Arizona
Arizona State managing loads with spring game approaching
TEMPE — As Arizona State football enters the final week of its spring session, the Sun Devils look to be ramping up at just the right time for head coach Kenny Dillingham. Or maybe a little too much?
Managing the team’s workload was one of the main points of emphasis for Dillingham, as Thursday’s practice ended right at the two-hour mark.
Over the past few weeks, most practices have started at 9 a.m. and ended at noon.
“We monitor every movement in our player loads essentially. Our player loads have been 11% to 13% higher per practice,” Dillingham said. “The last player load was a little higher than what we wanted, which is a good thing. But we wanted to de-load them a little bit, take some helmets off and take the banging off before we have a great, hard long practice on Saturday.”
Arizona State quantifies “load” by combining yardage moved, top speeds and acceleration by position groups. Coaches use “loads” to measure how hard the team is practicing.
Dillingham and Co. can even compare workloads from last spring to this spring, which he said is 14% higher this year.
Could this defense win a championship?
Arizona State’s defense has been getting praise throughout spring from Dillingham and defensive coordinator Brian Ward.
The secondary, in particular, has had standout after standout. Whether it is Keith Abney II, Xavion Alford or Cole Martin, the secondary has shined. Add Javan Robinson’s name to the list of standout defensive backs.
Robinson, a redshirt sophomore, has already taken a leadership role in the cornerback room after transferring in from Washington State, where he played three games in Ward’s system as a freshman prior to the defensive coordinator making his way to Tempe before last year.
“I’m loving it out here, loving the atmosphere and loving our team so far,” Robinson said. “The only thing that is different is I feel like my role. Our cornerback room is really young, and I’m one of the older guys. So it was like just teaching those guys what to do, what not to do and taking those guys under my wing. That’s my role.”
Robinson praised cornerbacks coach and recruiting guru Bryan Carrington, whose coaching style he appreciates.
“He allows us to go out there and play,” Robinson said. “He allows us to make mistakes, and then he coaches up while we’re watching film. While we’re on the field, he doesn’t really say a lot to us because he wants us to go out there and feel it out ourselves and play, and then we’ll just coach it up later.”
Redshirt senior Ed Woods, who has appeared in 32 games for the Sun Devils, stressed the importance of making sure everyone does the little things right.
“I try to push the younger guys, making sure they are on time to class and doing the right things when no one is looking. That is what really matters at the end of the day,” Woods said. “Everybody is going to do the correct thing when people are looking, just making sure that they’re doing the extra stuff off the field like watching film.”
With both a veteran presence and youthful expertise, the secondary can take the defense to new heights during the 2024 season.
Spring game next Friday
Arizona State has three more practices until its annual spring game next week on April 26.
Don’t miss these 5 metro Phoenix hidden gem restaurants
From Ethiopian cuisine to mesquite-grilled chicken, check out these five restaurants in metro Phoenix that have flown under the radar for too long.
A former candidate for Gilbert mayor has opened the first Arizona location of a Founding Fathers-themed ice cream shop in Chandler.
Brooker’s Founding Flavors Ice Cream is a Utah-based ice cream shop centered around the early history of the United States. Female employees scoop cones in bonnets and dresses; male employees wear tricorn hats and coats. The ice cream flavors have names like Martha Washington’s Colonial Cotton Candy and Alexander Hamilton’s Not Throwing Away My Scoop.
On a trip to Utah in 2019, Arizonan Shane Krauser went to a Brooker’s and was blown away.
“I walked out of that, called my wife Janelle and I said, ‘We will own one of these,’” Krauser said.
The couple had no previous restaurant experience, but decided to open up the chain’s first location outside of Utah, choosing a storefront near the intersection of Chandler Boulevard and Dobson Road. The store opened on June 6.
Krauser loves how the shop creates conversation among customers about American history.
“I love history. I love the Founding Fathers. I love the ideals of America,” Krauser said. “It’s an amazing concept.”
Opening Founding Flavors isn’t political, it’s a ‘labor of love’
Krauser is a retired lawyer turned motivational speaker who addresses topics including “freedom, the proper role of government and the parameters of the U.S. and state constitutions,” according to his website.
In 2024, Krauser ran for Gilbert mayor, but withdrew his candidacy amid scrutiny over involvement with a past investment fraud scheme and his son’s appearance in a video with the Gilbert Goons, The Arizona Republic reported.
Although the shop plans to host events celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S., such as one for Constitution Day in September, Krauser said he does not see the ice cream store as related to his political career.
“The mayoral run was something to be involved in politically. This is more of a labor of love,” Krauser said. “This is not political in nature at all. It’s an ice cream shop with an American theme.”
Details: 2560 W. Chandler Blvd. #3, Chandler. brookersicecream.com, 480-881-6100.
Reach the reporter at reia.li@gannett.com. Follow @reia_reports on Instagram.
Arizona CEO accused of stealing millions
Jeffrey Gottfurcht, the now-former CEO of Mesa startupo Cyber Dive, is accused of stealing at least $1.5 million from the company to buy gifts for his girlfriend. FOX 10’s Brian Webb has more.
PHOENIX – An Arizona chief executive officer is facing major legal trouble after being accused of embezzling money from his company.
What we know:
Cyber Dive is an Arizona startup that sells child-safety smartphones, designed so parents can monitor their children’s online activity. The company is run out of a business complex in Mesa, but the startup is barely hanging on after the CEO allegedly took off with the money to spend on his girlfriend.
Jeffrey Gottfurcht is facing federal embezzlement charges. He stands accused of lying and doctoring documents to trick investors before running off with at least $1.5 million.
On the company Facebook page, Gottfurcht claimed to be the first rheumatoid arthritis sufferer to scale Mount Everest.
Local perspective:
Red flags first popped up at the company on Feb. 13, with strange occurrences coming into the office.
Derek Jackson, who co-founded Cyber Dive, recalled the moment the discrepancies came to light.
“They mentioned to me something about getting routing documentation for funds from an acquisition deal,” Jackson recounted. “They said ‘where are those documents?’ He said he was gonna send him at 3 p.m. today, and my response was what deal are you talking about?”
Dig deeper:
Court documents show Gottfurcht used the money to buy his escort girlfriend a Lamborghini, a four-bedroom house in Miami, and a diamond ring. The girlfriend has posted videos on TikTok, but her identity is hidden because she has not been charged with a crime.
When asked to confirm if Gottfurcht purchased the car, the diamond ring, and the house, Jackson responded, “Yes. So it gets deep. Yes, it gets very deep.”
“It’s a huge gut punch,” Jackson said regarding the impact on the startup. “I think it’s been challenging to stay motivated to keep the company going because when this happened, Jeff drained the account to zero.”
At the Cyber Dive headquarters, half the workforce was let go. Jackson is now serving as the interim chief executive officer, looking for new investors to keep the lights on while coming to grips with the loss of a partner and friend.
Jackson stated that the total amount of money taken is closer to $4 million.
“I was in the army. I was an intelligence officer. I was targeting people in ISIS. I don’t even hate terrorists as much as I hate Jeff right now,” Jackson said.
The other side:
No one answered the door at the Paradise Valley home Gottfurcht shares with his wife and three children. Court paperwork shows that his wife is seeking a divorce, and helped turn her husband in to the authorities.
What’s next:
Gottfurcht was previously arrested in Scottsdale in May over allegations of domestic violence. He remains behind bars on a $250,000 bond.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Derek Jackson, and from court documents.
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