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August 24 Liberty vs Saguaro: What You Need to Know

By
Dave Holcomb
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August 24 Liberty vs Saguaro

The high school football season kicks off in the southwest with an intriguing inter-state matchup between Saguaro (AZ) and Liberty (NV). Saguaro won 12 games on its way to their 5th consecutive 4A Conference state championship last season while Liberty posted an 11-2 record.

The game will be streamed live on YurView.com and televised on same-day tape delay on YurView Arizona for video customers of Cox Communications.

High School Football Rematch

Despite their great success in Arizona, Saguaro lost two regular season games to out-of-state opponents, including a blowout road defeat in the 2017 opener to Liberty, 51-20. Liberty cruised to victory behind five touchdowns in the second quarter.

The loss ended Saguaro’s 26-game winning streak. The defending 4A Conference champions are looking to extend their state record of 5 consecutive state championships and they’d like nothing more than to hand Liberty an early loss on their way for “The Quest for Six”.

This will be the first game of the new season for Liberty. The 8-time defending Sunrise Region champs have big shoes to fill at quarterback after graduating the state’s all-time leading high school passer, Kenyon Oblad, now at UNLV.

Meanwhile, Saguaro cruised to a 48-3 win over Poston Butte in their season opener. The Sabercats ran for 325 yards and five TDs averaging a whopping 17 yards per carry.

Players to Watch

S Nate Polk – Saguaro

Saguaro features a pair of top 15 ranked Arizona recruits in its secondary, including No. 12 ranked Polk. He has received offers from Arizona, Louisville, Oregon, Oregon State and three Group 5 schools.

CB Kelee Ringo – Saguaro

Ringo comes into the seasoned ranked as the nation’s #1 rated cornerback & #7 overall prospect in the 2020 class by 247. He’s been getting looks from basically every major program in the nation including the likes of Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, USC, Washington and Alabama, along with locals Arizona and Arizona State. His recruitment should be hotly contested and is definitely one to keep and eye on.

LB Damian Sellers – Saguaro

Listed at 6’3″, 225 pounds, Sellers missed Saguaro’s first 5 games in 2017 after transferring from Chandler Hamilton but still ended up making AZCentral’s All-Arizona team.

The talented junior is a difference maker for the Sabercats who spends most of his time in the opposing team’s backfield; he finished the shortened 2017 season with 27 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks and 10 QB hurries. Sellers has offers on the table from Arizona State, Alabama, Tennessee, LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Washington, Oregon, Memphis, Utah, and USC.

CB Brandon Shivers – Saguaro

The No. 15 ranked player in Arizona, Shivers committed to San Diego State in June. Polk and Shivers will be key factors in slowing down the high-powered Liberty offense, which scored 51 points in last year’s matchup.

QB Tyler Beverett – Saguaro

Replacing last year’s starter Max Massingale, who committed to Air Force, Beverett will run the Saguaro offense. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound junior quarterback already received an offer from Indiana. Beverett was 8 of 9 for 155 yards and two TDs; he rushed four times for 101 yards and two scores against Poston Butte.

K Parker Lewis – Saguaro

If the game comes down to a field goal, Saguaro has a big advantage with junior Parker Lewis handling the kicking duties. The 6’3″, 200 lb Lewis, ranked the #7 kicker in the nation, recently committed to USC.


LB Kyle Beaudry – Liberty

The senior led Liberty with 61 tackles last season and recorded 8 sacks on his way to making second team all-state. He’s committed to UNLV.


Liberty’s Corners

The Patriots’ defense features another future Runnin’ Rebel in CB Austin Fiaseu, who was named to the All-Southeast League second team last season. He’ll be paired at the other corner with Cervontes White, who’s also a standout at receiver.

Liberty’s Offensive Line

Liberty will hope to give their new QB some time behind a talented group that includes senior Brandon Yates, who holds offers from Arizona State, Boise State and UNLV, and Troy Fautanu, who’s announced a final 8 of Washington, Utah, Notre Dame, UCLA, UC Berkley, USC, Duke and Oregon.

How to Watch

Watch Liberty (Nev.) vs Saguaro at 7:00pm PST on August 24th streaming live on YurView.com.

The game will be televised on same-day tape delay on Yurview Arizona for Cox Communications’ video customers, following Grand Canyon vs Wisconsin soccer. Check local listings for replays.

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