Arizona HS football notes: Zeth Thues to be eligible Game 1 at Liberty; Tempe Prep cancels season

Peoria Liberty junior safety Zeth Thues is expected to be cleared by the Arizona Interscholastic Association to start the season. He transferred from Scottsdale Saguaro in December.

Thues was among more than 20 Saguaro players who transferred since the end of last season.

Because he did so before Jan. 16, he will be eligible to play in the first game, Thues' father, Javier Olivas, told The Arizona Republic.

"AIA will make it official but AD (Matt) Harris from Saguaro will give a waiver to anyone who left before Jan. 16, 2024," Olivas said.

Those transferring after Jan. 16 from Saguaro will have to submit hardships to the AIA to try to keep from being ineligible for the first five games of the season.

Thues and junior running back Tyvel Calloway both left Saguaro for Liberty before Jan. 16.

Thues is ranked fourth among The Republic's Top 10 defensive backs for the 2024 season. He had a breakout sophomore season for the Sabercats, helping them capture the 6A championship. He made the transfer move in December to Liberty, which is closer to his home.

"Yes, that's what I was told, I'll be cleared for Week 1," Thues confirmed with The Republic.

Harris has not responded to text messages from The Republic, seeking comment.

Thues, 5 feet 11, 185 pounds, will give the defending Open state champion Lions an instant boost in the secondary. He has run 40 yards in 4.4 seconds. He had 78 tackles, 44 of them solo, two interceptions and eight pass breakups for the Sabercats last season.

Tempe Prep among 3 1A schools canceling varsity football

Tempe Prep, which went 4-5 last season in eight-man, 1A football, has canceled football for 2024, Athletic Director Rafik Henderson confirmed with The Republic.

"Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough boys this year that wanted to participate," Henderson said in an email.

Anthem Prep also has canceled football, and North Phoenix Prep dropped to a junior-varsity schedule, Chandler Lincoln Prep coach Paul Schubring said.

Most shocking is Tempe Prep canceling football. In 2014, it made history, becoming the first charter school to reach an AIA state football title game, falling to Yuma Catholic for the Division V championship. Eight years ago, the Knights went 7-5 in 2A, reaching the state quarterfinals, before losing to Phoenix Christian.

In 2020, during the COVID year, the Knights went 4-3. In 2021, they went 6-4, competing in 1A, as the number of players participating decreased.

"It does create more open weeks," Schubring said. "We've been lucky enough to fill them. But it does take our region from seven teams to four, and it feels like it will make 1A more competitive because the good teams outweigh the bad ones."

Official AIA practices with helmets for schools 1A through 3A begin Monday.

Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. He also covers Grand Canyon University athletics and the Arizona Rattlers. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @azc_obert

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona HS football notes: Zeth Thues to be eligible Game 1 at Liberty; Tempe Prep cancels season