2026 Preps football preview: Canyon View

Canyon View is coming off the kind of season most programs would be happy to talk about.

But spend a few minutes around the Jaguars, and you might not know it.

After an 11-win season and a trip to the 5A semifinals, Canyon View has turned its attention away from what it accomplished last season and toward what it still needs to improve.

For Coach J.R. Alcantar and his players, that has meant an offseason focused on the “little things.”

“We have to finish,” Alcantar said. “Every play, every snap.”

Canyon View went 11-3 last season, going 4-1 in region play and reaching the 5A finals. The Jaguars won three playoff games before their season ended with a 21-7 loss to Scottsdale Desert Mountain in the title game.

The program had not won a playoff game before that run.

This successful season was Alcantar’s first as a coach at Canyon View after spending the previous five years teaching at the school. Before landing in Waddell and working as an assistant at Canyon View, Millennium and Liberty, Alcantar was the coach at Dysart and Cesar Chavez (now Cactus Canyon).

Heading into year two, Alcantar did not reveal many details about what Canyon View will look like this season schematically but said the Jaguars will not simply try to repeat what worked a year ago.

“Any good coach has to adjust each season,” Alcantar said.

One of those adjustments could come on the ground — Alcantar said Canyon View plans on “running a lot more” this season.

That would likely mean an increased role for junior running back Brandon Arroyo, who enters the season eager for more opportunities.

“I feel blessed, overly,” Arroyo said.

When describing his running style, Arroyo pointed to Houston Texans running back David Montgomery, a physical player who is also capable of making defenders miss.

“I’ll make someone fall, I’ll cut it up, whatever I have to,” Arroyo said.

While the offense could be more ground bound, experience should be one of Canyon View’s biggest strengths this season. Alcantar said the Jaguars return multiple seniors on both sides of the ball, giving the team a veteran presence.

That experience is particularly noticeable on defense.

Senior middle linebacker Ammon Nally said Canyon View’s defense has developed its chemistry by “being able to move as a unit and working as a team.”

The 6-1, 235-pound Nally used the offseason to improve his speed and coverage skills as he prepares for his final high school season. Despite the expectations that can come after an 11-win campaign, he said the Jaguars are not measuring this year’s team against the last one.

“Last year does not matter,” Nally said.

Instead, he said Canyon View is approaching the schedule one game at a time.

Senior defensive lineman Tiki Teeples has seen that approach translate to practice. Teeples said the Jaguars have been firing every snap, bringing energy and intensity throughout their workouts.

Teeples also said players spent Thursday nights together during the summer, giving them a chance to strengthen their bond with each other away from practices and workouts.

“These are my boys right here,” Teeples said, hugging his teammates.

Teeples will reprise his role as defensive tackle and start at offensive tackle, at least until junior ALA-West Foothills transfer Jude McCarron is eligible for the sixth game against Desert Edge.

Teeples verbally committed to Utah in April. His fellow dominant defensive tackle Andy Fierros (6-2, 285 pounds) committed to NAU. Junior defensive end Malachi Peterson started at defensive end last year.

The secondary also returns three senior starters in safeties Amr Hassan and Keegan McCarthy and cornerback Tavin Bayer. All three can play wide receiver, but look for Hassan to get the most reps.

Senior receiver Braylon Anderson broke out last season, with 62 catches for 866 yards and 14 touchdowns. Fellow senior Jay’Mari Hector also started last year.

The Jaguars showed last season they could put together a long postseason run. However, Alcantar and his players know those wins will not carry over to the new season, and their focus seems to be entirely on what’s in front of them.