3A FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: Gunner Cruz & Mitch Maas
November 26, 2017 by Andy Morales, AZPreps365
Jerry harris with his son Turner. (Andy Morales/AZPreps365.com)
By the numbers
Casteel is only in it’s third year of existence (first year was freshman competition) and there are no seniors on the team but the Colts have 40 juniors including standout quarterback Gunner Cruz. Cruz has been offered by ASU and NAU. The Colts will compete in the 5A Conference next year.
Pusch Ridge won a state championship in 2015. The Lions finished on a 13-game win streak to finish the 2015 campaign with a 13-1 record. The 2017 squad started out with 13 wins.
Fathers and sons
Andy Fetsis was a standout on the 1990 Sabino team that went 14-0 and won the 4A championship over Peoria. His son, Christian Fetsis, won a championship at Pusch Ridge in 2015 and is the leading force behind the 13-1 Lions this year.
Jerry Harris took the program over in 2016 and his son, Turner Harris, is one of his receivers and linebackers. Coach Harris offered hugs to all his players after the loss but his moment with his son lasted a few minutes in real time. In reality, his moment will last a lifetime.
“Turner will tell you I’m twice as hard on him as the others,” Harris said. “I’m proud of who he has become.”
Maas and Cruz
Mitch Maas battled Gunner Cruz for championship game MVP consideration from beginning to end. Maas recovered a fumble and picked up an interception for Pusch Ridge to go along with a receiving touchdown and a rushing TD. He finished with 122 offensive yards.
Cruz threw for 224 yards with three TDs. His biggest target was Khyheem Waleed (74 yards, two TDs). Fetsis threw for 145 and a TD for the Lions.
Spencer Sowers
Spencer Sowers is 23-2 since moving over from Westwood where he was 16-15 (9-2 in 2014). He coached the Colts freshman squad to an 8-1 record in 2015. His two losses at Casteel have been to Yuma Catholic. He is now 1-2 against Yuma Catholic. Mesa (1-2) and Marcos de Niza (0-2) are the only other programs with winning records against him. The move to the 5A Conference might give him another shot at those two programs.
