Area football players were snubbed on the All-Arizona team voted on by the football coaches association.

It wasn’t hard to choose last year’s Tribune Player of the Year, as Saguaro running back D.J. Foster broke several state records, ran for 508 yards and 10 touchdowns in one game and led the Sabercats to the Division III state title.

The offense gets the majority of the headlines, but playmakers on a defense can affect games in a hurry. The ballhawks are plentiful this year, so quarterbacks must be careful when throwing passes. Here are five players set to make big impacts on Friday nights this fall:

Saguaro running back D.J. Foster and Chaparral wide receiver Davonte Neal ran wild on opposing defenses last year, putting up eye-popping numbers and leading their teams to state championships. It’s doubtful that any skill player will accumulate statistics approaching those marks this year, but Friday nights certainly won’t lack in star power. A host of offensive standouts return to their teams for another year of high school football. Here are five players who will be worth the price of admission this season:

OFFENSE

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The offense gets the majority of the headlines, but playmakers on a defense can affect games in a hurry. The ballhawks are plentiful this year, so quarterbacks must be careful when throwing passes. Here are five players set to make big impacts on Friday nights this fall:

A collection of the best individual performances in the East Valley in Week 7:

Division II football state championship

The four East Valley boys basketball coaching searches are either in the interview stage or nearing it. There doesn’t seem to be a ton of overlap among the top candidates for each position, and each situation is unique from the others.

The Suns moved a step closer to completing the long-pending Joe Johnson trade with Atlanta Thursday and a deal that has now dragged on for six weeks could be completed within days.

All-Tribune First Team Offense

Saguaro running back D.J. Foster and Chaparral wide receiver Davonte Neal ran wild on opposing defenses last year, putting up eye-popping numbers and leading their teams to state championships.

By acquiring Allen Iverson Tuesday and teaming him with Carmelo Anthony ­— as soon as he completes his 15-game fighting suspension — the Denver Nuggets will have the top two scorers in the NBA on the floor at the same time.

So what is next?

So what is next?

All-Tribune First Team Offense

I’m hearing from frustrated Suns fans who think Grant Hill won’t make any more impact than Jalen Rose did last year, mostly because Mike D’Antoni will quickly return to his seven-player rotation cocoon if Phoenix struggles during the regular season.

Mountain Pointe had the right guy with the ball. It was the right shot from 10 feet away. It was in the basket.

Maybe the best way to measure Teddy Ruben’s value isn’t what he meant to Saguaro on the field, but what it would have been like without him.

On Sunday, the Tribune released a list of 10 offensive players to watch in the upcoming football season. Ask many coaches, though, and it’s defense that wins championships. While the offensive stars are readying to score points, the defenders are counting down the days until they can zero in on opposing quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers.

The end result involves a pen, a letter of intent, enough handshakes that a bottle of Purell best be handy and posing for a lot of pictures.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. As far as the 2011 high school track and field season goes, that phrase could not be more true.

An early look at what to watch in Division I this season: