Desert View is 6-0, a win away from its best start in program history.
Flowing Wells is also 6-0 with an opportunity to start 7-0 for only the seventh time in program history, first since 2015.
Palo Verde has a winning record — 4-3 — after seven games for the first time since Todd Mayfield’s 2013 team started 5-2.
SOUTHERN ARIZONA FOOTBALL CHANGE FOR THE BETTER
BStart -- Program's best start and yearLWinRec -- Year of last winning record
Most Wins -- Most wins in a season
| Team | Record | BStart | LWinRec | Most Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desert View | 6-0 | 6-0 (2016) | 6-3 (2022) | 10-2 (2021) |
| Flowing Wells | 6-0 | 11-0 (1982) | 8-3 (2018) | 11-1 (1982) |
| Willcox | 6-1 | 10-0 (2011) | 7-4 (2024) | 10-1 (2011) |
| Marana | 5-1 | 11-0 (1964) | 10-1 (2024) | 11-0 (1965) |
| 11-0 (1968) | 11-0 (1968) | |||
| Pusch Ridge | 5-1 | 13-0 (2017) | 13-1 (2024) | 13-1 (2017) |
| 13-1 (2024) | ||||
| Tanque Verde | 5-2 | 5-1 (2023) | 6-4 (2024) | 9-3 (2023) |
| Palo Verde | 4-3 | 13-0 (1973) | 11-2 (2009) | 13-0 (1973) |
Desert View can achieve the school-record 7-0 start with a win over coach Robert Bonillas’ alma mater, Nogales, on Friday at home. The Jaguars are coming off a 35-14 win over rival Sunnyside at home Thursday.
Flowing Wells, which defeated Nogales 42-0 on the road Friday, will attempt to go 7-0 this week at Mountain View. The Caballeros are coached by Brian Hook, who is 11-5 in his last two seasons after going 6-14 in his first two at the school.
Desert View and Flowing Wells, both of the 5A Southern, do not meet until the last game of the regular season, on Halloween at Desert View.
Palo Verde, which won 28-0 at Catalina on Friday, has a realistic chance to win its next two games at Santa Rita (0-7) and at home against Bisbee (2-5) and clinch its first winning season since 2009, when the Titans finished 11-2 after going as far as the state semifinals under Mayfield.
Keep in mind that Palo Verde did not have a varsity team as recently as 2021 coming off the COVID-19-plagued season of 2020. The Titans played only a freshman/junior varsity schedule in 2021 because of a lack of participants.
Jamal Chatman took over the following year and has gradually built the program into respectability. Under Chatman, the Titans have gone from 1-8 in 2022, 2-8 in 2023, 4-6 in 2024, to this year’s 4-3 record with three regular-season games remaining.
WEEK EIGHT SCHEDULE FRIDAY
7 p.m. kickoff times
5A SONORAN
Casa Grande (3-3, 1-1) at Marana (5-1, 3-0)
Vista Grande (2-4, 0-2) at Buena (3-3, 1-1)
Canyon del Oro (3-3, 1-2) at Tucson (3-3, 2-1)
5A SOUTHERN
Sunnyside (4-2, 1-1) at Cienega (3-3, 1-1)
Nogales (2-4, 0-3) at Desert View (6-0, 3-0)
Flowing Wells (6-0, 2-0) at Mountain View (3-3, 1-2)
4A KINO
Mica Mountain (4-2, 1-0) at Walden Grove (4-2, 1-0)
Douglas (3-2, 0-1) at Amphitheater (2-4, 0-1)
Catalina Foothills (3-3, 1-0) at Sahuaro (4-2, 0-1)
4A GILA
Pueblo (3-3, 1-0) at Cholla (2-4, 0-1)
Rincon/UHS (2-3, 0-1) at Sahuarita (2-4, 1-0)
Empire (1-5, 1-0) at Rio Rico (1-5, 0-1)
3A EAST
Coolidge (4-3, 1-2) at Pusch Ridge (6-1, 3-1)
Thatcher (4-1, 2-0) at San Tan Foothills (0-6, 0-3)
2A SOUTH I
Tombstone (1-5, 1-1) at Bisbee (2-5, 1-1)
Palo Verde (4-3, 1-1) at Santa Rita (0-7, 0-3)
2A SOUTH II
Desert Christian (3-3, 0-1) at Benson (4-3, 1-0)
Willcox (6-1, 1-0) at Santa Cruz Valley (3-4, 0-1)
2A INDEPENDENT
Scottsdale Coronado (0-5) at Catalina (2-4)
1A SOUTH
St. David (6-1, 3-0) at Fort Thomas (1-6, 1-2)
NON-REGION
5A: Scottsdale Desert Mountain (5-1) at Ironwood Ridge (1-5)
5A: Cottonwood Mingus (0-6) at Maricopa (3-3)
3A: Florence (2-4) at Phoenix Shadow Mountain (3-4)
2A: Surprise Highland Prep (2-5) at Tanque Verde (5-2)
1A: Duncan (3-4) at San Manuel (2-5)
1A: Spring Valley Mayer (1-4) at Valley Union (4-2)
BYES: 6A Salpointe (4-2), 3A Sabino (3-4), 3A Safford (2-5) and 1A Baboquivari (0-7)
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