule at Verrado.

Desert Edge’s key-contributors will be a mix of strong “homegrown” talent and transfers. Texas A&M-Commit Jamar Beal-Goines will be joined by transfers Camren Hamiel and Jerry Washington to lead the defense. A supporting cast of seniors that includes Iyod Selph, Brian Sims, Josh Hopphaus, TJ Tucker, and Will Rodgers will certainly give a boost. On offense, it will be RB Aryon Thomas who is expected to have the starting spot for the entire season after splitting reps with Markhi McKinnon in 2023, when he became eligible to play. On the rise is WR Zerek Sidney, who was getting looks by D1 schools as a freshman last season. The OLine will be anchored by the 6’5 315 junior Jalayne Miller, who is expected to be one of the best tackles in the state after sustaining an injury in the Conference Championship. QB Elijah Sherbin-Fox, who transferred from Saguaro, figures to be the perfect replacement to Hezekiah Millender as a dual-threat QB commanding the offense. On the sideline, it’ll be first-time HC Henri MacArthur, who has been with the program since 2015.

Desert Edge seems on track to repeat much of what they did last year in the regular season and beyond, however, we would be remiss if we did not mention some of the major losses that the team will have to manage going into this year. Starting with the star power the team lost over the summer. It started with the transfer of starting QB Hezekiah Millender, who threw for nearly 2,500 yards, 26 TDs, and contributed another 653 yards and 8 TDs on the ground. Sophomore WR Juju Moncivaiz, who operated as one of the top receiving targets during the first 5 weeks of the season, also left during this period. 4 out of 5 of DE’s total yardage leaders either transferred or graduated, with RB Aryon Thomas being the lone returner this season. On the defensive side of the ball, the majority of starters have graduated, most notably being the trio of Kansas-Commits Deshawn Warner, Aundre Gibson, and Jonathan Kamara, but also the dominant LB Jaylen Dawson.

Perhaps the biggest lost of all was the departure of Co-Head Coaches Mark and Marcus Carter. It started with the suspension of Mark Carter after a “recruiting violation” handed down by the AIA, but after this, the two stepped down, and on August 1st, officially announced that they would be taking a coaching job in Georgia for Griffin High School. The Carters built a legacy and instilled a winning culture at Desert Edge in just 4 years. What they meant to the team, and the valley, is a major loss for AZHSFB as a whole.

Final Thoughts and Season Prediction

Floor: 6-4 Regular Season Record, 5A Playoff 2nd Round Exit

A lot would have to go wrong in order for Desert Edge to be in this position. This record would include losses vs Liberty, at Higley, vs Cactus, and an unexpected loss somewhere in-between. A playoff run would be short. Its unlikely, but this would be the worst-case scenario for the Scorpions

Ceiling: 9-1 Regular Season Record, 5A Champions

This would be the scenario in which everything that the last 4 years have led up to finally pays off. A tough game against Liberty would be the only loss, and the Scorpions would need to take care of business in every other game. Assuming Higley competes in the Open Division, DE would be the favorites in a relatively competitive 5A Conference, and would have a clear path to making another run to the 5A Finals, finally getting it done to bring a championship to the West Valley in 2024.

Desert Edge is expected to be in the conversation throughout the entire season to be a top team in 5A. They are the #1 5A team on the WSSArizona/BJMedia “Way Too Early” Rankings, (as Higley is ranked in the Open Division). The Scorpions will be a team to watch as they kickoff the season on 8/30 at home versus the defending Open Division Champion Liberty Lions.