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Our first all-quarter century team was the Arizona Wildcats Football Team.

The next installment is the All-Quarter Century Southern Arizona High School Football Team.

Here’s a look at the top football players at the preps level in Southern Arizona between 2000-25:

OFFENSE

Quarterback: Trenton Bourguet, Marana

Before carving out a career at Arizona State, the oldest sibling of the football-playing Bourguet family starred at Marana, setting the school passing record with 7,612 yards and 86 touchdowns in three years as a starter. Entering Bourguet’s senior season in 2018, he was named the Star’s top player, when he led the Tigers to an 8-3 record.

Bourguet also had a 68.8% completion rate at Marana, including 74.9% as a senior. Bourguet didn’t have the postseason success like other top quarterbacks in Southern Arizona, but his eye-popping numbers warrant his place as perhaps the top passer in the last 25 years.

Running back: Bijan Robinson, Salpointe Catholic

Robinson was a back-to-back Ed Doherty Award winner — Arizona’s version of the Heisman Trophy for the top high school football player. The do-it-all running back ran for a big-school state record 7,036 yards and 114 touchdowns. Robinson rushed for 2,235 yards and 38 touchdowns as a senior and was also named the Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year in 2019. Robinson’s single-game career-high was 430 yards and six touchdowns on 13 carries against Goodyear Desert Edge. The Atlanta Falcons star is the highest-selected Tucsonan in NFL Draft history.

Running back: Ka’Deem Carey, Canyon del Oro

Prior to becoming a two-time All-American with the hometown Arizona Wildcats and the Pac-12 Player of the Year, Carey stamped his place in Arizona football lore as a three-year starter for CDO. The 2011 CDO grad had 5,701 rushing yards and 82 rushing touchdowns — 6,992 all-purpose yards.

Between his career at CDO, Arizona, Chicago Bears and the CFL, Carey has rushed for a combined 14,298 yards and 158 touchdowns on 2,076 attempts. Carey has 18,128 all-purpose yards during that stretch.

Wide receiver: Dezmen Roebuck, Marana

The Marana star was the first Tucson native to win the Ed Doherty Award since Robinson in 2019. Roebuck was also named 2024 Gatorade Player of the Year in Arizona and MaxPreps Player of the Year in Arizona.

The Washington-bound Roebuck led the Tigers to the program’s first-ever spot in the Open Division and set a state record with 352 career receptions for 4,239 yards and 40 touchdowns over four seasons.

Wide receiver: Drew Dixon, Sabino

Dixon mostly played wide receiver, but he moved to quarterback as a junior and led Sabino to an appearance in the Class 3A state championship in 2016. Dixon played receiver, running back, quarterback and returned kicks. Dixon amassed 5,310 yards and 62 touchdowns at Sabino, before signing with the Arizona Wildcats.

Wide receiver: Cam Denson, Salpointe Catholic

The two-time All-American led Salpointe Catholic to a Division II state championship, the school’s first state title in 2013. Denson was a do-everything star at receiver, defensive back and returning. Denson has the eighth-most receiving yards (3,587) in state history. Denson’s career touchdown receptions (42) are tied for 12th in state history. Denson had 6,342 all-purpose yards and scored 79 touchdowns.

Tight end: Matt Bushman, Sabino

The New Orleans transplant moved to Tucson following Hurricane Katrina and became one of the top tight ends in Tucson history.

Bushman’s 26 touchdowns in 2013 are tied for the fifth-most single-season touchdown receptions in state history. Bushman, who starred at BYU and played for the Kansas City Chiefs, had 1,583 yards in 2013, which are the 19th-most in Arizona history. Bushman’s touchdowns and yards in ‘13 led all tight ends nationally. Bushman was named a Parade All-American as a senior in ‘13.

Offensive line: Andrew Mike, Sabino

With Mike as the anchor offensive lineman at Sabino from from 2011-13, the Sabercats went 30-6. Mike was a two-time first-team all-state offensive lineman. The 6-5, 285-pound Mike played in the Semper Fi All-American Bowl in California before his collegiate career at Florida and Rice.

Offensive line: Daniel Borg, Ironwood Ridge

Borg is arguably Ironwood Ridge’s most highly-touted recruit in school history. The offensive lineman was a U.A. Army All-American and was the 2004 Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year. Borg had scholarship offers from Oregon, Utah and Washington, but signed with Arizona’s 2005 recruiting class.

Offensive line: Kristofer O’Dowd, Salpointe Catholic

O’Dowd is arguably the best offensive lineman in Tucson high school football history. O’Dowd earned scholarship offers from 40 of the nation’s top programs and signed with USC in 2007 over Ohio State, UCLA, Tennessee and Arizona. He played center for the Trojans.

Offensive line: John Kadous, Salpointe Catholic

The 6-7, 310-pound Kadous is one of many talented players to play at the lineman factory also known as Salpointe Catholic. The U.S. Army All-American signed with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in 2004 over Arizona, Oregon, Arizona State, Northwestern, Washington and Oregon State.

Offensive line: Jordan Morgan, Marana

Since Morgan wasn’t active on social media, he was an under-the-radar recruit, but he drew interest from Arizona and USC as a senior. Morgan signed with the Wildcats in 2019 and became one of the most productive linemen in UA history.

Last year, Morgan became the first Marana graduate drafted to the NFL since Paul Robinson — Bijan Robinson’s granduncle — in 1968.

