Higley football's deep 5A playoff run hinges on electrifying offense led by QB Jamar Malone II
Jamar Malone II is only a high school sophomore but looks like a college sophomore at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds. And he plays like he's light years ahead of his 2025 class.
As Gilbert Higley enters the 5A football playoffs on Friday night at home against No. 14 Waddell Canyon View, the Knights can thank Malone's rapid ascension in large part to new offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone.
Malone needs only 15 passing yards to reach 3,000 for the season. He has thrown 34 touchdown passes with just two interceptions in 326 pass attempts, completing 215.
And Malone isn't zeroing in on just one receiver.
Carter Hancock and Dom Esposito both have exceeded 1,000 receiving yards and have a combined 27 TD catches.
Add in junior tailback Dax Hall's 1,110 yards and 13 TDs rushing, and this might be the most electrifying offense in the state.
"Coach Mazzone is a great coach," Malone said. "As soon as he got here and implemented the offense, it really brought everybody's strengths together. With Dax's speed, Carter's speed and Dom's speed, the whole thing is to get the ball out there fast out of my hands."
It's worked well, and Higley head coach Eddy Zubey is thankful for Mazzone, a former longtime college offensive coordintor, to accept an invitation to help out this season.
Mazzone would not do an interview for this story, Zubey said.
Higley's offense begins with Malone, who started on varsity as a freshman when the Knights were playing in 6A and playing a tough schedule that included Hamilton, Red Mountain and Casteel.
He had more interceptions (13) than TD passes (12) last season when he threw for 1,562 yards and ran for 627 yards and six TDs. But people could see the potential.
This year, all the offseason work has paid off. He's gotten bigger, stronger, faster. His accuracy is better. And he knows when to check off a covered receiver to find another open.
Having several options has been important.
"We've got some dynamic guys that when you put the ball in their hands they can make people miss and go the distance," Zubey said.
Hall is one of those. He's the younger brother of former Higley star running back Draycen Hall, who was the Gatorade Arizona high school football Player of the Year as a junior in 2016 when he put up video game numbers: 2,298 rushing yards and a total of 40 touchdowns, 29 rushing, while catching 43 passes for 641 yards and six TD and returning five kickofffs for TDs.
Draycen, now at Northern Arizona, has been a big inspiration for Dax, who is about the same size at 5-7, 165 pounds.
"I'd say he's more like straightaway speed and I'm more like shifty," Dax said on comparing himself with his brother. "He's been helping me since my freshman year, training and telling me what to do."
Hall feels the explosiveness of Esposito and Hancock on the outside has opened up the middle of the field for him in Higley's offense. Malone has run for 637 yards and nine TDs.
"With Jamar running the ball and Dax running the ball, it gets the receivers in man-to-man situations," said Esposito, who has caught 70 passes for 1,061 yards and 15 TDs. "Coach Mazzone calling the plays, he knows how to get us open.
"When we get good line blocking and Jamar reading the defense, and we just make plays happen."
Hancock has a team-most 73 catches for 1,192 yards and 12 TDs.
Hancock and Esposito compete with each to see who can get the most catches and yards. But they're each other's biggest fan.
"Usually, we're rooting for each other to make plays," Hancock said. "We talk about it a little bit. How many yards do you need to hit the next 100 mark (in a game)?
"Jamar is able to stay composed back there. And if stuff breaks down, he's able to make plays with his legs. Defenses have to worry about that, and it opens up for the receivers even more."
Malone's recruiting has been taking off this season. But his parents keep him grounded and his coaches have him focused on the immediate future. And that is beating Canyon View on Friday to advance to the next round.
"Family has done a really good job, and the coaching staff has done a really good job of separting the two," Malone said. "They say once we get inside these lines to just focus on practice. I've really stayed true to that."
To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on Twitter @azc_obert.
Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Higley hopes to make deep 5A run behind sophomore QB Jamar Malone II
