Raul Soto-Romero of Jet Sports Network talked with legendary coach Jeff Scurran and me about this week’s matchups in the Southern Arizona high school football season in our weekly video podcast show.
VIDEO PODCAST
Interview with Sahuaro coach Al Alexander included.
AUDIO PODCAST
TACKLE WEEK 11 SCHEDULE
Games at 7 p.m.
THURSDAY
NON-REGION
5A: No. 21 Tucson (5-4) at No. 10 Scottsdale Cactus Shadows (5-4)
These teams could meet in the first round of the 5A state playoffs if the seeds shift to make it happen. The game will have a playoff feel as it is with Tucson traveling to Phoenix trying to clinch its second straight winning season and a potentially better seed in the playoffs that start next week.
5A SONORAN
No. 31 Casa Grande (4-5, 2-3) at No. 34 Canyon del Oro (3-6, 1-4)
End to difficult seasons for each school — Casa Grande lost its head coach, who stepped down midway through, and CDO had a tough transition from 4A to 5A. Completing the season with a victory will create a good feeling heading into the offseason.
5A SOUTHERN
No. 19 Flowing Wells (7-2, 3-2) at No. 2 Desert View (9-0, 5-0)
Desert View is going for a perfect regular season in which the Jaguars have an average winning margin of 32.1 points. Their closest win was by 21 points against rival Sunnyside, 35-14 on Oct. 2. … Jaylee Abraham is the player of the year in Southern Arizona with the way he has led Desert View’s resurgence. A sophomore playing his first full varsity season, Abraham is posting stats similar to Bijan Robinson at the same point of their high school careers. … Abraham’s first varsity game was in Desert View’s last game a season ago against Sunnyside. Through his first 10 varsity games, he is at 1,355 yards on 138 carries. In Robinson’s first 10 games, he was at 745 yards on 72 carries. In Robinson’s first 138 carries — the amount Abraham has at this time — he was at more than 1,500 yards, about 150 yards more than Abraham. Robinson finished with 7,036 rushing yards on 527 carries.
No. 18 Mountain View (5-4, 3-2) at No. 27 Sunnyside (4-5, 1-4)
The Mountain Lions have a talented sophomore running back of their own — Drake Davis, who is at 987 yards on 147 carries with 10 touchdowns. Mountain Lions DE Caden Rudy has become a force in the last month, tallying 32 tackles, an interception and two fumble recoveries in his last three games. Sunnyside is trying to finish .500 and keep its faint playoff hopes alive.
4A KINO
No. 30 Douglas (4-4, 1-3) at No. 33 Catalina Foothills (3-6, 1-3)
Douglas will attempt to keep its non-losing season streak to three years after going 6-4 in 2023 and 5-5 last year.
FRIDAY
2A STATE PLAYOFFS
FIRST ROUND
No. 24 Tonopah Valley (4-6) at No. 9 Tanque Verde (8-2)
Tanque Verde opens at home in the 2A state playoffs with a potential game at No. 8 Camp Verde next week and a meeting with No. 1 Veritas Prep on the road in the quarterfinals. If the Hawks can get through these first three games, they must win the semifinals and championship to capture the championship. A tough five-game stretch, but the Hawks have the moxie to face that challenge well.
No. 19 Globe (6-4) at No. 14 Benson (6-4)
Benson has reached at least six wins in a season for the first time in four years, when Chris Determan’s team went 9-3 with a spot in the 2021 semifinals.
No. 17 Eloy Santa Cruz Valley (5-5) at No. 16 Glendale Prep (7-3)
After enduring a four-game losing streak — with all of the games at home — Santa Cruz Valley has won its last two road games against Desert Christian and Bisbee to advance to the playoffs.
BYE: No. 6 Willcox (8-2)/Plays winner of No. 22 Wittman Mountainside (6-4) at No. 11 Goodyear Trivium Prep (7-3)
1A STATE PLAYOFFS
QUARTERFINALS
No. 6 Williams (6-4) at No. 3 St. David (7-2)
With a win, St. David advances to the semifinals, most likely facing Bagdad, which beat the Tigers 32-14 at Bagdad on Oct. 17. By having the No. 3 seed, St. David is assured to not face No. 1 juggernaut Hayden until the championship.
No. 10 Valley Union (7-2) at No. 2 Bagdad (9-0)
Valley Union will attempt to keep its five-game winning streak alive with a difficult quarterfinal game at Bagdad. The Blue Devils feature a potent running game, led by Myles Richardson (1,320 yards on 79 carries with 16 touchdowns).
NON-REGION
5A No. 42 Nogales (2-7) at 6A No. 26 Phoenix Desert Vista (2-6)
The Apaches close out the first year of the Warren Smith era hoping to end a seven-game losing streak after starting 2-0. Nogales can move forward showing improvement after consecutive 0-10 seasons.