DEFENSE

Defensive line: Elijah Rushing, Salpointe Catholic

The five-star edge rusher is one of the most highly-touted recruits in Tucson history. Rushing was rated by as the 14th-best prospect nationally for the 2024 recruiting cycle and was named an Adidas All-American. Rushing had 216 tackles and 42 tackles for loss — 32.5 sacks — in his career at Salpointe Catholic.

Defensive line: John Romero, Salpointe Catholic

Romero was a two-time first-team all-state selection for the Lancers and signed with the Nevada Wolfpack in 2006. Romero was recruited by Arizona, ASU, Utah, San Diego State, Oregon State and UTEP.

Defensive line: Justin Holt, Salpointe Catholic

In 48 games, the interior defensive lineman, who graduated in 2016, had 206 tackles, 21.5 stops for loss, three pass deflections and three fumble recoveries.

Defensive line: Brooks Reed, Sabino

Reed wasn’t as productive on the defensive line at Sabino as he was at the UA, but the two-way star had 53 tackles and six sacks for the Sabercats. Reed was also a running back who rushed for 759 yards and eight touchdowns. Reed led Sabino to a Class 4A-I state championship appearance, but the Sabercats lost to Glendale Cactus at Arizona Stadium. The 2006 grad became an All-Pac-10 defensive end and NFL outside linebacker after his career at Sabino.

Linebacker: Blake Martinez, Canyon del Oro

The former NFL and Stanford linebacker recorded 247 career tackles, 16.5 sacks, three interceptions, nine pass deflections, five forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries in two seasons at CDO, graduating in 2012.

Linebacker: Brandon Lopez, Cienega

In addition to being a productive linebacker, Lopez rushed for 4,342 yards and scored 55 touchdowns in three years. The 2004 grad rushed for 3,196 rushing yards and 42 touchdowns in his final two seasons and still holds Cienega records for career rushing yards, carries, touchdowns and points.

Linebacker: Jake Casteel, Salpointe Catholic

In two seasons, Casteel had 277 tackles and 18 sacks. The leader of Salpointe Catholic’s stacked defense in 2013 was named the National Football Foundation Linebacker of the Year in Arizona.

Defensive back: Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, Tucson High

As a junior at Tucson High, Flannigan-Fowles was named a first-team All-Southern Arizona player by the ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñAV. Flannigan-Fowles initially starred at Tucson High and then transferred to Mountain View for his senior season, but the 2016 grad wasn’t granted eligibility by the Arizona Interscholastic Association.

Defensive back: Adam Hall, Palo Verde

Hall was a Parade All-American as a wide receiver, but the all-purpose Palo Verde star and U.S. Army All-American selection was recruited to play safety at Arizona in 2009.

Defensive back: Lathan Ransom, Salpointe Catholic

Ransom, who was recently drafted by the Carolina Panthers following a productive career at Ohio State, was one of the hardest-hitting defensive backs in Arizona history. The 2020 grad had 188 tackles, 11 interceptions and 15 pass deflections, along with 2,855 all-purpose yards.

Defensive back: Levi Wallace, Tucson High

Nowadays, Wallace is mentioning Tucson High in his player introduction on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. The 2013 grad was a diamond-in-the-rough player at Tucson High before winning two national championships at Alabama and becoming an NFL defensive back.

SPECIALISTS, COACH

Kicker: Bailey Nottingham, Sabino

Nottingham kicked for the Sabercats from 2012-14 and was one of most consistent kickers in Arizona during that stretch. Nottingham made 146 of 152 (90%) PAT attempts and 10 of 11 field goals. Forty-one of Nottingham’s 51 kickoff attempts resulted in touchbacks. Nottingham was also Sabino’s punter and averaged 39.7 yards per punt.

Punter: Luke Holley, Cienega

Holley averaged 43 yards per punt as a senior and 42.1 for his Cienega career. Holley punted for the Cienega club that went to the Division II state championship in 2011.

Long snapper: Alex Arnaud, Salpointe Catholic

The defensive lineman was an all-state selection as a senior in 2012. He also had 60 tackles, two sacks and a fumble recovery for Salpointe Catholic’s defensive line.

Returner: Terrell Hayward, Cienega

Hayward was a slot receiver and defensive back for the Bobcats, but he was also a lethal returner with 1,708 yards from returning kickoffs and 542 yards from returning punts. Hayward had nine touchdowns via kickoff and punt returns in three seasons at Cienega, which he graduated from in 2019.

Utility: Jake Fischer, Ironwood Ridge

The fullback and linebacker, who graduated in 2009, had 232 tackles while also rushing for nearly 1,200 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Nighthawks.

Utility: Glyndon Bolasky, Sabino

Knee injuries derailed Bolasky’s career, but the running back and safety standout is still one of the top two-way producers over the last 25 years. Bolasky rushed for 3,323 yards and 42 touchdowns from 2004-05. The 2005 Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year briefly played safety at the UA.

Coach: Dennis Bene, Salpointe Catholic

Bene led his alma mater for 19 seasons and retired following the 2019 season. Bene had a 184-44 (.807) overall record, won 14 regional championships and coached the Lancers to a state championship victory in 2013. Salpointe’s ‘13 squad, which went 14-0 that season, is considered arguably the best team in Tucson high school football history. Bene is the winningest head coach in Salpointe Catholic history.