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DaVonte’ Neal making positive impact at Higley
BY ZACH ALVIRA GSN Sports Editor
DaVonté Neal can easily recall his favorite play from his high school career at Chaparral in Scottsdale.
Neal and the Firebirds were in the semifinals his senior year against Centennial in 2011. He had yet another dominating performance during the regular season in all facets of the game.
Centennial had success against Chapparal and in the final play of the game, junior running back Jalen Ortiz began to hit the outside but Neal saw him begin to go into a throwing motion. Neal retreated into coverage, caught up with the opposing receiver and picked off the pass.
Neal’s interception sealed the game. Chaparral won 31-30 and clinched its third straight title.
Neal was named Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year twice along with two consecutive All-American nods. Before his high school career ended, he went on to represent the state in the Under Armour All-America Game, one of the premier All-Star games for highly recruited prep football players from across the country.
Neal signed with the University of Notre Dame and made an impact on special teams in his freshman campaign. He was part of the Notre Dame Team that was ranked No. 1 overall in the country when the Irish faced Alabama in the 2012 BCS National Championship Game. Seeking a better opportunity, Neal transferred to the University of Arizona to complete his college career.
More accolades in Tucson for the
Neal came to Higley based on a recommendation from Cal Berkeley special teams coach Charlie Ragle, who coached him at Chaparral. (Zach Alvira/GSN Staff) Wildcats allowed him to pursue a career in the Canadian Football League. Now, he is sharing those experiences with the varsity defensive backs at Higley High, where he recently joined head coach Eddy Zubey. “I had a lot of fun and a lot of memories from high school,” Neal said. “Just to have worked so hard and now I have the opportunity to come back into the community and come back at coach here at Higley, I hope to give them some knowledge I had when I played that will help them go further in their careers.” Neal began privately training Davonté Neal was one of the state’s best football players - and a star athletes shortly after his stint sprinter - at Chaparral High School. (Courtesy Arizona Daily Star) in the CFL ended. That eventually led to becoming the defensive backs coach at Dobson under head coach Bill Godsil in 2020. He made the transition to Higley after he was contacted by Zubey. “Talking to him about what we have, I believe he is perfect for us,” Zubey said. “The unknown benefit at the time was his energy. Even after my two Monsters per day I don’t have as much energy as him.”
Zubey has already seen Neal’s impact on the program. He’s the first coach or player to congratulate one of the Knights for a play made during competition or practice. He’s also heavily involved in the weight room, racking weights and spotting Higley players.
His energy has become contagious for the defensive backs and the rest of the team. Players gravitate toward him and recognize his athletic ability. In many ways, the players also look up to him for additional guidance in regard to reaching the next level. One of those players, Nijrell Eason, one of the top defensive backs in the state, said he and some of his teammates pulled up their new coach’s highlight tape from high school. “All aspects. Offense, defense, special teams, everything,” Eason said. “He’s energetic and that gives all of us energy. It helps motivate us to go make plays.” LaRon Tarkington, another assistant on Higley’s staff, competed against Neal growing up. The two played against each other in high school but had always remained friends.
Neal ultimately aims to coach at the next level but remains focused on the task at hand: coaching Higley to have one of the best secondary units in the state. “We are definitely going to fly around the ball,” Neal said. “We have guys who want to hustle, make plays and guys who want to win. I’ve gotten to know who these players are over the summer and from what I’ve seen so far, I think we can expect some big things from them.”
