CHOLLA CHARGERS
Last year: 4-6
Head coach: Roland Youngling (4-6, second year at Cholla and overall)
— Ed Brown Stadium is being changed to turf this summer. In order to allow enough time for the completion of the project, the Chargers’ opener against Yuma will be played at Tucson High on Aug. 28. Their first home game is not until Sept. 25 against Amphi in the last freedom game of the season.
— Cholla plays three straight long road games at Phoenix Maryvale, San Tan Valley Combs and Yuma Kofa after the opener against Yuma. The combined record of Yuma, Maryvale, Combs and Kofa last year was 19-21. Combs was the strongest team, going 8-3 and qualifying for the 4A state playoffs. Combs won at Cholla 50-0 last season.
— The game against Amphi will be a rematch of Youngling and members of his coaching staff against their former school. Youngling is an Amphi alum who played under legendary Vern Friedli. The game last year at Amphi was stopped in the second quarter after a bench-clearing brawl in which Cholla fell under the amount of players available for a game after ejections were made. Amphi won by forfeit.
EMPIRE RAVENS
Last year: 3-7
Head coach: Greg McKinstry II (First year at Empire; 7-33, fifth year overall)
— Empire’s opener is tentatively scheduled at Sahuaro, but the Cougars are also getting a turf field installed this off-season. If the field is not ready, the game will shift to Empire. Sahuaro won at Empire 41-3 in the opener last season.
— Empire, coached by McKinstry after he was the team’s defensive coordinator last year under George Kelly, will host Maricopa (6-5 last year) and Phoenix St. Mary’s (7-5) after playing Sahuaro. Empire lost Big at Maricopa and St. Mary’s last season. They lost 35-7 to Maricopa and 48-0 against St. Mary’s.
— The Ravens will then play three straight road games against Douglas, Walden Grove and Cholla. Empire was actually better on the road (2-3 record) than at home (1-4) last season.
PUEBLO WARRIORS
Last year: 7-3, 4A Gila champions
Head coach: Sly Lewis (9-11, third year at Pueblo and overall)
— Pueblo’s power rating was .10 of a point from qualifying for last year’s 4A state tournament. They are playing the same opponents as last season, only sites of the five freedom games are flipped. Pueblo opens at home against Buckeye Youngker (7-4 last season), Sunnyside (4-6) and Douglas (5-4), and play at Glendale Copper Canyon (6-4) and Catalina Foothills (3-7). Pueblo lost to Youngker, Sunnyside and Douglas on the road to open last season and then won its last seven games.
— Pueblo also plays its first three region games at home against Rincon/University, Cholla and Rio Rico, but must play at Sahuarita and Empire to end the season. The Warriors ran the table against their five 4A Gila opponents last year, outscoring them 201-22.
— The Oct. 23 game at Sahuarita, which is led by former Pueblo coach Jake Allen, figures to be one of the top games to watch in Southern Arizona this season. The Warriors’ lone close game in region play last year was the 14-13 victory over the Mustangs at home.
RINCON/UNIVERSITY RANGERS
Last year: 2-7
Head coach: David Nunez (First year at Rincon/University and overall)
— Nunez must begin his first head coaching job with three straight road games against Yuma Cibola, Combs and Palo Verde — each team coming off a winning season last year.
— Instead of having to travel to the extreme southwest part of Arizona to play Somerton and then the extreme southeast to face Douglas, as the Rangers were scheduled to do last season, those teams travel to play Rincon/University this time. The Rangers beat Somerton 12-0 last year. Its game at Douglas was canceled because of inclement weather.
— After starting with the three games on the road, the Rangers then play three of their next four games at home, including opening region play at defending champion Pueblo and then hosting contender Sahuarita.
RIO RICO HAWKS
Last year: 2-8
Head coach: Dominik Bonilla (2-8, second year at Rio Rico; 23-28, sixth year overall)
— Just like last season, Combs will play three Southern Arizona schools, including Rio Rico, again. Combs also has Cholla and Rincon/University on its schedule. Combs outscored the three Southern Arizona schools 158-0, last season, including a 50-0 win over Rio Rico at San Tan Valley in the opener.
— The I-19 rivalry game with Nogales shifts to Nogales this season after Rio Rico’s three-game winning streak over the Apaches was snapped at home last year in a 38-18 loss. Nogales won the first 13 games of the series but Rio Rico has won three of the last four.
— Rico Rico’s two other freedom games against teams not from Southern Arizona are at home against Phoenix Sierra Linda (8-3 last season) and at Phoenix North Canyon (5-5). Rio Rico lost at Sierra Linda 38-21 and against visiting North Canyon 49-7 last season.
SAHUARITA MUSTANGS
Last year: 5-5
Head coach: Jake Allen (12-8, third year at Sahuarita, 27-23, seventh year overall).
— The Mustangs went 1-4 in their freedom games last year and they play the same teams this season at different sites. They host Nogales and 4A Kino powers Walden Grove and Mica Mountain, and play at Maricopa Desert Sunrise and Sahuaro. Walden Grove, Mica Mountain, Desert Sunrise and Sahuaro all reached the postseason last year. Sahuarita lost to all four teams.
— The rivalry game with Walden Grove will kick off the season. The schools have only played five times since Walden Grove opened its doors in 2012. Sahuarita leads the series 3-2 but has lost the last two games, in 2022 and last season.
— The region title will potentially be on the line when Sahuarita hosts Pueblo on Oct. 23. The teams played last year with the outcome deciding the region title and Pueblo pulled out the 14-13 win at home.
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