Top prospect Solomon Enis looks to lead North Canyon back to playoffs

Phoenix North Canyon hasn’t tasted the state football playoffs since 2011. But it has begun a tradition of producing the state’s top prospect.

For a second year in a row, the Rattlers roll out a new coach and a new No.1 in the senior class.

Coach Airabin Justin, off a state track championship leading the North Canyon girls to a one-point win in May, has inherited a football program that is led by wide receiver/safety Solomon Enis.

Enis is ranked No. 1 in the state in the 2018 class by azcentral sports.

Last year, offensive lineman Austin Jackson was ranked No. 1 in the 2017 class. He signed in February with USC.

Both are products of Justin’s track and field program.

Following Jackson ‘s lead from a year ago, Justin isn’t caught up in the hype of being the No. 1 prospect in Arizona.

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“We just keep our head down and work hard,” Enis said. “Everyone is all about the glamour, all this and that. But we just put our head down and just work.”

There is a lot of work to do for the Rattlers to get back into the playoffs.

They were close last year when they took a huge step forward with Jose Lucero as head coach.

But after going 6-4, missing out being among the top 16 teams in 5A, North Canyon had to go back to work without Lucero, who went home, returning to the west side to take over the Goodyear Desert Edge program that was vacated after Rich Wellbrock.

New coach takes over

Wellbrock was enticed by the state’s toughest region, the Premier, and now leads Chandler Basha against the district’s top dogs: Chandler, Hamilton and Perry.

Two years ago, Lucero was Wellbrock’s offensive coordinator on Desert Edge’s state championship team.

Lucero quickly changed the culture at North Canyon, where Justin hopes to ramp it up with his track expertise.

He wants his team to be fast, play fast, and keep the foot on the accelerator.

It starts with Enis, but he will need somebody to get him the ball.

And for at least the first five games, it looks like North Canyon will rely on a freshman at the wheel of the offense.

Caleb Wilkins hasn’t begun his first high school class, but he’s been out all summer, leading North Canyon’s offense with junior Louis Contreras expected to be ineligible the first half of the season after transferring from Goodyear Millennium.

Enis and Justin have confidence in Wilkins. 

“He can play,” Justin said. “He’ll do some good things. Solomon at any given time can score touchdowns. We have a couple of other guys the same way, which should help us out.”

Big on talent but lacking depth

“We don’t have numbers, but everybody works hard,” Enis said. “That’s going to overcome things at the end of the day.”

Enis, the son of former Penn State and NFL running back Curtis Enis, says he has a couple of official visits set up. One to Penn State. The other to Utah. He said he probably will wait until the end of the season to commit.

Enis was a sprinter on Justin’s track team. He said Justin brings back the spread offense that he believes will make himself and others flourish.

Last year, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Enis had 64 catches for 1,144 yards and 10 touchdowns. 

He isn’t the only game-changer returning.

Senior Tre O’Guinn (6-1, 195) will be all over the field. He can play strong safety and linebacker. He will also be utilized by Justin at running back and receiver.

Justin said O’Guinn took an unofficial visit to Arizona State. Coaches there mentioned how they like O’Guinn at running back.

He had 117 tackles, 16 for losses, and two caused fumbles last year.

“We know it’s a grind,” O’Guinn said. “We push everybody. Everybody just works as hard as they can.”

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