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From backup quarterback to team captain, Noah Fifita’s leadership has brought Arizona together

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From backup quarterback to team captain, Noah Fifita’s leadership has brought Arizona together


When the 2023 Arizona football campaign began last year Jayden de Laura was entering his second season as the starting quarterback, while Noah Fifita was the backup. Fast forward to the Stanford game, de Laura goes down with an injury and Fifita stepped up in his absence. Not only did he step up, Fifita took full reins of the team.

After close losses to Washington and USC, he would lead the Wildcats to seven straight wins, including an Alamo Bowl victory against Oklahoma. Once the offseason hit, Fifita was faced with a similar challenge of bringing his team together after Jedd Fisch left for Washington.

Following Arizona’s hiring of Brent Brennan as head coach, it only took one meeting with him for Fifita to decide to stay. Thereafter, Fifita has only gained momentum as being one of the top quarterbacks in the nation as well as the leader of the Wildcats.

With being named to many preseason awards watch lists, Fifita was ranked 51st by ESPN on its list of top 100 college players. On top of earning rankings and being named to watchlists, he has become popular in the NIL world. Picking up sponsorships with Alerion Aviation, the Tucson International Airport and SuperCuts, it is clear that there is extreme hype around Fifita.

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Preseason training camp was one of hard work and fine tuning the little things, which is what got Fifita to be ready when called upon as the backup. Now, he will be leading the team as one of six team captains.

Alongside fellow captains Jonah Savaiinaea, Josh Baker, Jacob Manu, Treydan Stukes, and Gunner Maldonado, Fifita’s leadership is noticed by everyone on the team. Offensive coordinator Dino Babers made it clear that a player such as he is rare to find nowadays.

“He’s not average, the more and more you’re around him you’re just like ‘the guy is special,’ and he needs to be treated as such,” Babers said.

Quarterbacks coach Lyle Moevao gave credit to Fifita for adjusting to new pieces on the offense and the offensive scheme.

“You know the fun thing about Noah is that his mind is always on ‘what’s our plan?’,” Moevao said. “That’s the beauty of working with Noah, he’s always gonna be, you know, one step ahead.”

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Being one step ahead goes back to his preparation from last season as a backup, but now going into this season Fifita has to make sure that the entire team is ready to go.

“I think last year it was kind of more about myself and really taking care of what I had to take care of,” he said. “Now this year it is about the team, and kind of having cohesion through all the positions and not just worrying about my responsibilities.”

The nation knows about the Fifita to Tetairoa McMillan connection, but one that is equally important is the center to quarterback connection. Baker’s face lit up earlier this week when asked about his relationship with Fifita.

“It’s been amazing to see a young kid a couple years ago come in with such a professional attitude and such a professional mindset,” Baker said. “Working hard every single day, not missing a beat, able to step up when his name was called, it’s just been amazing to see that.”

Outside of all of the watchlists, rankings, and sponsorships, Fifita knows that in order to be successful, he has to bring the team together as one.

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“It’s always about the team,” Fifita said. “That’s the main part and that’s just Coach Brennan, he has referenced that a lot. Coach (Dick) Tomey’s thing is ‘The team, the team, the team.’ so that’s just kind of how we’re built, that’s what we take pride in and if we want to do what we want to do, it’s about the team. About us, not just one individual.”



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Haitian man detained at Arizona ICE facility dies in US custody, brother says

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Haitian man detained at Arizona ICE facility dies in US custody, brother says


FLORENCE, AZ (AP) — A Haitian man confined at an Arizona immigration detention center for months died at a hospital Monday after a tooth infection was left untreated, the man’s brother said Wednesday.

Emmanuel Damas, 56, told medical personnel at the Florence Correctional Center that he had a toothache in mid-February, but he was not sent to a dentist, said Damas’ brother, Presly Nelson.

Nelson believes the staff at the facility did not take his brother’s complaints seriously, even though it was a treatable condition. Nelson said he would expect such a death in countries with less access to health care, but not in the United States.

“As a country — I’m an American now — I think we can do better than that,” Nelson said.

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Damas is among at least nine people who have died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody this year.

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment. ICE had said it hoped to issue a news release Wednesday.

Earlier Wednesday, ICE officials announced the death of Mexican national Alberto Gutierrez-Reyes, who had been in a California ICE detention center and died in the hospital Feb. 27 after reporting chest pain and shortness of breath.

