I was out at Red Mountain last night for ArizonaVarsity for the season opener between them and Chandler, which Chandler won 34-10. While the best player for Red Mountain is inarguably QB Lance Lawson (a 5-8 scatback disguised as a quarterback in an option system), Chandler will always have some intriguing pieces.
Ryan Johnson - RB/WR (5-8, 175 lbs, Class of 2017)
Rivals page: https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/maple/172336
Jeez, this guy is really, really quick. He scored a trio of touchdowns -- two of which were of 50+ yards -- and nearly had a fourth had it not been for a holding penalty. Coach Shaun Aguano, who has coached his fair share of D1 players, called Johnson the "fastest kid I have ever seen on a football field." The size could be an issue, but Johnson has unbelievable speed and quickness when turning the corner. Friday was Johnson's first game with the Wolves after coming over from Orchard Lake (Mich.) St. Mary's last season. He currently has no reported offers, but could have some Arizona State interest stemming from participating in ASU's Maroon and Gold camp last month. He could use a big senior season to draw up his recruiting, much like WR Justin Jan did in 2014 (he was offered by Colorado and is currently trying to crack the two-deep there).
Jacob Conover - QB (6-1, 185 lbs, Class of 2019)
Rivals page: N/A
It's way too early to project what Conover will become, since Friday was his first career varisty start. But I really, really liked what I saw out of him outside of the first quarter. He started off rocky with some admitted jitters, drawing a false start and (by my count) completing only two passes through the first few series. He then found the aforementioned Johnson for a 51-yard touchdown on a simple pass in the flat, and that seemed to get him going. When he's right, he's confident, accurate and throws about as pretty of a deep ball as I've seen in recent years from a kid his age (Note: I still have not seen Spencer Rattler live). He developed some real chemistry with UNLV commit Johnny Johnson, tossing in a dime for 30 yards on a post route that should have been a touchdown if the receiver had gotten more separation. Of course, nobody is going to offer him for a performance that saw him barely eclipse 180 passing yards and one touchdown, but he showed flashes of what could come. Chandler has a reputation for developing quarterbacks, as their last four starters -- Brett Hundley (UCLA/Green Bay Packers), Darrel Garretson (Utah State/Oregon State), Bryce Perkins (ASU) and Mason Moran (Oregon State) all spent time in the Pac-12. Keep an eye on this name, especially if he performs well at Corona (CA) Centennial.
T.J. Green - RB (6-0, 185 lbs, Class of 2017)
Rivals page: https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/maple/186257
Rivals ranking: 3-star
Commitment: Oregon State
Green committed to the Beavers just this past week, joining Garretson, Moran, LB Hamilcar Rashed and fellow 2017 Chandler prospect Kolby Taylor (Kerry's little brother) as players from Chandler who will be in Corvallis the next few years. I didn't get a chance to speak with Green about his commitment, but I wouldn't be surprised if he garners even more interest as the season goes on. He struggled out of the game, but as things opened up so would he. He had the best play of the night, taking a sweep down the left sideline before leaning as if he was going out of bounds, planting his leg and firing off a vicious spin move to cap off what would be a 35-yard run. A couple plays later, he punched it in for a touchdown.
Check out more on last night's game on ArizonaVarsity: https://arizonavarsity.rivals.com/news/arizonavarsity-performance-review-red-mountain-vs-chandler
Ryan Johnson - RB/WR (5-8, 175 lbs, Class of 2017)
Rivals page: https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/maple/172336
Jeez, this guy is really, really quick. He scored a trio of touchdowns -- two of which were of 50+ yards -- and nearly had a fourth had it not been for a holding penalty. Coach Shaun Aguano, who has coached his fair share of D1 players, called Johnson the "fastest kid I have ever seen on a football field." The size could be an issue, but Johnson has unbelievable speed and quickness when turning the corner. Friday was Johnson's first game with the Wolves after coming over from Orchard Lake (Mich.) St. Mary's last season. He currently has no reported offers, but could have some Arizona State interest stemming from participating in ASU's Maroon and Gold camp last month. He could use a big senior season to draw up his recruiting, much like WR Justin Jan did in 2014 (he was offered by Colorado and is currently trying to crack the two-deep there).
Jacob Conover - QB (6-1, 185 lbs, Class of 2019)
Rivals page: N/A
It's way too early to project what Conover will become, since Friday was his first career varisty start. But I really, really liked what I saw out of him outside of the first quarter. He started off rocky with some admitted jitters, drawing a false start and (by my count) completing only two passes through the first few series. He then found the aforementioned Johnson for a 51-yard touchdown on a simple pass in the flat, and that seemed to get him going. When he's right, he's confident, accurate and throws about as pretty of a deep ball as I've seen in recent years from a kid his age (Note: I still have not seen Spencer Rattler live). He developed some real chemistry with UNLV commit Johnny Johnson, tossing in a dime for 30 yards on a post route that should have been a touchdown if the receiver had gotten more separation. Of course, nobody is going to offer him for a performance that saw him barely eclipse 180 passing yards and one touchdown, but he showed flashes of what could come. Chandler has a reputation for developing quarterbacks, as their last four starters -- Brett Hundley (UCLA/Green Bay Packers), Darrel Garretson (Utah State/Oregon State), Bryce Perkins (ASU) and Mason Moran (Oregon State) all spent time in the Pac-12. Keep an eye on this name, especially if he performs well at Corona (CA) Centennial.
T.J. Green - RB (6-0, 185 lbs, Class of 2017)
Rivals page: https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/maple/186257
Rivals ranking: 3-star
Commitment: Oregon State
Green committed to the Beavers just this past week, joining Garretson, Moran, LB Hamilcar Rashed and fellow 2017 Chandler prospect Kolby Taylor (Kerry's little brother) as players from Chandler who will be in Corvallis the next few years. I didn't get a chance to speak with Green about his commitment, but I wouldn't be surprised if he garners even more interest as the season goes on. He struggled out of the game, but as things opened up so would he. He had the best play of the night, taking a sweep down the left sideline before leaning as if he was going out of bounds, planting his leg and firing off a vicious spin move to cap off what would be a 35-yard run. A couple plays later, he punched it in for a touchdown.
Check out more on last night's game on ArizonaVarsity: https://arizonavarsity.rivals.com/news/arizonavarsity-performance-review-red-mountain-vs-chandler
