Football Notebook: Red Mountain and Liberty host Honor Bowl games on historic football weekend

In 2010 it was called the “Battle for the Capital.”

The original name is simply derived from “Geography.” It was a well-intentioned but unsuccessful football show that began in Northern California, in and around the state capital of Sacramento.

At this point, Mark Soto, a longtime local football coach, became involved in the project and eventually took over as its director. Within a few years, the event had expanded to Southern California and officially became known as the Honor Bowl.

The goal: to raise awareness and funds for U.S. military veterans, especially those injured in the line of duty. For Soto, it's a personal mission, as he has seen two of his sons serve in the military for a total of 18 years. He coached both of them in football and watched reluctantly as both were so shaken by the events of 9/11 that they decided to put their lives on the line and serve their country.

For Arizonans, September 11 was a similar motif to Pat Tillman, a former favorite for the Sun Devils and Arizona Cardinals who lost his life in Afghanistan in 2004.

Fortunately for Soto, both of his sons retired from military service and returned home, albeit injured. Veterans like Soto's sons and thousands of other veterans are the reason the Honor Bowl exists. Soto's perseverance, along with hundreds of volunteers, schools and other coaches, is also the reason the Honor Bowl has expanded beyond California for the first time in the event's history.

Outside the state

Tonight will see an honorable first-round game at Red Mountain High School. The Mountain Lions host Downey (CA) in a tackle and flag doubleheader that continues Saturday night at Liberty High. The defending Open State Champions, the Lions, host Corona Centennial (CA), a perennial power and the only blemish on Liberty's record from last year.

“It's really incredible that we've taken the game beyond California,” Soto said Thursday. “It used to be a local affair in Northern California, and now Red Mountain is the first school to ever host out of state. I couldn't be happier and am really impressed with the campus and the facilities. The Liberty-(Corona) Centennial game is on a Saturday … that's going to be an incredible crowd.”

Red Mountain has participated in the Honor Bowl the past two seasons, traveling to Southern California both times. Mountain Pointe, Chandler and Perry are some of the other local teams that have played in recent years. Honor Bowl games are usually held in the first few weeks of the regular season, but until this season, California has always been the host state.

Perry QB Kael Snyder (12) won individual honors after the Pumas defeated Granite Hills (CA) in an Honor Bowl game two weeks ago. (Photo by Steven Silva/MaxPreps)

“It's pretty impressive,” said Red Mountain coach Kyle Enders. “I don't think we realized what it takes until now. Before that, it was a fun outing. We're getting out of the heat. We know it's for a sacred cause and it's great to be a part of it, but to see what it takes to make it all work is really incredible.”

The host and visiting schools typically forgo regular ticket revenue to fund the Honor Bowl's nonprofit organization.

Flag salute

It's been a historic week for flag football in Arizona, and this weekend could be the icing on the cake thanks to the Honor Bowl. Before today's game between Red Mountain and Downey, the Red Mountain flag football team hosts defending 6A state champion Mountain View at 5:07 p.m.

Tomorrow night, two more top-tier flag teams will face Hamilton and defending 5A champion Campo Verde in Liberty. Earlier this week, the Arizona Cardinals televised the Hamilton-Xavier opener.