ALLSPORTSTUCSON.COM CONTINUES ITS 50 POSTS FOR THE 50-DAY COUNTDOWN TO THE 2025 SEASON THAT STARTS AUG. 22 FOR SOME SOUTHERN ARIZONA SCHOOLS WITH A LOOK AT THE TOP 5A SOUTHERN GAMES TO WATCH THIS SEASON FOR EACH PROGRAM. CATCH UP WITH ALL THE POSTS BY CLICKING HERE.
RELATED: 5A SOUTHERN SCHEDULES AND RETURNING 5A ALL-CONFERENCE AND ALL-REGION SELECTIONS
5A SOUTHERN
CIENEGA
- Sept. 5, Desert Ridge at home. 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 with a game at home against Buena in the opener on Aug. 29, and a game at Ironwood Ridge on Sept. 12.
DESERT VIEW
- Oct. 3, Sunnyside at home. After pulling off a thrilling 29-28 win in overtime at Sunnyside last year in the Duel in the District, Desert View will host the Blue Devils this season. It was the first time the rivals played into overtime in their 22-game series. Last year’s game was played in the regular-season finale, when most rivalry games are played. This game falls in the middle of the season. After Sunnyside built a 13-1 advantage in the series, Desert View has won five of the last eight meetings.
FLOWING WELLS
- Oct. 10, at Mountain View. After hosting Maricopa and playing at Nogales in region play, the Caballeros play in this substantial road game against the Mountain Lions. Mountain View pulled away to a 37-13 win at Flowing Wells last season. This game against a quality regional opponent will be a good barometer for fourth-year coach Brian Hook to gauge how much his program has advanced.
MARICOPA
- Sept. 11, Casa Grande at home. The nearby rivals also played last season at Maricopa and Casa Grande prevailed 45-7. Maricopa won the first four games in the series from 2011-14 and has lost the last four games from 2021-24. The scores in Maricopa’s current four-game losing streak to the Cougars: 55-0 in 2021, 42-7 in 2022, 72-7 in 2023 and 45-7 last year.
MOUNTAIN VIEW
- Oct. 24, Marana at home. The last time the schools played in the Battle for the Boot at Mountain View in 2023, the Mountain Lions pulled off a 42-35 upset. Marana regained the Boot last year with a 46-13 triumph. Mountain View has all of its key contributors back on defense, so this year’s game will be a battle of strengths with Marana featuring one of the top offensive threats in the state.
NOGALES
- Sept. 5, at Rio Rico. 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).
SUNNYSIDE
- Sept. 19, Mica Mountain at home. The Blue Devils will host Mica Mountain to end a three-game homestand, while the game is the last of three straight road games for the defending 4A state champion Thunderbolts. This can be a statement game for Sunnyside under fourth-year coach Thomas Romack. The Blue Devils lost 35-7 against Mica Mountain at home two years ago and 28-0 last season on the road.
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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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