ALLSPORTSTUCSON.COM CONTINUES ITS 50 POSTS FOR THE 50-DAY COUNTDOWN TO THE 2025 SEASON THAT STARTS AUG. 22 FOR SOME SCHOOLS WITH A LOOK AT THE 3A EAST SCHEDULES. CATCH UP WITH ALL THE POSTS BY CLICKING HERE.
The realignment of football programs going into this school year created the new 3A East while discontinuing the 3A South.
The changes: Sabino, Pusch Ridge, Safford and Thatcher are no longer with Morenci in a five-team league and they are now in a larger group that includes Coolidge, Florence and San Tan Foothills.
3A East scheduling notes:
— Instead of only four region games, as was the case in previous years in the 3A South, Sabino, Pusch Ridge Safford and Thatcher have six scheduled, leaving room for four freedom (non-region) games.
— The 3A South boasted the last two state champs — Sabino in 2023 and Pusch Ridge last season.
— Coolidge coach Carlo Hernandez, Sabino coach Ryan McBrayer and Pusch Ridge coach Kent Middleton have all won state titles at their respective schools.
— Middleton’s Lions open defense of their 3A championship with a home game against new region foe San Tan Foothills on a Saturday night — Aug. 23. Pusch Ridge’s region schedule is one of the most difficult, playing consecutive road games against Thatcher (Sept. 26) and Sabino (Oct. 3). In the non-region schedule, the Lions play at ALA-Ironwood (8-3 last year) and host Benjamin Franklin, which they defeated last season in the 3A semifinal game.
— McBrayer’s program is looking to rebound after a 3-7 record last year following the state championship in 2023. Sabino’s early-season schedule includes non-region games against two teams that advanced to the 3A playoffs last year — Gilbert Christian and Dysart — but both of those games are at home. The annual rivalry game with Eastside rival Sahuaro is scheduled for Sept. 26 on the road, a week before the Sabercats host Pusch Ridge in an always-anticipated game. That’s in a stretch in which Sabino plays four of five games on the road.
— Safford, under new coach Ishmael MacNeil, who was at Wickenburg, opens against old 3A South foe Morenci, which was reclassified to 2A. Former Arizona walk-on Eric Hjalmarson, who coached at Safford before heading to Willcox, returns to Safford as Blue Ridge’s head coach in the second week of the season.
— Thatcher hosts ALA-Ironwood in the opener before playing three straight road games against Apache Junction, Benjamin Franklin, and then Coolidge in its first region game. The Eagles will host all of their former 3A South opponents, Pusch Ridge, Sabino, and Safford, at Eastern Arizona College’s football field in the 3A East schedule.
3A EAST SCHEDULES
Coolidge
Head coach: Carlo Hernandez (92-29, 11th year at Coolidge; 122-61, 17th year overall)Bears compete in the 3A East. *Region game. Games at 7 p.m.
| Date | Opponent | W/L | Ovr | Reg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8/22 | Santa Cruz Valley | -- | -- | -- |
| 8/29 | Chinle | -- | -- | -- |
| 9/5 | at Fountain Hills | -- | -- | -- |
| 9/12 | at Sabino* | -- | -- | -- |
| 9/18 | Safford* | -- | -- | -- |
| 9/26 | at Florence* | -- | -- | -- |
| 10/3 | at ALA-Mesa North | -- | -- | -- |
| 10/10 | at Pusch Ridge* | -- | -- | -- |
| 10/24 | San Tan Foothills* | -- | -- | -- |
| 10/31 | Thatcher* |
FLORENCE
Head coach: Mike Carlin (first year at Florence; 15-26, fifth year overall)Gophers compete in the 3A East. *Region game. Games at 7 p.m.
| Date | Opponent | W/L | Ovr | Reg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8/22 | Show Low | -- | -- | -- |
| 8/28 | Round Valley | -- | -- | -- |
| 9/5 | at ALA-Ironwood | -- | -- | -- |
| 9/12 | Thatcher* | -- | -- | -- |
| 9/19 | at Pusch Ridge* | -- | -- | -- |
| 9/26 | Coolidge* | -- | -- | -- |
| 10/10 | at Shadow Mountain | -- | -- | -- |
| 10/17 | Sabino* | -- | -- | -- |
| 10/24 | at Safford* | -- | -- | -- |
| 10/31 | at San Tan Foothills* |
PUSCH RIDGE
Head coach: Kent Middleton (47-12, sixth year at Pusch Ridge and overall)Lions compete in the 3A East. *Region game. Games at 7 p.m.
