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This Week
Liberty football climbs national rankings BY JOE McHUGH
Peoria Times Staff Writer
L BUSINESS......11 Jalapeño Inferno hosts anniversary celebration
November 3, 2022
Peoria’s Hometown Newspaper
iberty High School football has broken into the national top 25 rankings, according to MaxPreps, currently ranked at No. 16. Previously entering the rankings at the No. 24 spot, this the first time in program history that the Lions have been ranked in the top 25. “I think it is certainly an honor for our entire program and school,” head coach Colin Thomas said. “It just reflects the amount of hard work and dedication that our players have put in, our coaches have put in, our community who supports us,
and our admin who supports us.” The Lions have been seemingly unstoppable this year, dishing out blowouts and convincing victories to every opponent on their schedule. The team is as well built for a playoff push as any other that may qualify for the Open Division bracket. Led by junior quarterback Navi Bruzon, senior receiver Prince Zombo and senior running back Zach Wallace on offense, the Lions haven’t struggled to put up points. Seemingly at will, Liberty is averaging over 44 points per game. But the strength of the country’s No. 16-ranked team lies in its defense. Spearheaded by senior defensive lineman
My’Keil Gardner, senior Anthony Ruiz and junior Keaton Stam, the Lions have only allowed more than 10 points on defense just once. Despite the dominance, Liberty has played some of the stiffest competition in the Open rankings including Chandler Basha and Phoenix Pinnacle, ranked third and fourth in the state, respectively. “I think we have a very motivated team,” Thomas said. “We are very hungry to prove that we are certainly one of the best teams in the state of Arizona. We show up every day with that attitude, and when we SEE LIBERTY PAGE 3
Development agreement in place for Old Town Peoria BY PEORIA TIMES STAFF
FEATURES..... 14 Volunteers honoring veterans this December
OPINION..........................8 BUSINESS......................11 SPORTS..........................13 FEATURES......................14 CALENDAR....................16 RELIGION.......................22 YOUTH...........................25 CLASSIFIEDS..................26
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hanks to a new development agreement with Zonapart LLC/Arizona Partners in Real Estate (AZPRE), the city of Peoria is one step closer to redeveloping the heart of its city. The project aims to bring vibrant, new restaurants and retail to five city parcels in Peoria’s historic Old Town area. “A tremendous amount of hard work and energy has been put into this proposal,” said Jen Stein, Peoria economic development director. “AZPRE has an exceptional portfo-
lio, and we are excited to work alongside this premier developer as they deliver an amenity that our community has long desired.” The agreement identifies several sites along 83rd Avenue and Jefferson Street, including the Historic Central School Building, the vacant NAPA building, the vacant Jefferson Street parcels and the Jefferson Street Park and Ride Lot. The agreement further outlines a schedule of performance, in which the developer will come back to the city with a detailed development plan. SEE DEVELOPMENT PAGE 4
The new project slated to run through Old Town Peoria aims to bring vibrant, new restaurants and retail to five city parcels in the area. (Peoria Times file photo)
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