Tyler Carlson
AIA Intern

No. 6 Kellis Puts Undefeated Record on the Line against Sunnyslope

September 27, 2017 by Tyler Carlson, AZPreps365


The Ramond Kellis Cougars will take their undefeated record into a Thursday night edition of high school football, as they travel to Sunnyslope High to do battle with the Vikings.

Kellis (5-0) will come into Thursday fresh off a narrow victory, 26-24, over Mesquite last weekend. Running back Quentin Estice had nine carries for 138 yards and a touchdown in the contest. Additionally, receivers Plas Johnson and Josiah Bailey combined for six receptions for 107 yards and two touchdowns.

Quarterback Cade Peterson was kept relatively quiet in the game, completing 8-of-18 pass attempts for 128 yards and two touchdowns.

Coming into Thursday’s game with Sunnyslope, the first-year quarterback is fifth in 5A in passing this season with 1,034 yards, and leads an offense that averages 432 yards per game. The senior has also thrown 16 touchdown passes against just five interceptions.

“It’s been huge,” said Cougars head coach Shawn Copeland of his quarterback’s play and ability to adjust. “Cade’s done phenomenal in that process and he works every day to get better.”

The signal-caller is complimented by senior running back Estice, who leads the team in rushing with 356 yards on the ground and four touchdowns.

The Cougars' offensive attack also benefits from the ability to spread the ball around. This season, three different Kellis receivers have caught four or more touchdowns, including Johnson, who has found the end zone eight times.

Defensively, the Cougars are led by linebacker Nicholas Bejarano and safety Isaiah Diaz. Bejarano leads the team in tackles with 68 through five games, while Diaz has accounted for 50 tackles and three sacks.

The seniors anchor a defensive squad that has allowed just over 285 yards and 13 points per game to opponents.

Kellis will also enter Thursday’s matchup with perhaps an extra touch of confidence as the Cougars found themselves the No. 6-ranked team in 5A following the release of the first official AIA rankings of the 2017 season this week.

“We’re excited about the ranking,” said Copeland. “But we also know the No. 7- and 8-ranked teams are in our region, and we still have to run into and play them. We’re getting better every day, that’s what we’re focused on."

Sunnyslope (2-3) will take the field Thursday night looking for its first home victory of the season. The Vikings struggled on their turf last week against Chaparral, falling to the Firebirds 22-3.

The Vikings' offense has largely struggled putting points on the board this season, averaging just 19.4 per game. Despite this, however, Sunnyslope has moved the ball effectively behind several offensive playmakers.

In the Vikings' first four contests, quarterback Niko Haen threw for 822 yards and four touchdowns. Additionally, running backs Xamoi Penn and Trenton Mcgill combined for 571 yards rushing and six touchdowns as the Vikings averaged 398 yards per game in that stretch.

The defensive side for Sunnyslope is led by safety Aaron Turrey, who coming into last week’s battle with Chaparral was third on the team with 22 tackles. Turrey is also tied for first in 5A in interceptions, responsible for three of his team’s four interceptions this season.

An additional defensive bright spot for Sunnyside has been the play of its linebacking core, highlighted by Trenton McGill and Jordan Gray. Through four games played this season, McGill led the team in tackles with 27 while Gray posted 21 of his own, including three sacks.

Led by McGill and Gray, the battle up front could prove to be a mismatch for the Vikings come Thursday, facing a Kellis offensive line that surrendered seven sacks last week to Mesquite.

“Sunnyslope up front with the defensive line, linebackers and the interior of their defense is very good,” said Copeland. “So that’s a big concern of ours because last week we did not play well at all on the offensive line. We’re going to see how much we really improved and got fixed.”

Thursday’s game will mark the second of many future matchups between the 5A Metro Region members after Sunnyslope made the jump from Division III play last year. The Cougars took the inaugural contest 32-15 last season.

The game kicks at 7 p.m. PT Thursday, and can be streamed live at https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/azpreps365/f13163d692