Vote. Top 20 Arizona high school football players, Aug. 27-29

The Republic has released their list of the top 20 Arizona high school football players from games played August 27-29, 2026. They are now asking readers to vote for who they believe had the best overall game. This poll can be found online at azcentral.com/sports/high-schools and will remain open until September 3 at 6 p.m. Makai Nelson from Basha was recognized for setting up his team's first touchdown with a 47-yard catch in a 37-26 win over Chandler.

Kacey Allen Jr. of Hamilton intercepted a pass and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown in a 25-6 victory over Brophy Prep. Christian Garcia from Marcos de Niza ran for 405 yards and scored five touchdowns in a 49-28 win over Flagstaff. Jason Haines from Liberty completed 415 yards and four touchdowns in a 58-18 win against Mesa.

Blake Roskopf from Desert Edge passed for 416 yards and three touchdowns in a 20-0 victory over Cactus Shadows. Sawyer Hales from Queen Creek completed 14 of 21 passes for 351 yards and five touchdowns in a 35-31 win against Higley. Kaeden Weaver from Red Mountain had three catches for 154 yards in a 35-34 win over Casteel. JJ Horne from Arizona College Prep carried the ball 20 times for 309 yards and three touchdowns in a 49-14 win over Willow Canyon.

Emilio DeSantis from Cholla had 124 yards on four catches with three touchdowns in a halftime game. Ryan Lavigne from Cactus had four tackles, a blocked punt, and an interception that he returned 30 yards for a score in a 37-0 win over Mountain Ridge. Daryl Little II from Thunderbird ran six times for 74 yards and a touchdown, completed six of nine passes for 113 yards and a touchdown, and had two receptions for 55 yards in a 47-0 win over Moon Valley.

Ramsey Pyne from Ironwood ran for 166 yards and two touchdowns and caught two passes for 73 yards and a score in a 36-15 win over Apollo. Marshawn Britt from Chandler Prep ran for a school-record 252 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns in a 41-6 win over Trivium Prep. Marc Duerson III from Basha had three forced fumbles, two recoveries, and one touchdown recovered by teammate Tre Kennard.

Branson Brown from St. Mary's ran for 137 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries and returned a punt 61 yards for a score in a win over Mingus. Hamlet Good from Heritage Academy Mesa ran for 129 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries, averaging 9.5 yards per carry, in a 24-0 win over Heritage Academy Laveen. Micah Montijo from Highland Prep West passed for 263 yards and three touchdowns and ran six times for 52 yards and a score in his first game ever as a quarterback.

Cooper Yackley from Surprise Shadow Ridge ran 19 times for 187 yards and a touchdown with a long of 70 yards in his team's season-opening win. Dylan Brush from Horizon ran 26 times for 235 yards and four touchdowns in a 63-34 win over Verrado. Chase Valdez from Verrado completed 31 of 51 passes for 396 yards and four touchdowns in a loss to Horizon.