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San Manuel’s Christian Velasquez is pictured in the second row at the far left.
San Manuel senior running back Christian Velasquez was one of 46 finalists up for the Ed Doherty Award, which is presented by the Grand Canyon State Gridiron Club (GCSGC) and given to the top Arizona high school football player.
The award luncheon took place last Saturday at the Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch.
Velasquez broke several school and state records during the 2017 season. The biggest was his state best 514-yard, nine-touchdown performance against Tombstone on Sept. 22, which earned him a performance medallion. He was later named a finalist by the GCSGC selection committee.
Some of Velasquez’ other records include a school record 2,103 rushing yards and a 2A Conference-record 56 points in one game. He was honored as the Arizona Cardinals Player of the Week following the game against Tombstone. Additionally, Velasquez earned AIA 2A South 2nd-Team All-Region honors and AllSportTucson.com 2017 Frog & Firkin 2nd-Team All Star and 2A 1st-Team All Star.
The Ed Doherty Award, also called The Heisman Trophy of Arizona High School Football, was presented to Perry High School senior quarterback Brock Purdy.
Andrew Luberda began writing for Copper Area News Publishers (CANP) in February 2013 after working 15 years in Healthcare Financial Management. Andy covers sports for 11 high schools. His stories are published in Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner and Superior Sun, in addition to the San Tan Valley Daily PRSS and CopperArea websites. Additionally, he has written human interest stories and business profiles. In May 2012, he earned an AAS in Sports Management at Central Arizona College before graduating with a BS in Communication from Arizona State University in 2014. He and his wife, Kelli, have three sons – AJ, Kyle, and Kade.
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