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Surprise's Imagine Prep finishes second in CAA football season
Courtesy Michelle Baker
Imagine Prep senior Bryce Pollay rushes the ball against El Dorado in the CAA state championship game on Nov. 18.
Courtesy Michelle Baker
Imagine Prep coach Kip Pollay, right, instructs the team before a recent game.
Posted
By Michelle Baker
The Imagine Prep Surprise football team is the Canyon Athletic Association state runner-up for the 2023 season.
After achieving a 9-1 record throughout the regular season and the first round of the playoffs, the second-seeded Storm lost a hard fought battle to Heritage Mesa, 36-6 in the state championship game.
"The ball didn't bounce our way Saturday," coach Kip Pollay said. "But these boys had a run that will forever be written in their story books of life. I am extremely proud of their accomplishments, and they left everything they had on the field."
Senior and captain Bryce Pollay led the team on offense in the championship game with 105 passing yards and 129 rushing yards.
Sophomore Hunter Price added 76 receiving yards and senior Drayke Woolsey tallied 13 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, Woolsey led the Storm with six tackles and Pollay added five; senior Matthew Morris and sophomore Brock Millette each had five tackles. Senior Kaden Dean recorded a sack and two tackles for a loss.
With his high school football career coming to an end, Bryce Pollay led the CAA and state in multiple categories.
Pollay set school records and led the state in touchdowns (29), total points (200), rushing yards (1,846) and all-purpose yards (3,050).
After winning back-to-back state championships, the Storm had high hopes for this season. The team started the season with a motto of "One More For #24."
This was the rally call for assistant coach Mark Rumsey, who was diagnosed with a terminal disease.
In 2021 and 2022, the team earned the school its first two state championships in any sport, as well as the city of Surprise's first football championships at the high school level in the city's history.
The Storm’s overall record over the last three seasons is 28-3.
The team is graduating 12 seniors: Ben Merritt, Zach Bews, Saleh Hammad, Colin Siegel, Steven Jimenez, Aiden Everette, Kaden Dean, Matthew Morris, Drayke Woolsey, A.J. Stolz, Marshall Cantrell and Bryce Pollay.
The Storm will still have a solid group of starters returning for the 2024 season.
At tight end, Price, cornerback and wide receiver Millette, sophomore cornerback Diego Figueroa, defensive and offensive linemen Tricione Sawyer, junior Kyle Walter, and junior Tayden Butler; returning at running back and linebacker is junior Dorien Orestad.
Coach Pollay said he expects to have members of the team recognized by the CAA for all-state selections
