Raul Soto-Romero of Jet Sports Network talked with me and my brother Andy about Week 3 matchups in the Southern Arizona high school football season in our weekly video podcast show from the Jet Sports Studio.
VIDEO PODCAST
AUDIO PODCAST
ALL GAMES ARE AT 7 P.M.
WEEK THREE SCHEDULE
THURSDAY
4A Mesa Eastmark 16, Walden Grove 13
5A Vista Grande 42, Phoenix Central 12
FRIDAY (Games at 7 p.m.)
6A Salpointe (1-0) at 5A Tucson (0-1)
Because of the high enrollment and tradition of Tucson High and the winning background of Salpointe, these schools should be marquee programs in Southern Arizona from year to year. They will meet for the first time since 2019, when Bijan Robinson and Lathan Ransom led a 62-0 rout of the Badgers. Tucson High coach Zach Neveleff is a Salpointe graduate who was a valuable running backs coach there under Dennis Bene, coaching the likes of Robinson, Mario Padilla, David Cordero, Anthony Wilhite, Elias Bettis Roberts and Dailan Goodman. Tucson High will try to avoid an 0-2 start while Salpointe looks to start another winning streak against teams from Southern Arizona. Their 27-game winning streak against teams from this area was snapped last year by Marana. The Lancers avenged that loss with a 20-18 victory last week at home.
5A Buena (1-0) at Mesa Skyline (1-0)
Buena looks to build off the momentum of last week’s thrilling 38-31 win at Cienega in which linebackers Cooper Kraus and TJ Walker stopped Bobcat quarterback Julian Hainley one yard from the end zone on the last play of the game. Mesa Skyline is coming off a season-opening 36-18 win over Mesa Dobson. Buena coach Joe Thomas is closing in on win No. 50 in his career at Buena after starting 0-21 in his tenure there. He is 48-50 in his 11th season.
5A Waddell Canyon View (1-0) at Marana (0-1)
Marana looks to rebound from its 20-18 thrilling loss at Salpointe last week by hosting Waddell Canyon View, which is coming off a win by forfeit over Phoenix South Mountain. Canyon View is coming off a 3-7 season. The Tigers must avoid a letdown with this sandwich game between Salpointe and a game at powerhouse Yuma Catholic next week.
5A Goodyear Desert Edge (1-0) at Cienega (0-1)
The defending 5A state champion Scorpions visit Vail in what will be a significant power-point boost for Justin Argraves’ Bobcats. The game is in the middle of an arduous start to the season for the Bobcats, beginning with last week’s loss at home against Buena in the opener, and a game at Ironwood Ridge on Sept. 12. Cienega lost 52-21 in the only previous meeting in 2022 at Desert Edge.
5A Mountain View (1-0) at Phoenix Trevor Browne (0-1)
Matt Johnson, the dean of Southern Arizona coaches, will try to lead the Mountain Lions to their first 2-0 start in his eighth season at Mountain View. The last time the Mountain Lions started 2-0 was in 2015. Trevor Browne was routed 49-0 by Canyon del Oro at home last week. Expect a similar score if Mountain View avoids a letdown after its upset win at Tucson High last week in overtime.
5A Desert View (1-0) at 4A Sahuaro (1-0)
The historic 47th Annual Rick Botkin Memorial Game will include two teams trying to start 2-0. Sahuaro has not won its first two games since 2019. Desert View started 2-0 last year but finished 3-7. The Jaguars were 2-0 in 2021 and went 10-2 with a victory in the playoffs. This is the longest active memorial game in the U.S. Rick Botkin, older brother of Sahuaro athletic director and girls basketball coach Steve Botkin, was tragically killed in an automobile accident during his senior year of 1977. Rick was only 17 and a budding star on the football field as a quarterback.
5A Flowing Wells (1-0) at 4A Amphitheater (0-1)
The “Battle of Prince Road” is a hotly contested rivalry with Amphi holding a slim 16-14 edge in the series. The series is 11-11 since 1999 The Caballeros are trying to start 2-0 for the first time since 2018. Amphi’s new coach Stanley Richardson, who came to Tucson from Denver, will coach his first home game at the school.
5A Nogales (1-0) at 4A Rio Rico (0-1)
The Hawks have turned the tables in the I-19 Rivalry matchup. After Nogales started 13-0 against Rio Rico, the Hawks have won three straight against the Apaches, including 21-7 last season at home. Rio Rico gets to host their rival again this season because of the shift in scheduling due to realignment. Two coaches in their first year at the respective schools will be introduced to the rivalry — Rio Rico’s Dominik Bonilla (formerly at Tombstone) and Nogales’ Warren Smith (background of coaching in Florida). Smith coached Nogales to its first victory since the 2022 season last week in the 26-9 triumph over visiting Amphi. The win snapped a 20-game losing streak. Bonilla is looking for his first win at Rio Rico after losing 56-0 at San Tan Valley Combs in the season opener last week.
