Theo Ash is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Bourgade Catholic High School for AZPreps365.com

Bourgade Catholic's football team looks to build on last season, when it finished a promising 6-4. The Golden Eagles were inconsistent, to say the least, with their average margin of victory coming in at a whopping 35 points. But on the other side of that coin, their average loss was 22 points.

Over the last three seasons, the Golden Eagles have played in only two games decided by a single possession. 

Those wild swings can make the team a little hard to evaluate, and coach Marcel Lopez seemed to disagree with MaxPreps' pessimistic rating for the squad, writing on Twitter: “I guess if MaxPreps preseason rankings actually meant anything I might be offended by the #27 spot they gave us. #LetThePadsRankYou.”

The team will face a huge challenge trying to replace quarterback Louie Lopez, who had been the starting varsity QB since his sophomore year. 2019 was his best season as he averaged 10.5 yards per pass attempt, and threw 20 touchdowns with only two interceptions. Their best weapon, running back Joshua Dreher, will also be gone. Dreher totaled a whopping 1,564 total yards in 2019, and never finished below 1,100 in his three years on varsity. 

Quarterback Matthew Espinoza appeared in seven games last season, and played a meaningful amount of snaps in two. He averaged 5.6 yards per pass attempt, threw two interceptions and no touchdowns in the small sample size, but his coach is optimistic about the senior QB, calling him a “hard working kid that spent this offseason getting stronger and working to become an outstanding passer”.

Joshua Dreher’s brother, Noah, will be returning to play wide receiver. Noah was Bourgade Catholic’s third leading receiver in 2019, putting up 370 yards on 29 receptions, including a 138 yard performance vs Kingman Academy. 

Bourgade Catholic’s 2020 schedule only features one team that finished last season with a winning record, the 12-2 Phoenix Christian Panthers. If the Golden Eagles' young players adequately replace the starters who have graduated, they should be in good shape this season. Their five touchdown margin of error in wins gives a lot of wiggle room as they figure out the strangest season of high school football anyone has seen.