Millennium football does not return any household names, but the Tigers will have strength in numbers and unity of purpose.
A senior-led offensive line and large junior class are determined to atone for a 3-7 season that snapped a three-year streak of 5A playoff berths.
Coach Lamar Early said senior leaders like offensive guard Zach Phillipps and quarterback Rayden Reibel stepped up, knowing they needed to become better leaders than last year,
“I think everyone came back with a better mindset than last year. I think you’re seeing a lot more effort than last year,” junior running back D’Mari Bryant said.
It starts with the only position group not dominated by juniors, the offensive line. Phillips is one of three returning senior starters on the interior line, along with center Kaden Yellen and guard Daniel Cruz.
Even better, junior tackles Lauifi Tosi and Kevin Munane also are second-year starters. The unit has developed a chemistry while pushing themselves.
“After last year and not having the success we were accustomed to, our linemen took one week off, and then they were in the weight room. That’s kind of the rule. If we don’t make the playoffs, there’s something we didn’t get some. They set the tone for what it’s going to take this year,” Early said.
Phillipps said the line is — and needs to be — the closest-knit position group on the team.
Both tackles are continuing to grow and have stronger frames than they did as sophomores. Munane is now 6-3 and nearly the same weight as the 6-4, 275-pound Tosi, Phillipps said.
“We want to foster a better culture at Millennium,” he said.
Bryant split carries last year with graduated back Isaiah Salinas, though graduated quarterback Donovan DeLong was the team’s leading rusher by a comfortable margin.
Expect Bryant to at least double his 62 carries from last year. Senior Carter Mowbray will have a bigger role as the No. 2 back.
Bryant’s chemistry with the returning lineman shined in the 40-37 season-ending loss at Cactus, as he gained 101 yards on 22 carries.
“It’s been a lot better. I hang out with the line all the time, outside of practices and school. And all the running backs are close,” Bryant said.
Ninth-year Tigers coach Early also likes how the defensive line looks. Juniors A.D. De Leon (defensive tackle), Ethan Granados (defensive tackle) and Angelo Ortiz (defensive end) continue to improve.
Early said the receiving corps should be a strength, even though senior Trey Peck transferred to Cave Creek Cactus Shadows. It marks the third straight year that the Tigers lose a major playmaker that they expected back.
This time, however, Peck transfered before spring practice. So the Tigers had time to adjust, unlike 2023 when running back Zues Pindernation stopped playing in August, and 2024, when running back Tayejion Player transferred to Cactus weeks before the season started.
“We’ll shock some people with the speed and the strength of our boys,” Early said.
Senior cornerback Kris Gleason had a big offseason, and stands out in a mostly new secondary.
Junior Kadin Johnson is the most advanced receiver in the program after starting in 2024, and may start at cornerback as well.
The sleeper is 6-5 senior receiver Isaiah Rodriguez.
“We’re excited to see these guys. They’re ready to go. They were all over the place earlier waiting to put their jerseys on,” Early said before the opening practice Aug. 4.
Junior middle linebacker Dallas Brooks filled a leadership void in the heart of the defense.
Juniors Elijah Stephens and Jeremiah Campos should flank Brooks.
“I’ve grown into it with more repetition. It’s ingrained in my mind. I’d say we’re all pretty comfortable with the defense,” Brooks said.
The system is familiar, as defensive coordinator Devin Dorisseau returns. Former Agua Fria High head coach Ricky Higuera is back on Early’s staff and will coach the defensive line.
Former NFL lineman Mao Tosi is the new offensive line coach.
Reibel leads the five-player quarterback battle as the school year starts. Senior Jordan Mooney transferred in from Buckeye and sophomore Cason Lanzarotto arrived from Desert Edge.
Sean Lanzaratto also moved in from the Scorpions, as the new offensive coordinator.
Millennium closes its year on Halloween at defending 5A champion Desert Edge. The Desert West Region gains Kellis and Tolleson, and loses Cactus and Sunrise Mountain, but the Tigers opted to take on the Cobras again on Sept. 5 after three straight narrow losses in the series.
“Instead of thinking of it as a team we like to think of it as a brotherhood. We stay close like a family and are always pushing each other,” Brooks said.
Fairfax visits Aug. 29 as Milluennium unveils its new look stadium entrance with purple entrance arches.
Multiple players said camp in Show Low felt different than last year.
“It was the best camp I’ve ever had and coaches had some similar feelings,” Phillipps said. “As seniors, we told our story of how we love football. Camp is where you grow a bond as a team and get to know each other.”
Richard Smith
Senior News Editor | Glendale & West Valley Preps
rsmith@iniusa.org
Richard Smith has been with Independent Newsmedia since 2016, and worked at a Sun City-based news outfit covering the Northwest Valley for 22 consecutive years.
An NAU alum and lifelong Arizona resident, Richard began as a copy editor and page designer at Surprise Today and the Daily News-Sun, then rekindled his love of sports writing by taking the reins on West Valley Preps in 2008.
For most of the mid-2010s he was the Surprise editor and West Valley Preps reporter. Now he’s the West Valley Preps Editor and Surprise Associate Editor.
As COVID restrictions slowly lift, Richard is cautiously optimistic he will visit book stores, football fields and gyms again this fall.
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