PHOENIX — It is award season here at 12News as we wrap up the 35th season of Friday Night Fever, Arizona's No. 1 and longest-running high school football show, which means that it is time to honor the best of the best in high school football by naming our All-Fever Team!
This year's All-Fever Team features 28 of the best high school football players in the state, who come from 25 schools that come from around the Valley, Casa Grande and even Tucson.
The roster features 14 players from 6A, 10 from 5A, and two each from 4A and 3A. It features eight players who played in state championship games, with two of those players winning in their title games.
Only one player is a repeat member of the All-Fever Team this year.
Now, let's reveal the 2024 All-Fever Team!
QUARTERBACK
Tait Reynolds, Queen Creek
Our 2024 Friday Night Fever Offensive Player of the Year, Reynolds is already showing us why he is considered the top player in Arizona in the Class of 2026 and that he is ready to join Arizona's recent string of great quarterbacks. This season, as he led the Queen Creek Bulldogs to the 6A semifinals, Reynolds completed 156 of his 252 passes for 2,238 yards and 22 touchdowns, while only throwing five interceptions. He is also a threat on the ground, as he ran the ball 137 times this season for 1,426 yards and 19 touchdowns. Reynolds was named the 6A East Valley region Player of the Year. The four-star prospect is committed to play for the Clemson Tigers in college, but we can't wait to see what he can do in his senior season next year before heading off to college.
RUNNING BACKS
Dylan Hayhurst, Barry Goldwater
Hayhurst, who is uncommitted, was one of the top threats on the ground, regardless of conference, in Arizona this year. As he led Goldwater to their first playoff appearance in 17 years, Hayhurst ran for 2,304 yards and 35 touchdowns and was named the 5A Northwest Valley region Player of the Year and was named to the 5A Northwest Valley region 1st team. Hayhurst had nine games with at least 100 rushing yards and six games with at least four touchdowns. He finished the year second in the state for rushing yards and touchdowns and holds and officer from Ripon College in Wisconsin.
Elijah Little, Thunderbird
Little, who is uncommitted, was the lone player to outrush and score more touchdowns than Hayhurst this season. As he helped lead Thunderbird to the 4A quarterfinals, Little ran for 2,346 yards (an average of 195.5 yards per game) and rushed for 36 touchdowns. He had 11 games this year with at least 100 rushing yards and had at least 200 yards on the ground in both of Thunderbird's playoff games this season. Little was named the 4A West Valley region Offensive Player of the Year.
ALL-PURPOSE
Kemon Jackson, McClintock
Jackson was a star all over the field on offense for McClintock, who had one of their best seasons in the past three decades in 2024. Jackson had 58 catches for 1,224 yards and 19 touchdowns and ran the ball 40 times for 392 yards and 10 touchdowns this season for the Chargers. Jackson was named to the All-5A San Tan Region first team as both a punt returner and wide receiver and he was named the region’s Player of the Year. The uncommitted senior has offers from Lake Forest, Western New Mexico and Wisconsin-River Falls.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Cooper Perry, Notre Dame Prep
The only repeat member of the All-Fever Team in 2024 is Notre Dame Prep wide receiver Cooper Perry. Despite his season being cut short by injury, Perry was still a star for the Saints this season, catching 44 passes for 707 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also ran the ball 28 times for 231 yards and four touchdowns. Perry is a four-star prospect who is ranked the No. 4 overall player in the state by 247Sports. He has signed to play at Oregon. He was named to the All-5A Northeast Valley Region first team as a kickoff returner and wide receiver, second team as a punt returner and was named the region’s Offensive Player of the Year.
Gio Richardson, Basha
Richardson, who is currently recovering from a broken leg suffered in the Open Division state championship game against Liberty, stood out in his senior season with Basha. He had 53 catches for 929 yards and eight touchdowns this season as he helped lead Basha to the 6A Premier Region title and the Open Division title game. He was named the Premier Region Player of the Year. The three-star prospect has signed to play in college at Arizona.
Dezmen Roebuck, Marana
Roebuck, the only player on this year’s All-Fever team from Tucson, showed he was one of the best wide receivers in the state as he helped lead the Marana Tigers to an undefeated regular season and the No. 1 seed in the Open Division playoffs. Roebuck had 95 catches for 1,131 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Tigers. He was named to the All-5A Southern Region first team as a defensive back and wide receiver, the all-region second team as a punt returner and he was named the region Player of the Year. The three-star prospect has signed to play college football at Washington.
