For all the success Curt LeBlanc had in his first six years at Queen Creek — a .681 winning percentage, four trips to the playoffs — his résumé was still blank under one heading: championships.
No more.
LeBlanc won his first title last year when the Bulldogs went undefeated in the 4A-II East Sky Region, and now he and his players have their sights set on repeating.
“We’ve set the bar pretty high,” LeBlanc said of internal expectations.
“But I would think every school in the region is trying to contend for that. … We had a great season last year. It wasn’t a fluke, and I’m hoping that we can parlay that again this year.”
Queen Creek returns only seven starters but is considered by most other coaches in the region to be the favorite. The Bulldogs have never had any trouble reloading (see five straight trips to the state quarterfinals) and should get key contributions from several members of last year’s 6-2 junior varsity team.
LeBlanc said compared with last season’s squad, this year’s team is deeper, has more athletes, more size and is more mature.
Sounds like all the ingredients for another region title.
“We just need to maintain our consistency,” LeBlanc said.
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Roster
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. |
| 1 | D.J. Lechner | K | 5-10 | 140 | Jr. |
| 2 | Chaz Ford | FL/DB | 6-1 | 180 | Sr. |
| 4 | Doug Amoako | FL/LB | 5-8 | 180 | Sr. |
| 5 | MarquS Martinez | FB/LB | 5-8 | 185 | Sr. |
| 8 | Daniel Morgutia | TB/DB | 5-11 | 170 | Sr. |
| 9 | Joel Hanson | WR/DB | 6-2 | 185 | Sr. |
| 10 | Iggy Castro | TB/DB | 5-9 | 175 | Sr. |
| 11 | Richie Edwards | QB/DB | 5-11 | 180 | Sr. |
| 16 | Adam Brzeczek | QB/DB | 6-0 | 165 | Sr. |
| 19 | Brandon Elcox | WR/DB | 6-0 | 180 | Sr. |
| 20 | Nikko Ramos | FL/DB | 5-9 | 155 | Sr. |
| 21 | Trey Van Camp | FL/DB | 6-0 | 165 | Jr. |
| 22 | Kendal Augustin | WR/DB | 6-2 | 180 | Jr. |
| 26 | Marcus Wilkins | TB/DB | 5-10 | 180 | Jr. |
| 29 | Tavares Hester | TB/DB | 5-10 | 160 | Sr. |
| 30 | Nick Arnold | TB/DB | 5-9 | 145 | Jr. |
| 32 | Jake Goddard | FB/LB | 6-0 | 205 | Sr. |
| 34 | R.J. Parkinson | WR/DE | 6-0 | 170 | Sr. |
| 37 | Brighton Solomon | TE/LB | 6-0 | 185 | Sr. |
| 40 | Trace Bowman | DE/LB | 6-0 | 165 | Jr. |
| 42 | Darrick Ramsey | TE/DE | 6-4 | 225 | Sr. |
| 44 | Crae Kleinlein | OL/DE | 6-0 | 180 | Sr. |
| 48 | Patrick Marchant | TE/DE | 6-2 | 185 | Sr. |
| 50 | Eben Whiting | C/DL | 5-6 | 130 | Jr. |
| 55 | John Merrill | OL/DL | 6-2 | 265 | Sr. |
| 56 | Ryan Turner | C/DL | 6-2 | 265 | Sr. |
| 57 | Earl Stith | OL/LB | 5-5 | 185 | Jr. |
| 58 | Matt Holmes | OL/DL | 6-1 | 225 | Jr. |
| 60 | Nick Burrows | OL/DL | 5-10 | 230 | Sr. |
| 62 | Rajko Seat | OL/LB | 6-2 | 260 | Sr. |
| 66 | Trent Pruitt | OL/DL | 6-1 | 170 | Jr. |
| 69 | Chad Dilzer | OL/DL | 5-10 | 250 | Jr. |
| 72 | Brian Nielsen | OL/DL | 5-10 | 210 | Sr. |
| 76 | Cody Needham | OL/DL | 6-3 | 260 | Jr. |
| 77 | Kyle Black | OL/DL | 6-2 | 205 | Sr. |
| 79 | Michael Gamero | OL/DL | 5-8 | 170 | Jr. |
| 82 | Arthur Williams | WR/DB | 5-7 | 180 | Jr. |
