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Mtn. View’s Jackson Bowers ready to be playmaker
DREW SCHOTT
Tribune Staff Writer
Jackson Bowers’ �irst year of high school football ended before it could even begin. In August 2019, Bowers slipped at home and strained his anterior cruciate ligament, an injury that forced him to miss the entire season. As he watched from the sidelines during Mountain View’s 6-6 campaign, all he wanted to do was be on the �ield. If the Toros were winning, Bowers felt he could help them maintain a lead. If they were losing, he could help them mount a comeback. When Bowers returned for the 2020 season, he was excited to play and prepared to work hard after recovering from his ACL injury. This mindset helped guide Bowers to a breakout sophomore year. “It really pushed me,” Bowers said. “But I’m not done yet. I really want to get better. I want to see myself succeed. I want to be the best.” After reeling in 25 catches for 330 yards and four touchdowns, people have taken notice of Bowers’ talent. He is a four-star recruit and the �ifth-best player in Arizona for the 2023 recruiting class. Bowers de�ines his game by his routerunning and ability to bring down jump balls — a situation that he says he wins between 90 percent and 100 percent of the time. He demonstrated his skills as a down�ield receiving threat last season by averaging more than 10 yards per catch in six games, as well as his playmaking ability. In a 42-0 win over Dobson, Bowers caught six passes for 97 yards and three touchdowns. Coach Joe Germaine believes there is more to Bowers’ success than just pure talent. His football mind is second to none. “I’m not exactly sure what goes on in there, other than the fact that he’s really ef�icient,” Germaine said. “I think he forms pictures of the concepts as you install them the very �irst time. He’s got great recall. He can go back to that picture of what it was on a whiteboard or a walkthrough and be able to apply it in a live setting.” Understanding Germaine’s scheme will be key for Bowers’ goal of bringing a state championship back to Mountain View. Germaine, the quarterback of the Toros’ 1993 state championship team, is in his �irst season as head coach at his alma mater after leading Queen Creek. A former quarterback at Ohio State who led the Buckeyes to a 1997 Rose Bowl win, Germaine is bringing in a pro-style system for Bowers and his Mountain View teammates. Impressed with Bowers’ ball skills and physicality, Germaine said the tight end is someone who can always get open and use his six-foot-�ive frame to make plays against any coverage scheme. During the 2021 season, Bowers will line up out wide and at the line of scrimmage. Additionally, he is working on inline blocking from a threepoint stance.
At summer practices, Germaine asked Bowers what plays he likes to run, as well as if he would want to go down on the line. This interaction, according to Bowers, epitomized his coach’s communication and football knowledge that he believes will open up the offense.
Meanwhile, Germaine praised the Toros’ star tight end for one of his intangible qualities: leadership.
“You gotta remember he’s just a 16-yearold,” Germaine said. “When he talks, people listen. We want him to be a leader by example by his work ethic.” Bowers’ philosophy is that if each player works hard and works together, Mountain View will be unstoppable. He hopes to lead this charge, but also wants his teammates to see him as someone who can get the job done. “If they need something, they can look towards me to go and get it for them,” Bowers said. “We’re down a touchdown, they’re like ‘C’mon Jackson, you got this.’” Fresh off a 6-2 campaign, Mountain View’s 6A schedule includes matchups
against Skyline, Mountain Pointe and Basha — opportunities for Bowers to showcase his talents to college coaches. The 166th-ranked recruit in the 2023 recruiting class, Bowers currently holds 12 offers from programs such as Arizona State, Brigham Young, Utah and Washington. He took visits to Tempe, Provo and Salt Lake City this summer and plans to take more following the conclusion of his junior season. As he and the Toros hope for a run to the state championship, Bowers is ready to showcase who he is: a hard worker, a leader and a talented tight end. “Those other schools that are gonna see me, it’s gonna open up their eyes to be able to watch me this season,” Bowers After a breakout season in 2020, Mountain View star tight said. “They’re gonna be able to see what end Jackson Bowers is ready to take the next step in his they can get.” ■ high school football career – becoming a dominant presence and help lead theToros to a state title. (Pablo Robles/ Tribune Sta ) Mountain View coach Joe Germaine said Bowers’ physicality and overall football knowledge is second to none. The fi rst-year coach and Toro alum often asks what plays he wants to run, which has built trust and comradery between the two. (Pablo Robles/Tribune Sta )
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Mesa arcade caters to pinball wizards of all ages
BY ASHLYN ROBINETTE
GetOut Contributor
AMesa business offers patrons the chance to step back in time to play all the games they played in the ’80s, from “Pac-Man” and “Space Invaders” to “Galaga” and “Dragon’s Lair.”