3A: No. 1 Benjamin Franklin (9-0) at No. 5 Pusch Ridge (8-1)
One of the bigger games in the state, Pusch Ridge will see how it matches up with the highest-rated 3A team in the state. The programs have developed a rivalry with Benjamin Franklin routing Pusch Ridge 31-7 at home early last season before the Lions turned the table and won 24-13 in the semifinals en route to the championship.
6A SOUTHERN
No. 16 Gilbert Perry (4-4, 1-1) at No. 11 (Open Division) Salpointe (5-3, 1-2)
Boise State QB commit Kael Snyder, a junior, goes against Salpointe. The Lancers are seemingly bound to play in the Open Division playoffs, especially with a game at No. 6 Phoenix Pinnacle next week. Power points from both of these games should keep the Lancers in the highest-level playoffs in the state.
5A SONORAN
No. 5 Marana (8-1, 5-0) at No. 35 Vista Grande (3-6, 1-4)
The Colten Meyer Watch continues. The Marana senior QB is 728 yards away from Cameron Hackworth’s Southern Arizona record of 8,797 career passing yards from 2020 to 2023 at Sabino. Meyer is the third player to eclipse 8,000 yards. He is at 8,069. Rhett Rodriguez passed for 8,694 yards at Catalina Foothills from 2013-16.
No. 13 Buena (6-3, 4-1) at No. 41 Ironwood Ridge (1-8, 1-4)
The Colts are in position to host in next week’s first round of the 5A state playoffs. If the season ended today, they would play No. 20 Cienega in Sierra Vista. Those teams played a thriller in the season opener with Buena escaping with a 38-31 win.
5A SOUTHERN
No. 20 Cienega (5-4, 3-2) at No. 16 Maricopa (6-3, 3-2)
Both of these teams are in position to make the 5A state playoffs with 24 teams now in the field. Maricopa is riding a four-game winning streak after consecutive losses on the road against Flowing Wells and Desert View — two of the top teams in the 5A Southern.
4A KINO
No. 11 Mica Mountain (7-2, 4-0) at No. 6 Sahuaro (7-2, 3-1)
This the game of the week with the 4A Kino title in the balance. A Sahuaro victory and a win by Walden Grove over Amphi, could create a three-way tie for the title at 4-1 with the highest-rated team getting the region championship. A Mica Mountain win solidifies the second consecutive title for the Thunderbolts, an amazing feat inasmuch as they lost 28 seniors and their head coach, Pat Nugent, from last year’s championship team. Look for this to be a grind-it-out on the ground, defensive struggle.
No. 54 Amphitheater (2-7, 0-4) at No. 13 Walden Grove (6-3, 3-1)
Walden Grove will likely be adversely affected with its power rating playing the No. 54-rated team in 4A. The Red Wolves need to stay among the top 16 teams to be a host for first-round games next week.
4A GILA
No. 38 Empire (3-6, 3-1) at No. 27 Pueblo (6-3, 4-0)
The 4A Gila title comes down to this game with Pueblo needing a win for the outright title. A victory would also extend the Warriors’ winning streak to seven games to close out the regular season. Making the 24-team playoffs is a tall order because Pueblo is playing the No. 38 team and the six teams ahead of the Warriors in the ratings will likely have to lose. If Empire wins, a three-way tie will exist for the region title, and the winner between the Ravens, Warriors and Sahuarita will be determined by power-rating rankings.
No. 37 Cholla (4-5, 2-2) at No. 32 Sahuarita (4-5, 3-1)
Sahuarita still has an outside shot for the region title if the Mustangs beat Cholla and Empire upsets Pueblo. If that happens, it would come down to which team is rated highest — Pueblo, Empire or Sahuarita. … Cholla, under first-year coach Roland Youngling, can finish with at least a .500 record for the first time since the Chargers went 6-4 in 2015.
No. 48 Rincon/University (2-6, 0-4) at No. 55 Rio Rico (1-8, 0-4)
The battle to avoid last place in the 4A Gila will take place in Rio Rico. A win can give either program a boost heading into off-season workouts.
3A EAST
No. 4 Thatcher (8-1, 5-0) at No. 17 Coolidge (5-4, 2-3)
Standing in the way of Thatcher running the table in region play is Coolidge, which is 3-1 at home this season.
No. 24 Safford (2-7, 1-4) at No. 16 Sabino (3-6, 2-3)
Sabino is in contention for a playoff spot but playing the lower-rated Bulldogs may hurt their chances because of diminished power points. The bracket is revealed Saturday morning.
No. 13 Florence (5-4, 3-2) at No. 28 San Tan Foothills (0-5, 0-9)
Florence is in the same situation hoping that playing a lower-rated team such as San Tan Foothills will not affect its chancing of making the 16-team bracket when it is revealed Saturday.
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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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