PHOENIX — The 34th season of Friday Night Fever, Arizona's #1 and longest-running high school football show, has heard the final whistle blow and it is now time to hand out some awards.
Basha's Demond Williams Jr. was named the 2023 Offensive Player of the Year and Centennial's Noah Carter was named the Defensive Player of the Year.
And this season's Coach of the Year also comes from Peoria.
Congratulations to Liberty High School head coach Colin Thomas on winning our 2023 Friday Night Fever Coach of the Year Award.
Lions have no fear. Calm in all situations right? Leaders by example and action.
That sums up Thomas, who his quarterback, Navi Bruzon, likes to call "a genius."
Many other coaches around Arizona would agree. Those genius game plans helped Liberty finally get over the hump and win their first Open Division title after three straight years of coming up short in the semifinals.
“They earned it and I’m very very proud of them,” Thomas said.
Liberty was nationally ranked all season. They averaged more than 45 points per game and nearly 500 yards of offense. That’s more than double their opponents' averages.
Coach Thomas took over as Liberty’s head coach in 2020 after spending five seasons as their offensive coordinator, helping them win the school's first state title in 6A in 2019.
The "L" in Liberty stands for leader, but under Coach Thomas, Liberty stands for family.
"I can always go to him for anything," says Liberty senior linebacker Keaton Stam, who was named to the 2023 All-Fever Team. "He’s always had my family’s back, my brother before me. He just cares about everyone."
"Every Friday night we get so much love and support," says Coach Thomas. "It’s a pleasure to be the head coach of this program."
Once again, congratulations to Liberty's Colin Thomas, the 2023 Friday Night Fever Coach of the Year.
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, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made the 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 also play at the Footprint. Phoenix has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC.
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 Waste Management Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall; and Cactus League Spring Training.
Friday Night Fever on YouTube
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