Chandler City Council member Christine Ellis, a Haitian American who is a registered nurse, said she was contacted by Damas’ family after his death.

“As a medical person, I am absolutely appalled that there were medical-licensed people that were working there and allowed those things to happen,” Ellis said. “It does not make sense to me.”

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A report from the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office listed Damas’ cause of death as “pending” as of Wednesday.

Damas was taken into ICE custody in September and was soon transferred to the medium-security Florence Correctional Center, where he was held for several months, including after his asylum application was denied, Ellis said.

CoreCivic, a for-profit corrections company that runs the Florence facility, did not respond to emails seeking comment.

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Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.



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3 men sentenced in Arizona for multi-million dollar scam against Amazon

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3 men sentenced in Arizona for multi-million dollar scam against Amazon


PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Three Valley men have been sentenced for their roles in what prosecutors described as a “sophisticated fraud scheme” against an online shopping giant.

In a news release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Mughith Faisal, 29, of Glendale, was sentenced on Feb. 5 to 18 months in prison. His brother, Basheer Faisal, 28, of Glendale, was also recently ordered to spend 18 months in prison.

The feds said a third defendant in the case, Abdullah Alwan, 28, of Surprise, was sentenced to six months in prison after the trio pleaded guilty to wire fraud.

Prosecutors said the three were also each ordered to pay $1.5 million in restitution to Amazon.

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According to federal officials, Alwan worked in Amazon’s logistics division and left the company in 2021 when he reportedly used his knowledge to manipulate rates for transportation deliveries assigned to Amazon’s third-party carriers.

The feds said Basheer and Mughith Faisal used “Blue Line Transport” to knowingly get to increased transport rates that Alwan would then input into Amazon’s system, ripping them off out of $4.5 million.

The FBI’s Phoenix Division helped in the investigation, which was then prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.

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Copyright 2026 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.



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Arizona Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for March 3, 2026

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Arizona Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for March 3, 2026


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The Arizona Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at Tuesday, March 3, 2026 results for each game:

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Winning Mega Millions numbers

07-21-53-54-62, Mega Ball: 16

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers

2-0-8

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Fantasy 5 numbers

02-05-18-27-41

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Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Triple Twist numbers

11-14-17-19-23-24

Check Triple Twist payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news and results

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What time is the Powerball drawing?

Powerball drawings are at 7:59 p.m. Arizona time on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

How much is a Powerball lottery ticket today?

In Arizona, Powerball tickets cost $2 per game, according to the Arizona Lottery.

How to play the Powerball

To play, select five numbers from 1 to 69 for the white balls, then select one number from 1 to 26 for the red Powerball.

You can choose your lucky numbers on a play slip or let the lottery terminal randomly pick your numbers.

To win, match one of the 9 Ways to Win:

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  • 5 white balls + 1 red Powerball = Grand prize.
  • 5 white balls = $1 million.
  • 4 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $50,000.
  • 4 white balls = $100.
  • 3 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $100.
  • 3 white balls = $7.
  • 2 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $7.
  • 1 white ball + 1 red Powerball = $4.
  • 1 red Powerball = $4.

There’s a chance to have your winnings increased two, three, four, five and 10 times through the Power Play for an additional $1 per play. Players can multiply non-jackpot wins up to 10 times when the jackpot is $150 million or less.

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Arizona Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $100 and may redeem winnings up to $599. For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Arizona Lottery offices. By mail, send a winner claim form, winning lottery ticket and a copy of a government-issued ID to P.O. Box 2913, Phoenix, AZ 85062.

To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a winner claim form and deliver the form, along with the ticket and government-issued ID to any of these locations:

Phoenix Arizona Lottery Office: 4740 E. University Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85034, 480-921-4400. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Tucson Arizona Lottery Office: 2955 E. Grant Road, Tucson, AZ 85716, 520-628-5107. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

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Phoenix Sky Harbor Lottery Office: Terminal 4 Baggage Claim, 3400 E. Sky Harbor Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85034, 480-921-4424. Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes up to $49,999.

Kingman Arizona Lottery Office: Inside Walmart, 3396 Stockton Hill Road, Kingman, AZ 86409, 928-753-8808. Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes up to $49,999.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://www.arizonalottery.com/.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Arizona Republic editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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