Basha ramping up football schedule, to open against Los Alamitos, 5-star QB Malachi Nelson, WR Makai Lemon

Chandler Basha will open its 2022 football season against one of Southern California's better teams, Los Alamitos, which features one of the nation's top quarterbacks and wide receivers, Malachi Nelson and Makai Lemon.

Both 5-star 2023 players have committed to USC.

Nelson, 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, is rated the No. 1 quarterback in California and No. 2 in the nation by 247Sports. Nelson passed for 2,690 yards and 39 touchdowns with eight interceptions last season. 

Lemon, 6-foot, 180 pounds, is rated the No. 1 Athlete in the nation in the 2023 class by 247Sports. Lemon caught 65 passes for 1,062 yards and 15 TDs last season. 

Basha coach Chris McDonald said his team will travel to Los Alamitos to play on either Sept. 2 or 3, the first weekend of the Arizona high school season. 

"That will be a good matchup to open," McDonald said. "We were looking for someone and have it be a great experience for the kids."

Key individual matchups likely pit Basha 2023 cornerback Cole Martin against Lemon and Basha 2023 corner Jeremiah Vessel against 2023 and Oklahama-commit DeAndre Moore Jr., who is rated the No. 5 wide receiver in the country in his class by 247Sports.

Vessel and Martin could be assigned to either receiver.

Martin committed to Oregon on New Year's Day. He is The Arizona Republic's No. 1 2023 football prospect. Martin is rated the No. 9 cornerback in the nation in his class in the 247Sports Composite. 

Basha also has The Republic's No. 1 2024 college prospect in dual-threat quarterback Demond Williams Jr., who has started since his freshman year.

McDonald said that there is a chance the game could be televised by Bally's.

Last year's schedule might have hurt the Bears, who lost to Peoria Liberty 38-20 in the first round of the Open Division playoffs, after going 10-0 in the regular season for the first time but avoided playing Chandler and Hamilton. 

Basha returns all of its top players from its historic season, including offensive lineman James Durand, Athletes Miles Lockhart and Deshaun Buchanan, wide receiver Bryson Dedmon and linebackers Wyatt Milkovic, Jackson Browning and Jack Bleier, all top recruits.

"It's going to be good," McDonald said of the showdown with Los Alamitos, which went 9-2 and lost to powerhouse St. John Bosco 63-38 in the playoffs. "We're both public schools with a lot of talent. There are going to be a lot of star ratings on the field."