TIGHT END
Arthur Murphy, Tempe
This year’s All-Fever tight end comes to us from Mill Avenue, as Tempe High School’s Arthur Murphy has earned the honor with his play for the Buffaloes this year. He had 47 catches for 910 yards and 16 touchdowns this year and was named to All-3A Conference second team as an offensive utility/flex player. He was named to the All-3A Metro East Region first team as an offensive utility/flex player, as well.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
Logan Powell, Brophy Prep
Powell, a four-star prospect who has signed to play in college at Wisconsin, is ranked at the No. 18 interior offensive lineman in the nation and the No. 3 overall player in the state of Arizona by 247Sports. He was named he 6A Central Region Offensive Player of the Year as he helped lead the Brophy Broncos to the 6A semifinals.
Jake Hildebrand, Basha
Hildebrand may be the next great offensive lineman to come out of Arizona. Hildebrand is only a sophomore and is already considered the No. 44 overall player in the nation, according to 247Sports. He is a four-star prospect and is considered the No. 5 offensive tackle in the nation in the Class of 2027 and the No. 2 player in Arizona. He already has 15 offers from schools including Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon, Texas A&M and Wisconsin. Hildebrand was named to the All-6A Premier Region first team as an offensive lineman as he helped lead Basha to the Open Division state championship game.
Antonio Olguin, Cactus
Olguin, who is 6’6” and 260 lbs., was an imposing force for the Cactus Cobras as he helped lead the team to the 5A State Championship Game this year. The Southern Utah commit was named to the All-5A Desert West first team as an offensive lineman this year.
Weston Hancock, Red Mountain
Hancock, the No. 33 overall player in Arizona, according to 247Sports, was named to the All-6A East Valley Region first team as an offensive lineman this year. Hancock will head to Flagstaff and play college football for Northern Arizona.
Lelend Cevedia, Casa Grande
Cevedia just wrapped up a stellar high school career where he started for Casa Grande for four straight seasons. The uncommitted senior was named to the All-5A Southern Region first team as both an offensive and defensive lineman. He has offers from Black Hills State, Lake Forest, Montana Tech, Wabash, Western New Mexico and Wisconsin-River Falls.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
Hudson Dunn, Liberty
Dunn, the 2024 Friday Night Fever Defensive Player of the Year, was a force for the Liberty Lions as they won their second straight Open Division state championship as he recorded 13.5 sacks, 23.5 tackles for loss, 57 tackles (32 of which were solo tackles), broke up two passes, forced a fumble, forced a quarterback to hurry nine times. The uncommitted junior is considered a three-star prospect and has 15 offers, which come from colleges including Arizona, Arizona State, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oregon and Washington. Dunn was named to the All-6A Northeast Valley Region first team as a linebacker and was named the region Defensive Player of the Year.
Jackson Murray, Horizon
Murray stood out for the 5A Northeast Valley champion Horizon Huskies in 2024. He had three sacks, nine tackles for loss, 51 tackles (32 of which were solo) and he blocked a kick as he helped lead the Huskies to the Open Division playoffs. The three-star Colorado State signee was named the All-Region first team as a defensive lineman and was named the region Defensive Player of the Year.
J.J. Brutus, ALA-West Foothills
Brutus, the 3A Defensive Player of the Year, stood out as both a defensive lineman and running back for ALA-West Foothills as they advanced to the conference’s state championship game this season. This year, he had 17.5 sacks, 33.5 tackles for loss, 68 tackles (52 of which were solo), 45 quarterback hurries, one interception, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles and two blocked kicks.
Lucas Blumling, Desert Mountain
Blumling was one of the top pass rushers in the state in 2024. The three-star prospect who is headed to Fresno State had 66 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and two forced fumbles as he helped lead Desert Mountain to the Open Division playoffs this season. Blumling was named to the All-5A Northeast Valley Region first team as a linebacker this year.
LINEBACKERS
Eli Cramer-Cronin, Basha
Cramer-Cronin made a name for himself on the football field this year, recording 169 tackles (55 solo), 19.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks for the Basha Bears. He was named the 6A Premier Region Defensive Player of the Year and the All-Chandler Unified School District Defensive Player of the Year. Just a junior, Cramer-Cronin only has one collegiate offer, which is from Northern Arizona, but that is sure to grow after a fantastic year.
