PAYSON, Ariz. — For the second consecutive year, the 12Sports team has made the trip up to Camp Tontozona, just outside of Payson, with the Arizona State football team.
The Sun Devil tradition started back in 1959 under legendary head coach Frank Kush and second-year head coach Kenny Dillingham brought the experience back after a years-long hiatus during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s become somewhat of a rite of passage for players to spend time in cabins with little-to-no cell service and free of distractions as a way to bond with their teammates before each season.
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“We’re away from Tempe, away from campus, all the nonsense. So, just spending a lot of time quality time together,” senior quarterback Trenton Bourguet said. “It’s new people. We have a new offensive coordinator, some new quarterbacks in the room. So, it’s just us making memories here at Camp T where there’s been a lot of history.”
This is Bourguet’s third time staying at Camp T for an extended period and he’s part of a position group that has a starting job up for grabs. Michigan State transfer Sam Leavitt and Nebraska transfer Jeff Sims have seemingly emerged as the top two candidates for the role of QB1. With ASU’s Big 12 debut fast approaching, this is the time for players to separate themselves with each rep. Dillingham encourages the competition within practice but noted that the depth of his roster should be an advantage this season.
“We may not have 11 starters on both sides of the ball. We may be a football team that has 20 on both sides of the ball. We may be a team that rotates a lot just based on where we are with the depth and good teams can do that,” Dillingham said. “I think we’re in a situation where if we stay relatively healthy like we have and continue to work, we have a lot of guys that deserve to be on the field. Whoever takes the field first, we’ll find out in the next seven days.”
Fans are invited to watch the Sun Devils scrimmage on Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Find out what you need to know before heading up to Camp T here.
Follow the conversation with Lina Washington on X and Instagram: @LWashingtonTV. If you have a sports story idea, email Lina at LWashington@12News.com.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.