The 2024 Sugar Bowl will be kicking off tonight @ 6:45 p.m. between No. 2 seed Washington and No. 3 seed Texas.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!There are more Arizona High School Alumni playing on both teams than you may think.
Alumni On Washington
The Huskies (13-0) have yet to lose a game this season and were named Pac-12 champions with their 34-31 victory against Oregon.
The team has a multitude of talent and several of them played high school football in Arizona. Starting junior and edge rusher Bralen Trice played for the Sandra Day O’Connor Eagles of Phoenix from 2016-19. He has been a force to be reckoned with for Washington’s defense. Trice has played a crucial role for the Huskies this season, piling up 20.5 tackles for loss and 14 sacks over his last two seasons. He was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team and the All-America team this season.
Washington EDGE Bralen Trice over the past two seasons:
2023: 70 QB Pressures (1st)
2022: 70 QB Pressures (1st) pic.twitter.com/qihovLUYKm— PFF College (@PFF_College) December 31, 2023
Another starter who played high school football in the state is a red-shirt freshman and interior offensive lineman, Parker Brailsford. Brailsford grew up in Mesa but attended Saguaro High School in Scottsdale. He helped lead Saguaro to a state championship title in 2021. The 20-year-old has started every game this season and spent time at both right guard and center. He was named to the All-Pac-12 Second Team in just his first year starting.
There are several more players on the team’s roster, including starting safety Dominique Hampton, who played for the Centennial Coyotes from 2016-18. Hampton is another guy that has played a significant role for the Huskies and their defense. He has started every game for the team this season and has been all over the field consistently.
"[With] what we’re going against in practice every day… you lock it up in practice, you can do it in game.”
Brimming with confidence, @UW_Football's Dominique Hampton is prepared for his biggest moment | via @ty_gilstrap https://t.co/mKiVVckjkD
— The Daily Sports (@UWDailySports) December 30, 2023
Alumni On Texas
The Longhorns (12-1) have yet to lose a game this season and were named Pac-12 champions with their 34-31 victory against Oregon.
While Texas does not have nearly as many Arizona high school alumni as Washington, the Longhorns do have a couple of players. Sophomore long-snapper Lance St. Louis attended Williams Field High School in Gilbert. St. Louis was the top-ranked long-snapper in the entire country coming out of high school. He is now playing in his second season for Texas and has a much more significant role for the team than often given credit for.
5️⃣8️⃣ days until @TexasFootball!
Texas long snapper Lance St. Louis took over the position three games into his freshman year, and consistently excelled throughout 2022. More from @stevehabel and @josephcook89 (FREE) #HookEm https://t.co/0sX0ruyDWz
— Inside Texas (@InsideTexas) July 6, 2023
Another player from the state is redshirt freshman and defensive lineman Zac Swanson. Swanson played for the Brophy College Prep Broncos from 2019-22 and was a highly-ranked prospect coming out. However, he appeared in just two games last season and has yet to play this season.
When tuning into this year’s Sugar Bowl, keep an eye out on these Arizona high school alumni as they will look to continue making an impact and help lead their team to the National Championship.
*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, exclusive content, and access to our seasonal magazines! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*
Saleh Awwad is a reporter/writer covering Phoenix High School Sports and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @SalehAwwad_
