Fiesta Bowl, Riczer Desvaristes impacting Arizona High School football

Dec. 5—The Fiesta Bowl has long been recognized for its status as a premier college football postseason game, one that brings together two of the top teams from designated conferences or those ranked high enough in the new playoff format.

The game itself usually doesn't disappoint. The events surrounding the game near the end of December into the Jan. 1 holiday don't either.

From parades to community events featuring the college programs in town for games, the Fiesta Bowl has continued to find ways to make a positive impact on the communities that support it. Now the organization has extended its hand to the high school community.

"We started the Fiesta Bowl Friday Night Showdown with the goal of connecting our community but also giving these student-athletes an opportunity and the exposure they need," said Riczer Desvaristes, the director of football engagement for the Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl.

"Week in and week out getting support from the AIA, getting support from local media members was a great opportunity."

The Fiesta Bowl brought a new initiative to the world of high school football in Arizona this season.

The Friday Night Showdown highlighted one of the biggest matchups taking place across the Valley every week during the regular season. From the Fiesta Bowl mascot, Spirit, to yellow jacket members of the organization, it brought a new level of excitement for games that already had a build up around them.

The Fiesta Bowl partnered with Super Star Car Wash for the weekly events. The organization's game of the week was promoted on social media. There were even incentives for fans, as the first 500 who entered the stadium were given free car washes.

It brought a new level of excitement to the high school football community each week. It also amped up the players.

The Super Star Player of the Game, given to the most outstanding player in each matchup, was given a custom WWE-style championship belt. It was a hit among players, according to Desvaristes.

"When we give our Super Star Player of the Game it's not only the player who demonstrated excellence on the field but excellence off the field, too," Desvaristes said. "Some of these players are going to be playing in the Big10, the SEC."

The Fiesta Bowl highlighted several games featuring East Valley and Scottsdale teams this season.

It kicked off the inaugural season in Peoria when Liberty hosted Hamilton. The following week it was in Scottsdale as Saguaro hosted Mountain View out of Mesa.

Throughout the season, Chaparral, Desert Mountain, Horizon, Higley, Notre Dame, Queen Creek, Red Mountain, Perry, Chandler, Desert Vista and Mountain Pointe were all part of the Fiesta Bowl's Friday Night Showdown.

"When we came out, the players started playing at a high level," Desvaristes said. "It was a good opportunity for us to spotlight them. All around it was a successful inaugural season for the Fiesta Bowl Friday Night Showdown."

Desvaristes' impact on youth football in Arizona has been felt since the day he made the move from California just over a year ago.

He spent time with the Los Angeles Chargers in the community relations department, promoting youth football in the Los Angeles area. He moved to Arizona to do the same job for the Cardinals and made an immediate impact.

He focused heavily on promoting girls' flag football. He was instrumental in the growth in popularity thanks to the support from the Cardinals, as more schools began showing interest.

That led the Arizona Interscholastic Association to make it a sanctioned sport for the 2023-24 school year and beyond. Shortly after the announcement, Desvaristes helped facilitate a $100,000 donation from Nike and the NFL to support AIA schools who lacked resources to field a flag football team. That helped raise the number of participating teams to over 50 in the inaugural season. It'll double next fall.

"I believe we have a really good state association with great leaders who care about the game," Desvaristes said. "The athletic directors across the board understand the game and they want to grow the game across the board here in Arizona. Having amazing leaders like that puts us in a good position nationally."

Desvaristes saw an opportunity with the Fiesta Bowl to make a similar impact on youth football. He's been able to do that and more.

The Fiesta Bowl continued to support flag football as well as tackle this past season. It also held camps and clinics for underserved communities and youth that featured former NFL players and current high schoolers coaching.

Desvaristes said his passion has always been to help the youth find love for the game of football. He was able to do that with the Chargers and Cardinals, and now the Fiesta Bowl is opening the door for his impact to go even further. For that, he is thankful.

"I'm very fortunate and I always say this all the time, there are such great people in the community," Desvaristes said. "The people here in Arizona, they really care about athletics. I'm very fortunate."