StarFighters Arcade offers approximately 100 vintage video arcade games and 50 classic and modern pinball machines.
“We wanted to create a ‘megacade,’” said Mike Lovato, co-owner of StarFighters.
Customers as kids probably spent way more in quarters than the $11 entry fee that StarFighters charges for unlimited free play. Now they can swap those pockets of jingling coins for daily or monthly memberships that can be purchased at the door. Monthly memberships are $35.
Located at 4840 East Jasmine St. in Mesa, StarFighters Arcade is open Friday and Saturday evenings from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday afternoons from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m..
Lovato opened StarFighters Arcade in 2014 after collecting and restoring gaming machines for years.
“There really weren’t many arcades left here, so I thought that it would be a good idea to provide that for the Valley,” he said. “I wanted to open a truly vintage arcade that had old school games and even rare ones that you would normally only �ind in private collections and make them available for public play.” StarFighters started with only �ive pinball machines, Lovato said. Now, the arcade is up to 50 – the largest selection in the state.
“It was a community effort to get everything in one place,” he said.
StarFighters’ current games were gathered from community members, online sellers and other collectors, Lovato said.
“This is the real deal,” he said. “We have all of the original dedicated equipment with all of the original boards and power supplies. Other arcades often have emulation systems where it looks the same but not really.
All the original vintage signs, albums and toys – including intact “Star Wars” guns – on display are a walk down memory lane that leaves people thinking, “I had that! I remember those.”
StarFighters sees gamers of all ages walk down its rows of �lashing pinball machines and retro games, Lovato said. On average, 300 to 400 people come into the arcade over the three-day weekend.
Alcohol is not permitted on site, but gamers can enjoy StarFighters’ selection of soft drinks and candies, including some favorites from the ’80s.
The glowing yet dark sanctuary hosts monthly pinball tournaments that start promptly at 1 p.m. while doors open at 12:30 p.m. for sign-in and warmup. There is an $11 entry fee and food and soda are included. StarFighters’ next pinball tournament is Aug. 14. Their free kids pinball tournament for ages16 and under is held on the same Saturday but doors open at 10:30 a.m. and the tournament starts at 11 a.m.
Before StarFighters hosted pinball tournaments, players had to join private leagues or be invited to play, Curtis said.
He started hosting pinball tournaments at StarFighters to make them more inclusive and accessible for current gamers and future generations.
StarFighters’ monthly pinball tournaments have grown over the years. They started with about 25 people attending and their highest number was 79 people at a tournament, Curtis said.
The arcade also hosts monthly free car shows where all makes and models are welcome. The shows are held the last Sunday of every month, but has had a hiatus with the heat, Lovato said. He hopes to start it up again in the next month or so.
Lovato and Curtis have big plans for StarFighters’ future.
As the arcade grows, other elements that �it the nostalgic theme would be tied
Kevin Curtis, left, and Michael Lovato are owners of Starfi ghters Arcade in Mesa. (Pablo
Robles/Tribune Sta Photographer)
THE MESA TRIBUNE | AUGUST 8, 2021
S. Chandler getting ‘virtual food hall’
BY KEVIN REAGAN
Staff Writer
A“virtual food hall” is under development near the Chandler Municipal Airport that will allow customers to order dishes from a variety of restaurant concepts located under the same roof.
Crave Hospitality Group, a relatively new company based in Idaho, is progressing with plans to construct a unique dining establishment that will house a diverse list of culinary options.
Patrons could theoretically order a pizza from one kitchen, a noodle dish from another and have the items collectively delivered straight to their door.
The Chandler Planning and Zoning Commission recently approved a preliminary development plan for Crave! to build a 15,000-square-foot building near Cooper and Germann roads, not far from the airport.
The 2-acre property would include indoor and outdoor seating areas where patrons can wait to pick up their orders, as well 87 parking spaces to accommodate Crave’s �leet of delivery drivers.
“The layout of the building is set up with multiple kitchens with a central conveyance system serving a central packaging and delivery area,” planning documents state.
Crave’s concept is often referred to as a “virtual food hall” or “ghost kitchen,” which have become increasingly popular as dining habits have begun to swiftly change during the pandemic.
