Millennium junior linemen Sean Tripp (#76), Gavin Batchelor (#63) and Mikale Perry (#77) block for junior running back Zues Pindernation (#2) during the Tigers' Sept. 2, 2022 home game against Canyon View. These four players plus senior center/guard Trey Schoaf for the heart of Millennium's 2023 team.
In 2022, when Zues Pindernation had a big night for the Millennium Tigers, his team usually won.
In 2023, that’s Coach Lamar Early’s main plan: play tough, situationally aware defense, and on offense, rely on a massive returning line and Pindernation to establish an effective running game.
“We want to run the ball and control the clock,” Early said. “We’re going to rely on our offensive line, quite a bit.”
The Tigers went 6-6 in 2022, beating Gilbert Campo Verde in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs before falling, 17-7, at Scottsdale Desert Mountain in the second round.
Millennium wants to not only play deeper into the postseason, but also to improve on last year’s 2-2 mark in the 5A Desert West region. To do that, they’ll have to get through a region schedule that includes four 2022 playoff teams, as district rival Canyon View joins 5A Desert West this year.
Also, the Tigers lost 17 seniors to 2023 graduation, with many having been large contributors. But Early said numbers aren’t an issue.
“We’ve got 33 seniors, many of whom had great summer camps, and about 170 out for football now, which includes a talented freshman class,” Early said.
The seventh-year Tigers coach said with that many bodies, it might take up all of preseason practice to see how each player can best contribute.
Game experience will tell the coaching staff a lot, Early said.
That first game experience will come Aug. 25 when the Tigers host Southwest Valley rival Westview. Early said renewing that rivalry means a lot to both the Tigers and their Avondale opponents, even though four of Millennium’s 2023 opponents are fellow Agua Fria Union district schools.
Early downplayed the significance of the Tigers’ rivalry with Desert Edge, though their Goodyear neighbors have won in the last three meetings. He said every 2023 opponent is a tough matchup, so extra emotion is not as key as matching up well each week.
“Our schedule got a bit tougher this year,” Early said. “There are a lot of battle-tested teams on our schedule.”
Early said that includes Sunrise Mountain, which went 3-7 overall and didn’t win a 5A Desert West game in 2022.
“Their coach will have them ready,” Early said of the Oct. 27 meeting with the Mustangs.
The following week, the Tigers wrap the regular season by hosting Cactus, a 2022 5A state finalist.
Early’s defense will need to improve against opponents with strong passing games. The 2022 losses to Desert Edge and Desert Mountain saw the Tiger defense giving up at least 350 passing yards.
Millennium’s Zues Pindernation celebrates after a running for a touchdown Nov. 10, 2022 in a home game against Sunrise Mountain. Pindernation and the Tiger offensive line will be key factors in determining if Millennium can improve on last year’s 6-6 record and second-round playoff exit. (For West Valley Preps/Courtesy Skylar Stephens)
Pindernation was 18th in the state in rushing, according to MaxPreps statistics, in 2022 with an average of more than 134 yards per game. The four-year varsity contributor, who was listed last year at 5-foot-9, 188 pounds, also scored 20 touchdowns last season and had more than 1,800 all-purpose yards.
One key anchor on the line is Thomas “Trey”Schoaf. The 6-5, 295-pound senior was a main contributor in Pindernation and the Tigers rushing for almost 2,000 yards and a 4.9 yards-per carry average last year. Schoaf visited several smaller colleges this summer.
Mikale Perry, Gavin Batchelor and Sean Tripp are other returning senior linemen who are similar in size to Schoaf. Perry received an offer from Division 1 school Southern Utah.
“As an offensive linemen I am very excited for this season. I love the responsibility we have on the field, being able to control the game for our offense is an amazing feeling. Paving holes for our backs and making sure our quarterback has all the time he needs — there is no better feeling,” Tripp said.
Gavin Trim, a senior wide receiver, caught 24 passes for 355 yards as a junior.
Cayden Brown, a defensive end at 5-8, 170, hopes to contain the edge.
Other key returners include seniors Darius Collier III, a linebacker and running back, and Damari Collier, a 270-pound defensive tackle.
Seniors Isaac Huerigo (linebacker) and Eric Rivera (cornerback) are back and now lead their position groups.
“Kenny Quashie-Anderson and Diego Aguirre are going to make our offense dynamic as receiving threats. On the defensive side of the ball, Ezra Edmond and Damari Collier are going to be game wreckers,” Tripp said.
Jason W. Brooks News Editor | Chandler Independent @JasonWBrooks2
Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.
Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.
Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.
Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.
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