Chaparral's Neal gets offer from USC

You have probably heard that Chaparral (Scottsdale, Ariz.) receiver/cornerback Davonte' Neal is the most dynamic junior football player in the state of Arizona. It’s becoming apparent that major colleges agree.

Southern California became the latest big-time program to make a verbal offer to the Firebirds' standout when the Trojans came calling last week. Neal already had offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Boston College, Brigham Young, Duke, LSU, Oregon State and UCLA.

Neal is just 5-feet-10 and 173 pounds, but he ran a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash and has the ability to play both ways in college. That is clear when you look at his statistics.

In seven games he has 14 touchdowns, including 15 receptions for 385 yards and six touchdowns; 19 rushes for 144 yards and two touchdowns; 11 tackles and five interceptions with two returned for touchdowns; two punt returns for touchdowns and a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Other top storylines from the week:

2. Black Hawks eye another run: No. 3 Williams Field (Gilbert) is in its second year of varsity ball. Last season, the Black Hawks started 9-0 then suffered a spate of injuries that cost them their final regular season game and their playoff opener. This season, they're out to rectify last season's late collapse. Coach Steve Campbell sat his best running back in the biggest game of the season last week for disciplinary reasons, but Williams Field still rallied from a 10-0 deficit to beat previously unbeaten Notre Dame Prep (Scottsdale), 21-16, putting the Black Hawks (6-0) in the drivers' seat for the 4A-II East Sky Region title with huge games against Higley (Gilbert) and Arcadia (Phoenix) looming.

3. Pumas rebound: No. 3 Perry (Gilbert) was embarrassed by defending 5A-II champ Chaparral in a barometer game two weeks ago. The Pumas thought they were state title contenders until the Firebirds rolled them, 55-6. But Perry had no time to dwell on failures. Next up on the schedule was unbeaten Marcos de Niza (Tempe), last year's state runner-up. "We told them, 'flush it,'" Perry coach Preston Jones said of the Chaparral game. "It's over. It's done with." Perry heeded its coaches' words, building a 23-7 halftime lead behind a punishing run game and strong secondary play and then hanging on for a 23-17 victory. The Pumas snared two late interceptions to seal the biggest win in school history. It's still a big step up to Chaparral, but Perry must now be considered among 5A-II's elite.

4. Vikings volleyball sails: Sunnyslope (Phoenix) never doubted it could play with any team in the state, despite the fact that it resides in Class 4A Division I. The Vikings (25-2) went out and proved it when they beat defending 5A-I state champ Xavier Prep (Phoenix), 27-29, 25-10, 15-8, to win the Goldwater Volleyball Festival just four weeks after losing to Xavier in the championship match of the Westwood Tournament of Champions.

5. Alhambra boys, Desert Vista girls win Conley: The state's oldest and most prestigious cross country meet, the Doug Conley Invitational, was run last weekend at Rolling Hills Golf Course in Phoenix. Desert Vista (Phoenix) captured the girls title, edging out Xavier Prep on the strength of two runners in the top 10 finishers: Brittany Tretbar (fifth place) and Lauren Owens (10th). Jorge Martinez led Alhambra (Phoenix) to the boys title despite stumbling and falling early in the race. Martinez led Brophy's Will Firth after the first mile of the race, but his fall allowed Rio Rico’s Alejandro Valencia and Firth to pass him. Firth won the boys race while Chinle's Rolonda Jumbo, the defending Class 3A champion, won the girls race.

THE FAB 5
1. Michael Archie, Jr., QB, Cienega (Vail): Took over for injured starter Jordan Mills and completed 16 of 18 passes for 356 yards and six touchdowns in a 55-6 win against Desert View (Tucson).

2. Lashunn Norris, Sr., RB, Cactus (Glendale): Carried 29 times for 332 yards and three TDs in a 43-28 win over previously unbeaten Washington (Phoenix).

3. Joey Counts, Jr., RB, Desert Ridge (Mesa): Toted 12 rushes for 196 yards and scored four touchdowns in win over Skyline (Mesa).

4. JJoree Schneider, Sr., WR, Cactus Shadows (Cave Creek): Caught 10 passes for 191 yards and two TDs, both in the final four minutes, to rally the Falcons from a 20-10 deficit to a 23-20 win over Apache Junction.

5. Chim Nga, Sr., RB, Queen Creek: Ran for 253 yards and four touchdowns in a win over McClintock (Tempe).

FIVE GAMES TO WATCH
5A non-conference – No. 5 (5A-II) O'Connor (Phoenix) at No. 2 (5A-I) Mountain Ridge (Glendale), Friday, 7 p.m.: First place (and likely the Northwest Region title) is on the line.

5A-I – No. 5 Chandler at Red Mountain (Mesa), Friday, 7 p.m.: The Mountain Lions get another chance to prove they belong among 5A-I’s elite when they host the Wolves and UCLA-bound quarterback Brett Hundley.

4A-I – No. 6 Saguaro (Scottsdale) at No. 4 Cactus Shadows (Cave Creek), Friday, 7 p.m.: Cactus Shadows is eying the Desert Sky Region title but that road always goes through Saguaro.

2A – No. 7 Tempe Prep (Tempe) at No. 4 Valley Christian (Chandler), Friday, 7 p.m.: Tempe Prep announced its arrival in the Central Region race with a shocking but convincing win over then-No. 1 Scottsdale Christian two weeks ago. The Knights get another stiff test from defending state champ Valley Christian.

2A – No. 1 Yuma Catholic at No. 5 Northwest Christian (Phoenix), Friday, 7 p.m.: The top-ranked Shamrocks have been knocking on the state title door the past few seasons but haven’t been able to break through. This game will serve as a good barometer.

CRAIG'S CRANIUM
The Arizona Interscholastic Association is expected to release its schools' latest enrollment figures at its board meeting on Monday. The figures are significant because they will determine conference placement for the next two-year scheduling block which begins with the 2011-2012 school year.

The numbers will be particularly interesting with regard to football. Remember, Arizona will drop from seven football conferences to six next season, meaning some current powers will be lumped together. Chaparral, the reigning 5A-II champ, is currently right on the line between the top classification and the second highest. If it lands in the highest, it could meet defending 5A-I champ Hamilton (Chandler) as soon as next season.

If it falls into the lower class, Chaparral can still petition up. We're hoping the Firebirds do because Hamilton and Chaparral appear to be, far and away, the top two teams in the state this season. Chaparral had a chance to play Hamilton this year in a non-conference game, but Firebirds coach Charlie Ragle didn't want to play his first game of the season against a Huskies squad that had already met Nevada state champ Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) in a season-opening clash of Titans at Northern Arizona University's Walkup Skydome.

We'll post a link to the enrollment figures when they are released.

Craig Morgan is a freelance writer who has covered professional, college and high school sports in the Phoenix area for the past 18 years. He currently serves as the Phoenix correspondent for CBSSports.com, covering the Arizona Cardinals and other local teams. He also writes a weekly column and other features for The Arizona Republic. You can reach him at craigsmorgan@gmail.com.