These commercial kitchens typically don’t allow for in-person dining and can help restaurants cut down on capital costs by sharing a singular space with other food producers.
The concept’s opportunity for ef�iciency could appeal to restaurateurs who may still be feeling the �inancial pitfalls caused by the pandemic’s shutdown orders.
Revenues from traditional, sit-down restaurants plummeted in 2020, according to the Independent Restaurant Coalition, prompting many eateries to reduce staf�ing or close altogether.
The dreary business environment has been incentivizing restaurant groups like Crave! to develop new systems for how food can be ordered virtually and delivered quickly to customers.
The company believes Chandler could greatly bene�it from Crave’s concept of ef�iciently preparing and packaging dishes from their group of talented restaurateurs.
“Crave! has partnered with world-renowned chefs to bring high-quality food to this community by operating a delivery, pickup and sit-down experience,” the company wrote in planning documents.
Crave! was founded in 2019 by a group
Located near Chandler Airport, Crave! will o er a diverse array of dining options all made in the same kitchen. (Facebook ) of tech and food entrepreneurs who wanted to improve how high-quality food could be delivered to customers. “The model needed to be reimagined,” said co-founder Devin Wade. “Ours was designed from the chef and restaurateur’s perspective with a shared responsibility for customer satisfaction.” Crave opened up its �irst kitchen in Idaho last November, which houses 16 restaurant partners from a wide variety of culinary backgrounds. The Idaho location has a conveyor belt that runs down the center of the building, allowing for �inished dishes to move straight from the kitchen to the Crave workers who will collect, double check, and deploy orders for delivery. Crave! is hoping to have the Chandler location ready by next spring and is in the process of opening other locations across the country. Shannon Bloemker, Crave’s director of strategy, said Chandler is one of the hottest markets in Arizona for new development and seemed like the right city to expand Crave’s footprint.
“Its position as a ‘City of Innovation’ �its perfectly with Crave’s innovative new business model, so it seemed like the perfect place for us to put down roots,” Bloemker said.
Crave! aims to elevate a customer’s food delivery experience, she said, and Chandler’s residents will likely be impressed by the company’s inventive, �lexible service model.
Chandler’s planning commission approved Crave’s proposal without any objections from city staff or surrounding residents. Designers intend to have Crave’s building display an aviation theme in order to match with the company’s surroundings. This isn’t the �irst ghost kitchen to set up shop in Chandler
Early this year, Thirsty Lion Gastropub in Chandler launched a new venture to bring different culinary experiences to customers all from one location.
Central Kitchen, an online food hall, offers takeout and delivery options from four different restaurants at the convenience of one website.
Customers can choose food options from Thirsty Lion, Soy Joy, Southern Jewel or Killer Wings.
All four of the restaurants’ menus are cooked out of the Thirsty Lion’s kitchen and can be picked up at the Chandler location. Orders can also be delivered through Postmates, GrubHub, Uber Eats and DoorDash. ■
ARCADE ���� ���� 31
in, such as showing vintage movies, Lovato said.
The most exciting thing to expect from StarFighters is an annual pinball festival – a big one, Lovato and Curtis said.
The owners are looking for sponsors and hope to announce more information about the festival in the next few months.
“It would be a big deal for Mesa and the pinball community,” Lovato said.
The largest annual event pinball enthusiasts could attend was “Pinburgh” in Pittsburgh, Curtis said. Tickets are expensive yet Pinburgh would sell out a thousand in less than three minutes.
Pinburgh went under during the COVID-19 pandemic and no longer exists as of this year, so Curtis said there is a void in the pinball market that StarFighters hopes to �ill.
What would set their festival apart is that it would be a charity event. “Ours would be done to bene�it three charities in the Valley,” Lovato said. “We’ve already gotten approval from Project Pinball, SARRC, and Phoenix Children’s Hospital to be the bene�iciaries of the event.”
StarFighters is no stranger to giving back to the community.
Since StarFighters started hosting pinball tournaments, every December the arcade has held a charity event, Curtis said.
Last year was their most successful one where they sold 500 raf�le tickets for a donated “Disco Fever” pinball machine. This allowed them to donate $3000 to the Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center.
“This next step will help us do more for the Valley,” Lovato said.
For more information about StarFighters and updates on upcoming events go to star�ightersarcade.com or follow
them on Facebook. ■
