Caleb Campero is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Arizona College Prep for AZPreps365.com 

The Arizona College Prep defense feels it has made huge strides and plans to lead the team into a bright future behind seniors Jayden Diaz and Matthew Tran as they set the example for the rest of the team.

Coming off a 5-5 season, Arizona College Prep's fight for relevancy in the East Valley starts up front with defensive ends Elijah Cazares (senior) and Cayden Gibson (junior). Gibson had a school-record six sacks two weeks ago against Gilbert. He tied that record the following week against Walden Grove.

“He’s (Gibson) just not blockable,'' coach Myron Blueford said. "There is not very many teams that are going to line up 1-on-1 and be able to contain him for a whole game, and the hard part of that is if you have any type of success with that, we have another (end) in Eli Cazares, who is also really long.”

Matt Tran is the leader in the middle stepping up this season after ranking third on the team last year in tackles with 45, per MaxPreps.com. Through three games, Tran had 32 tackles, which led the team.

Tran has seen a positive jump in the defense.

“We're communicating more,'' he said. "We function more as a unit rather than a bunch of guys on a field. We all have the same idea of what we’re going to do, so that’s the big improvement."

Tran in practice is  vocal and open to giving direction to all defensive players. It carries from the front line all the way to the secondary.

In the secondary, safety Jayden Diaz has gained Blueford’s trust as the last man on defense. Diaz says he thinks he brings energy to the field and is excited as he hasn’t played much defense since his sophomore year.

“We have to keep executing and tackling,'' Diaz said. "We’ve really only let up three plays that have been scores, so we really need to keep that sound defense, don’t get confused with a mismatch and keep our heads straight”.

This is APA’s first year playing in 4A Desert Sky. 

 Blueford said this is the best defense he’s had at ACP. He adds that the kids play with chips on their shoulders trying to gain respect in the Chandler area with well-known schools close by like Chandler, Hamilton and Basha.