From the Bates brothers to Ka鈥橠eem Carey to Bijan Robinson, Southern Arizona has produced many dominant running backs. A couple will face off in the regular-season finale.
At 7 p.m. on Thursday, Desert View (9-0, 5-0 5A Southern) hosts Flowing Wells (7-2, 3-2) with FW senior running back/linebacker Jayden Simmons and DV sophomore running back/free safety Jaylee Abraham likely playing starring roles.
鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing and it鈥檚 a joy to watch him and his teammates go through the season, the things he鈥檚 accomplished,鈥 said DV head coach Robert Bonillas about Abraham. 鈥淗e鈥檚 got great vision out there on the football field, so I鈥檓 looking forward to seeing what else he can do.鈥
Simmons has 1,100 rushing this season, on 106 attempts, an average of 10.4. He鈥檚 averaging 122.2 yards per game, has seven 100-plus yard games and 18 rushing touchdowns.
People are also reading…
Both backs recently surpassed the 1,000 yards rushing mark for this season, Abraham in the Jaguars鈥 41-7 win over Canyon del Oro on Oct. 17 and Simmons last week in the Caballeros鈥 43-0 win over Sunnyside.
In his career, Simmons has 2,497 yards, getting 506 as a sophomore and 891 last year.
鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely been a goal of mine from honestly, my freshman year,鈥 Simmons said about getting to 1,000. 鈥淏ut to get it, it鈥檚 kind of underwhelming now, if I鈥檓 being completely honest. Now that I鈥檝e gotten it, I feel like I want more.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a little bit greedy and a little bit selfish to say, but I feel like I can achieve a whole lot more if I just keep playing my hardest, honestly.鈥
Simmons hopes to play in Division II for an HBCU next year.
Abraham has run for 1,299 yards on 129 carries, an average of 10.1. He鈥檚 averaging 144.3 yards per game, has seven 100+ yard games and 25 rushing touchdowns.
He also has 20 catches for 361 yards and three scores. He has 1,897 all-purpose yards, and on defense, he has 33 tackles and two interceptions.
Abraham feels that he can be the next Carey or Robinson and was very aware of when 1,000 yards was near.
LEFT: Desert View鈥檚 Jaylee Abraham (5) runs through the arm tackle attempt from Sahuaro鈥檚 Lamar Howell (78) on his way to a 60-plus yard touchdown run in the second quarter on Sept. 5. The Jaguars, behind Abraham, won the battle of the cats, dropping the Cougars 45-7.
鈥淚t felt great but I was trying to beat it the week before, but I came up short, but it felt great,鈥 Abraham said. 鈥淏ecause as a sophomore, a lot of sophomores can鈥檛 do that, especially playing 5A football, so it felt great to do that and with my team, they celebrated for me and felt amazing to me personally.鈥
Last season, Simmons was second team All-5A Sonoran, and he was an honorable mention in 2023.
鈥淗e鈥檚 having a phenomenal year,鈥 said FW head coach Brian Hook. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been fun to see his progression, he played the last two games as a freshman, now he鈥檚 a senior now and he just kept growing, developing, and he鈥檚 a big part of what we do.鈥
Abraham made his varsity debut last season when he scored three touchdowns in the second half of their 29-28 win over rival Sunnyside after playing in the freshman game the night before.
The win started Desert View鈥檚 current 10-game winning streak that has led the Jaguars to get off to the best start in school history and their first region title since 1987, when they were 3A Division II.
It takes a pile of Sahuaro players to finally bring down Desert View鈥檚 Jaylee Abraham (5) during the fourth quarter, Sept. 5, 2025.
鈥淚t felt great,鈥 Bonillas said about the school record start. 鈥淥bviously, you get to see how your hard work pays off, all the hard work of our coaches and our kids, from the summer on, so it felt good to see your community be proud of our boys.鈥
Meanwhile, Flowing Wells got off to a 6-0 start, the school鈥檚 best since 2015. The Caballeros won five games in 2024, three in 2023 and 2022.
鈥淚t鈥檚 huge, it was a lot of fun,鈥 Hook said about the 6-0 start. 鈥淲e got used to winning and it was just part of our what we do now and culture and it was a fun run.鈥
Flowing Wells dropped games to Mountain View and Cienega, but on Friday beat Sunnyside in time to right the ship before their trip out east.
Impressed with his younger rivals like Abraham, Simmons sees more elite running back battles in the Tucson area鈥檚 future with Marana鈥檚 Jeffrey Smith III, Mountain View鈥檚 Drake Davis and with Abraham being just a sophomore.
鈥淚 think everybody has a pretty solid running back,鈥 Simmons said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just a lot of talent and a lot of young talent 鈥 So this next, like, what is it gonna be? Class of 2028? There鈥檚 gonna be a bunch of monsters coming out.鈥
HS Football Player Spotlight: Flowing Wells running back has career night vs. Douglas
