West Valley's Friday night lights power up

Liberty High School kicks off its inaugural season tonight against Seton Catholic at 7 p.m. at home, while the majority of Northwest Valley schools will open the season Sept. 5. Here are capsule glances of each Northwest Valley football team, including defending Class 5A Div. II champion Centennial.

CACTUS COBRAS

Address: 6330 West Greenway Road, Glendale

Region: Class 4A-I, West Valley

2007 Record: 9-2, 5-0 in region.

Postseason Result: Lost to No. 15 seed McClintock in first round, 30-28.

Head Coach: Larry Fetkenhier (25th season).

One word that describes your coaching style? Work

What are your team's best attributes? Attitude and effort.

What part of your team's game needs the most improvement? Experience at certain positions.

Who are the key players on your team this season and what are their roles this season? On offense: Mike Brown, running back - he has great speed and hips; Chris Putton, tackle - he has size, strength and is athletic; Sam Roman, tackle - he has size, strength and great footwork; Trey Sam, wide receiver - possesses great speed; Nick Cerqua, full back - plays with attitude and strength. On defense: Philip Pollock, linebacker - has strong leadership skills, and plays with speed and toughness; Kandon Thomas, defensive back - has good speed; Ryan Wescott, defensive back - has plenty of experience; Apollo Ford, defensive lineman - plays with quickness and attitude; Zack Minter, defensive end - posesses great speed, strength and size; Ben Monarrez, inside linebacker - possesses strong leadership skills; Austin Brunke, defensive back - has plenty of experience.

What teams will be the toughest on your schedule this season? Peoria, Saguaro, Canyon Del Oro - we played seven playoff teams last year in the regular season.

CENTENNIAL COYOTES

Address: 14388 N. 79th Ave., Peoria

Region: 5A-II, Desert West

2007 Record: 13-1

Postseason Result: Won state championship over Avondale Westview, 26-7.

Head Coach: Richard Taylor

How does your team feel going into this season? We are proud of the way last year's team played, and we have high expectations for the 2008 team.

Which key players will the team miss from last season? We lost so many outstanding players from last year's team, the list would be too long.

Which players are you expecting to carry the team this year? Running backs John and Anthony Hughes, who combined for 24 touchdowns last season; defensive tackle Juan Ramos, who finished third on the team in tackles; and linebacker Reggie Umuolo, who was second on the team in tackles.

DEER VALLEY SKYHAWKS

Address: 18424 N. 51st Ave., Glendale

Region: 5A-II, Northwest

2007 Record: 7-4, 5-0 in region.

Postseason result: Lost in first round to Desert Ridge, 29-25, after claiming first outright region title.

Head Coach: Sven Christianson

IRONWOOD EAGLES

Address: 6051 W. Sweetwater Avenue, Glendale

Region: 5A-II, Desert West

2007 Record: 4-7

Postseason result: Lost in first round to Tempe Marcos de Niza, 7-41

Head Coach: Larry Allen

Key returning players: Bobby Hodge, quarterback; Obafemi Oso, running back; Timothy Parker, wide receiver/defensive back.

Schedule highlight: Sept. 12, at Marcos de Niza with a chance to avenge last season's playoff loss.

LIBERTY LIONS

School Address: 9621 W. Speckled Gecko Drive, Peoria

Region: Independent

Head Coach: Dan Filleman (first year)

One word that describes your coaching style? Innovative.

What does it mean to be the first coach of this school's football program? It has been an honor to start Liberty. I have a great coaching staff that has put in numerous of hours to prepare this team for the varsity season. We are all excited to see how the team performs this season, the coaches and players have set the expectations high for this program.

What are your team's best attributes? Our players believe in the program, they have worked hard during the offseason to prepare themselves for playing varsity football.

What will be the key to a successful season? Our key is to stay healthy and gain varsity experience every game.

Who are the key players on your team this season and what are their roles this season? We have a strong linebacking crew, led by Kyle Benedict, Jeff Haney, Brandon Austin, Austin Hasquet, and Dan Mihelich. Along with Keegan Whipkey at safety, they are the leaders on defense. Keegan Whipkey, Kyle Benedict, Jeff Haney, Dan Mihelich, and Manny Noriega are the major impact players on the offensive side of the ball.

What teams will be the toughest on your schedule this season: Every team will be a challenge, especially the teams that have seniors.

MOUNTAIN RIDGE MOUNTAIN LIONS 

Address: 22800 N. 67th Ave., Glendale

Region: 5A-II, Desert West

2007 Record: 7-4

Postseason result: Lost in first round to Mesa Westwood, 14-34

Head Coach: Bobby Green

Key returning players: Kevin Yost, quarterback; Brad Cunningham, linebacker; Mike Chocholousek, linebacker; Cody Wollschlager, wide receiver/free safety.

Schedule highlight: End-of-the-year showdown against region rival and state champion Brophy, which would be a huge confidence boost going into the postseason.

PEORIA PANTHERS 

Address: 11200 N. 83rd Avenue, Peoria

Region: Class 4A-I, West Valley

2007 Record: 10-3, 3-2 in region.

Postseason Result: Lost to Canyon Del Oro in semifinals, 20-0.

Head Coach: Doug Clapp (23rd season).

One word that describes your coaching style: Motivational with expectations.

What are your team's best attributes? Experience and team speed.

What part of your team's game needs the most improvement? Line play on both sides of the ball (lack of experience).

Who are the key players on your team this season and what are their roles this season? Vinnie Spano, quarterback; Jamal Miles, running back/defensive back; Jeremy Dang, wide receiver; Jeremy Sawyer, defenisve back; Anthony Harrington, linebacker; Michael Rodriquez, defensive end; John Cordova, linebacker; A.J. Taylor, runnning back/wide receiver.

What teams will be the toughest on your schedule this season? Each team we play will bring us concerns and problems, but the teams that will present the most obstacles will be Paradise Valley, Marana, and Cactus.

SUNRISE MOUNTAIN MUSTANGS 

School Address: 21200 N. 83rd Avenue, Peoria

Region: 5A-II, Desert West

2007 Record: 2-8

Head Coach: Will Babb

How do you expect your team to respond after a tough 2007 campaign? Last season was tough lessons learned. Hopefully we're smarter and avoid last year's pitfalls.

What is your outlook for this season? We're excited about this year and regardless of outcome we will compete from start to finish.

Which players from last season will the team miss the most? We will miss our offensive line. We graduated four and only have two returning.

Who do you expect to have a big impact this season? Kyle Kwaad, offensive line; Jimmy Kerr, wide receiver; Kyle Young, wide receiver/defensive back/quarterback; Tyler Brown, quarterback/linebacker. Those guys, along with the senior class. Leadership will be the key to our season.