4A Mica Mountain (1-0) at 5A Canyon del Oro (1-0)
This matchup shaped into a rivalry in the 4A Kino, although Mica Mountain is in only its fifth full season at the varsity level. The programs claimed the 4A state championships with 14-0 records the last two seasons — CDO in 2023 and Mica Mountain last year. The programs were developing one of the most competitive rivalries at the 4A level in the state before CDO left the 4A Kino for the 5A Sonoran during last spring’s realignment of programs. The two games they played in the 2023 season were epic when the Dorados went unbeaten en route to a state title. The Dorados prevailed 17-15 in the regular season and then 23-7 in the 4A state semifinals. Mica Mountain avenged those losses with a 50-6 triumph last season on its way to a title. The Thunderbolts are looking to increase their 15-game winning streak. Great to see the coaches and administrators continue to schedule a non-region game between the two schools.
4A Pueblo (0-1) at 5A Sunnyside (1-0)
The Southside rivals will meet for the first time since 2019. The last time Pueblo played the Blue Devils (who are a 5A school) was when Brandon Sanders was the Warriors’ head coach. Sanders made a point to tell his players after the win at Sunnyside, the Warriors were the kings of the Southside because they were 4-0 at the time, with wins also against Cholla and Tucson High. Sunnyside will try to start 2-0 for the first time since the 2013 season, when Glenn Posey was the head coach.
2A Bisbee (1-1) at 4A Douglas (0-1)
The Bisbee-Douglas series, the second-oldest high school football rivalry in the nation, first began in 1906 with Bisbee winning 7-6. Douglas won the rematch later that year, 18-0. The teams often played two games in a season during their early inception. That’s why the game Friday is the 155th meeting in the historic rivalry. Bisbee won back The Pick trophy, which goes to the winner of the game, last season with a 26-20 victory at home. Douglas won it the previous three years (24-21 in 2021 in Douglas, 10-8 in 2022 at Bisbee and 39-38 in 2023 at Douglas). Douglas leads the series 84-62-8.
4A Maryvale (1-0) at Cholla (1-0)
Cholla will attempt to start 2-0 for only the second time in the last eight seasons with new coach Roland Youngling leading the way. The Chargers started the Youngling era with a 21-7 victory at Yuma last week. Youngling is a graduate of Amphi High School who played under Vern Friedli and served on the staff of Jorge Mendivil with the Panthers in recent years. Phoenix Maryvale, a one-time traditional power, is coming off a 34-21 home win over Yuma Kofa last week.
4A Phoenix North Canyon (0-1) at Catalina Foothills (1-0)
Daniel Sainz will attempt to coach Catalina Foothills to its first 2-0 start since Jeff Scurran’s 2014 team. The Falcons are coming off a 21-17 win over 5A program Ironwood Ridge in last week’s season opener. North Canyon lost 3-0 at home against Phoenix Shadow Mountain.
3A Pusch Ridge (2-0) at Crismon (1-1)
A victory will give Pusch Ridge coach Kent Middleton his 50th career victory in only his sixth season as the Lions’ head coach. A win will also give Pusch Ridge a 3-0 start ahead of hosting Catalina Foothills next week.
3A Thatcher (2-0) at Benjamin Franklin (2-0)
This could be a preview of a 3A state playoff meeting, with Thatcher meeting Benjamin Franklin for the first time. Thatcher is looking to start 3-0 for the fourth time in Daniel Jones‘ six seasons as head coach.
1A St. David (2-0) at San Manuel (1-1)
This is no longer a region rivalry matchup because San Manuel shifted to the 1A East this year following the realignment of programs in the spring. But these programs remain rivals because of their competition when they were traditionally atop the 1A South standings. After two close games in 2023, won by San Manuel 16-14 in the regular season and by St. David 44-38 in the first round of the state tournament, the Tigers routed the Miners 49-0 at home last season.
The rest of slate Friday and Saturday:
5A North (0-1) at Casa Grande (0-1)
5A Ironwood Ridge (0-1) at Campo Verde (0-1)
4A Empire (0-1) at 5A Maricopa (0-1)
4A Desert Sunrise (0-1) at Sahuarita (0-1)
4A Combs (1-0) at Rincon/University (0-1)
3A Dysart (1-1) at Sabino (0-2)
3A Florence (0-2) at ALA-Ironwood (0-2)
3A Coolidge (1-1) at Fountain Hills (0-2)
3A Seton Catholic (1-1) at Safford (0-2)
3A Payson (0-2) at San Tan Foothills (0-2)
2A Santa Cruz Valley (2-0) at St. Johns (2-0)
2A Morenci (1-1) at Willcox (1-1)
2A Palo Verde (1-1) at Tanque Verde (1-1)
2A Desert Christian (1-1) at Santa Rita (0-2)
2A NFL Yet (0-1) at Catalina (1-0)
2A Tombstone (0-1) at Benson (1-1)
1A Duncan (1-1) at Valley Union (1-1)
SATURDAY
1A Baboquivari (0-2) at Mohave Accelerated (0-2)
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