Nine schools from 1A to 3A are ranked in the top 20 in the first power rankings released by the Arizona Interscholastic Association on Tuesday morning.
The 4A, 5A, 6A and Open Division rankings will be released for the first time on Oct. 12.
The top five of each classification with the Southern Arizona teams that are ranked in 1A-3A are in bold:
3A
(16-team state tournament bracket) In order to qualify, a school must have played a minimum of six (6) games. Based on region standings, the top team in each region will earn an automatic bid to the state tournament. Remaining teams will be added to the state tournament bracket based on AIA rankings powered by MaxPreps. The 16 teams will be seeded according to AIA rankings. 3A Conference leadership reserves the right to evaluate state tournament participants and bracket seeding based on analytical data. The state tournament will consist of four rounds and be single elimination.
- 3A: Seven (7) automatic bids and nine (9) at-large qualifiers based on ranking
- Valley Christian (5-0)
2. ALA-Gilbert North (5-0)
3. Round Valley (5-0)
4. River Valley (5-0)
5. Safford (5-0)
10. Pusch Ridge (4-1)
12. Sabino (3-2)
Tough rankings for both Pusch Ridge and Sabino, who have lost to quality opponents. Pusch Ridge was defeated last Friday by defending 3A champion Snowflake, which is ranked No. 7. Sabino lost to No. 2 ALA-Gilbert North and at Thatcher, which is ranked No. 9. Safford is the highest rated 3A South team at No. 5 with a 5-0 record. Pusch Ridge plays at Sabino on Oct. 8 and at Safford on Oct. 15. Sabino hosts Safford on Oct. 22. Pusch Ridge hosts Thatcher on Oct. 22 and Safford concludes the regular season hosting Thatcher Oct. 19. The last four weeks of the season in the 3A South should be amazing.
2A
(16-team state tournament bracket): In order to qualify, a school must have played a minimum of six (6) games. Based on region standings, the top team in each region will earn an automatic bid to the state tournament. The state tournament bracket will be seeded according to the overall AIA rankings powered by MaxPreps of the 16 teams. The state tournament will consist of four rounds and be single elimination.
- 2A: Nine (9) automatic bids and seven (7) at-large qualifiers based on ranking
- Parker (4-0)
2. Arizona Lutheran (5-0)
3. Benson (4-1)
4. Gilbert Christian (3-2)
5. Morenci (4-1)
7. Willcox (5-0)
16. Tanque Verde (3-2)
19. Bisbee (3-2)
20. Santa Cruz (2-3)
WIllcox’s ranking being unbeaten for the first time in 10 years is low, especially with Gilbert Christian ranked No. 4 with a 3-2 record. The Cowboys’ five opponents to this point are a combined 4-19, which likely has kept them out of the top five. No. 3 Benson continues to roll after returning all of its players from last year’s team that reached the 2A state title game. Santa Cruz won that championship game but is now 2-3. The three losses, however, have been by a combined total of only eight points. Jay Dobyns’ team is ranked in the top 10 at No. 16 only two years into his tenure. When he was hired before the 2020 season, Tanque Verde was on a 15-game losing streak.
1A
(12-team state tournament bracket): In order to qualify, a school must have played a minimum of four (4) games. Based on region standings, the top team in each region will earn an automatic bid to the state tournament. Remaining teams will be added to the state tournament bracket based on AIA rankings powered by MaxPreps. The 12 teams will be seeded according to AIA rankings. Teams seeded Nos. 1-4 will receive first-round byes. 1A Conference leadership reserves the right to evaluate state tournament participants and bracket seeding based on cancellations, head-to-head and common opponents, and may adjust seeding accordingly. The state tournament will consist of four rounds and be single elimination.
1A: Four (4) automatic bids and eight (8) at-large qualifers based on ranking
- Mogollon (6-0)
2. Mohave Accelerated (4-0)
3. San Manuel (5-0)
4. Williams (5-1)
5. St. David (4-1)
12. Valley Union (2-3)
14. Baboquivari (2-1)
St. David hosts Baboquivari tonight in a tough 1A South matchup and then the Tigers have a quick turnaround, traveling to San Manuel on Friday for what could be the game that decides the region championship. San Manuel, which is 5-0 for the first time since 2011, concludes the regular season at Baboquivari on Oct. 15.
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon. He became an educator five years ago and is presently a special education teacher at Gallego Fine Arts Intermediate in the Sunnyside Unified School District
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