Beckham Barney, Mountain View
Barney, who is a three-star prospect and headed to Cal to play college football, was a star for Mountain View as they advanced to the 6A State Championship Game this year. Barney had 83 tackles (37 solo), 11 tackles for loss, three pass breakups, six quarterback hurries, a sack and a forced fumble this year as he was the 6A Fiesta Region Co-Defensive Player of the Year.
Brody Michael, ALA-Queen Creek
Michael was a star on one of the state’s top defenses in 2024. He had 99 tackles (41 solo), 14 tackles for loss, seven sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and four quarterback hurries this season as he helped lead the ALA-Queen Creek Patriots to the Open Division semifinals. Michael was named the 6A East Valley Region Defensive Player of the Year and has signed to play college football at Idaho.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Rylon Dillard-Allen, Mountain Pointe
Dillard-Allen, the No. 2 player in Arizona, according to 247Sports, made quarterbacks not want to throw in his direction in 2024. He had seven interceptions, 10 pass breakups, a fumble recovery (which he returned for a touchdown) and 65 tackles (50 solo). He was named the 6A Central Region Defensive Player of the Year. He is a four-star recruit, the No. 12 safety in the nation and has signed to play college football at Washington.
Jamar Beal-Goines, Desert Edge
Beal-Goines, the No. 1 player in Arizona, according to 247Sports, starred as he helped lead Desert Edge to a 5A state championship this year. The four-star Texas A&M signee had four interceptions, 22 pass breakups and 72 tackles this season. He is considered the No. 12 cornerback in the nation and was named All-5A Desert West Region first team as a defensive back and punt returner. He is the No. 93 overall player in the Class of 2025.
Grady Crandall, Highland
Crandall flew high for the Highland Hawks in 2024. He had 65 tackles (21 solo), a tackle for loss and two interceptions in his junior season, which saw him be named to the All-6A East Valley Region first team as a defensive back.
Crew Leavitt, Queen Creek
Leavitt was one of the top players on one of Arizona’s toughest teams in 2024. As he helped lead Queen Creek to the 6A semifinals, Leavitt recorded 68 tackles (38 solo), three interceptions and seven pass breakups. He was named to the All-6A East Valley Region second team as a defensive back.
Niko Jandreau, Hamilton
Jandreau was on of the top players on head coach Travis Dixon’s Husky squad, which advanced to the Open Division semifinals this year. He had 96 tackles (35 solo), 11 tackles for loss, two pass breakups and a forced fumble. He was named to the All-6A Premier Region first team as a defensive utility/flex player. Jandreau is a junior and already has offers to play in college from Arizona State, Central Michigan, Iowa State, Nevada and Northern Arizona.
KICKER
Evan Romero, Mesa
Romero made Mesa head coach Chad DeGrenier feel confident whenever he had to send his kicking team onto the field in 2024 as he was 31/34 on extra points and 13 of 15 on field goals, with his longest field goal coming from 47 yards away, for the Jackrabbits, who finished as the first team out of the 6A playoffs this year. Romero holds the record for most field goals in a career (16) and in a season (13) at Mesa and will add the career mark next year, as he is just a junior. Romero also handled kickoffs for the Jackrabbits where he averaged 41.4 yards per kick with 24 touchbacks. As a punter, Romero averaged 31.3 yards per punt and had one punt downed inside the 20-yard line. He was named All-6A Fiesta Region first team as a kicker and second team as a punter.
PUNTER
Gehrig Heil, Arcadia
Fans may never want to see their punter take the field, but having a good one is an important tool for any team, and that’s exactly what Heil was for the Arcadia Titans this year, who advanced to the 4A quarterfinals. Heil punted 22 times this season and averaged 46.3 yards per punt. Heil’s longest punt this season went 66 yards and he had four punts downed inside the 20-yard line. Heil also handled kickoffs for the Titans in 2024 and averaged 61.0 yards per kick and had 79 touchbacks. Heil was named All-4A Desert Sky Region first team as both a kicker and punter.
RETURNER
Devin Murphy, Maryvale
The final member of the 2024 All-Fever Team comes to us from the Maryvale Panthers out of the 4A Copper Sky region in kick returner Devin Murphy. The 4A Copper Sky Region Co-Offensive Player of the Year, Murphy had 19 kickoff returns for an average of 28.6 yards and he returned four of those kickoffs for touchdowns. As a punt returner, Murphy caught and returned three punts for an average of 15.3 yards and a long of 22 yards.
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