PREVIOUSLY IN OUR LOOK AT 2026 SCHEDULES
AMPHITHEATER PANTHERS
Last year: 2-8
Head coach: Stanley Richardson (2-8, second year at Amphi; 8-33, fifth year overall)
— After opening at home against Nogales, Amphi will drive west down Prince Road and take on rival Flowing Wells. Amphi leads the series 17-15 in games dating to 1962, but the Panthers have lost three of the last four meetings.
— Amphi will also travel to go against alum and former assistant coach Roland Youngling, second year as head coach at Cholla, in the fifth week of the season. The meeting between the two schools last year at Amphi was stopped with 6 minutes left in the first half and ruled an Amphi forfeit victory due to an on-field brawl that resulted in multiple bench player ejections, leaving Cholla without enough players to complete the game.
— Three of Amphi’s five 4A Kino games are at home against schools who figure to challenge for a spot in the postseason — Catalina Foothills, Mica Mountain and Walden Grove.
CATALINA FOOTHILLS FALCONS
Last year: 3-7
Head coach: Daniel Sainz (19-21, fifth year at Catalina Foothills and overall)
— Catalina Foothills opens at Ironwood Ridge (1-9 last year) and Phoenix North Canyon (5-5) before playing three consecutive games at home against three programs that had winning records last year — Pusch Ridge (10-3), Snowflake (10-2) and Pueblo (7-3). The Falcons were 0-3 against those teams last season.
— Defending 4A state champion Mica Mountain visits in the second-to-last week of the regular season. Catalina Foothills has lost the last three meetings, including by scores of 47-6 and 56-6 the last two seasons.
–The Falcons have also struggled against Walden Grove in recent years, losing six straight against the Red Wolves. They travel to Walden Grove on Oct. 16, a week before hosting Mica Mountain.
DOUGLAS BULLDOGS
Last year: 5-4
Head coach: Hunter Long (25-33, eighth year at Douglas and overall)
— Douglas will face historic rival Bisbee for the 156th time on Sept. 4 at Bisbee’s Warren Ballpark. The rivalry that dates to 1906 is one of the oldest in the nation. Douglas, which has won four of the last five games against Bisbee, leads the series, 85-62-8.
— The Bulldogs will play a schedule against only Southern Arizona opponents for the second consecutive year after facing some competition from the Phoenix area in recent years. They had a home-and-home with ALA-Ironwood in 2023 and 2024 and played Phoenix Carl Hayden and Phoenix Independence in 2022.
— Douglas opens region play with two home games, including a meeting with defending 4A state champion Mica Mountain on Oct. 2. The Bulldogs are 0-3 against the Thunderbolts, losing by scores of 42-6 in 2021, 53-7 in 2022 and 40-0 last year.
MICA MOUNTAIN THUNDERBOLTS
Last year: 12-2, won the 4A state championship game over Phoenix Arcadia 42-17
Head coach: Jay Campos (12-2, second year at Mica Mountain; 145-37, 16th year overall)
— The Thunderbolts will begin defense of their championship at San Tan Valley Poston Butte, a school that went 0-10 last year. It will be the fourth straight year the schools open against each other and the fifth consecutive season they will face the other. Mica Mountain is 3-1 against Poston Butte with three straight victories.
— Last season, Mica Mountain played three straight road games after opening at home against Poston Butte, and the Thunderbolts lost their only two games in that stretch against ALA-West Foothills and Sunnyside. Those teams visit Mica Mountain this time. ALA-West Foothills advanced to the 4A semifinals last year.
— Mica Mountain has a stretch of playing four of five games on the road before ending the regular season at home against Sahuaro. The home game in that stretch is against perennial region contender Walden Grove, which has yet to beat the Thunderbolts, going 0-3.
SAHUARO COUGARS
Last year: 7-4, lost in the 4A first round against Goodyear Estrella Foothills 17-14 in overtime
Head coach: Al Alexander (19-22, fifth year at Sahuaro and overall)
— Sahuaro has a challenging freedom schedule that includes a game at 5A Desert View (11-1 last year) in the second week of the season and at Peoria (7-4) the following week. The Cougars then host upstart Sahuarita, which finished 7-3 last season, and play at rival Sabino the following week.
— The regular season ends with a matchup against Mica Mountain, which the Cougars are 0-3 against while getting outscored 126-20. Sahuaro has not scored against Thunderbolts in the last two meetings (50-0 loss in 2024 and 21-0 defeat last year).
— Sahuaro is having turf installed on its field, which means its Aug. 28 scheduled home opener against Empire could be switched to Empire if the installation is not completed by then. Sahuaro beat Empire 41-3 on the road last year. The Cougars are practicing at Palo Verde.
WALDEN GROVE RED WOLVES
Last year: 7-4, lost to Phoenix Northwest Christian 52-46 in first round of the 4A state playoffs
Head coach: Corey Noble (62-31, 10th year at Walden Grove and overall)
— The rivalry game with Sahuarita kicks off the season Aug. 28 with the game down the road at Sahuarita. The schools have only played five times since Walden Grove opened its doors in 2012. They did not play from 2016 through 2021 because of an incident in stands involving fans in the 2015 game. Walden Grove trails in the series 3-2 but has won the last two games in 2022 and last season.
— Walden Grove annually plays a Phoenix-area team in the freedom part of the schedule, and this season it is Mesa Eastmark. The Firebirds were 6-6 and advanced to the 4A quarterfinals last season. The Red Wolves lost a thriller 16-13 at Eastmark last season.
— After opening the 4A Kino schedule with tough road games against Sahuaro and Mica Mountain, Walden Grove can potentially go on a run at the end with home games against Catalina Foothills and Douglas and a game at Amphi.
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