| Date | Opponent | W/L | Ovr | Reg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8/23 | San Tan Foothills* | -- | -- | -- |
| 8/29 | at ALA-Ironwood | -- | -- | -- |
| 9/5 | at Crismon | -- | -- | -- |
| 9/12 | Catalina Foothills | -- | -- | -- |
| 9/19 | Florence* | -- | -- | -- |
| 9/26 | at Thatcher* | -- | -- | -- |
| 10/3 | at Sabino* | -- | -- | -- |
| 10/10 | Coolidge* | -- | -- | -- |
| 10/17 | at Safford* | -- | -- | -- |
| 10/31 | Benjamin Franklin | -- | -- | -- |
SABINO
Head coach: Ryan McBrayer (60-27, ninth year at Sabino and overall)Sabercats compete in the 3A East. *Region game. Games at 7 p.m.
| Date | Opponent | W/L | Ovr | Reg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8/22 | at Valley Christian | -- | -- | -- |
| 8/29 | Gilbert Christian | -- | -- | -- |
| 9/5 | Dysart | -- | -- | -- |
| 9/12 | Coolidge* | -- | -- | -- |
| 9/18 | at San Tan Foothills* | -- | -- | -- |
| 9/26 | at Sahuaro | -- | -- | -- |
| 10/3 | Pusch Ridge* | -- | -- | -- |
| 10/17 | at Florence* | -- | -- | -- |
| 10/24 | at Thatcher* | -- | -- | -- |
| 10/31 | Safford* | -- | -- | -- |
SAFFORD
Head coach: Ishmael MacNeil (first year at Safford; 14-17, fourth year overall)Bulldogs compete in the 3A East. *Region game. Games at 7 p.m.
| Date | Opponent | W/L | Ovr | Reg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8/22 | at Morenci | -- | -- | -- |
| 8/29 | Blue Ridge | -- | -- | -- |
| 9/5 | Seton Catholic | -- | -- | -- |
| 9/12 | at Winslow | -- | -- | -- |
| 9/18 | at Coolidge* | -- | -- | -- |
| 9/26 | San Tan Foothills* | -- | -- | -- |
| 10/3 | at Thatcher* | -- | -- | -- |
| 10/17 | Pusch Ridge* | -- | -- | -- |
| 10/24 | Florence* | -- | -- | -- |
| 10/31 | at Sabino* | -- | -- | -- |
SAN TAN FOOTHILLS
Head coach: Michael Coe (first year at San Tan Foothills and overall)Sabercats compete in the 3A East. *Region game. Games at 7 p.m.
| Date | Opponent | W/L | Ovr | Reg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8/23 | at Pusch Ridge* | -- | -- | -- |
| 8/29 | at Dysart | -- | -- | -- |
| 9/5 | Payson | -- | -- | -- |
| 9/12 | at Shadow Mountain | -- | -- | -- |
| 9/18 | Sabino* | -- | -- | -- |
| 9/26 | at Safford* | -- | -- | -- |
| 10/10 | Thatcher* | -- | -- | -- |
| 10/17 | Round Valley | -- | -- | -- |
| 10/24 | at Coolidge* | -- | -- | -- |
| 10/31 | Florence* | -- | -- | -- |
THATCHER
Head coach: Daniel Jones (43-17, sixth season at Thatcher and overall.)Eagles compete in the 3A East. *Region game. Games at 7 p.m.
| Date | Opponent | W/L | Ovr | Reg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8/22 | ALA-Ironwood | -- | -- | -- |
| 8/28 | at Apache Junction | -- | -- | -- |
| 9/5 | at Benjamin Franklin | -- | -- | -- |
| 9/12 | at Florence* | -- | -- | -- |
| 9/26 | Pusch Ridge* | -- | -- | -- |
| 10/3 | Safford* | -- | -- | -- |
| 10/10 | at San Tan Foothills* | -- | -- | -- |
| 10/17 | Payson | -- | -- | -- |
| 10/24 | Sabino* | -- | -- | -- |
| 10/31 | at Coolidge* | -- | -- | -- |
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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 in 2016 and is presently a special education teacher at Sunnyside High School in the Sunnyside Unified School District.
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