2026 High School Football

MaxPreps preseason rankings after AIA adopts its football power ratings

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2026 SEASON PREVIEW INFORMATION

SCHEDULES:

— Salpointe Catholic in the 6A Southern

— 5A Sonoran

— 5A Southern

— 4A Kino

— 4A Gila

— 3A East

— 2A schools

— 1A schools

TOP RETURNERS

— Returning all-state selections

— Returning 1A all-region selections

— Returning 2A all-region selections

COACH INFORMATION

— Career victories for Southern Arizona coaches

The Arizona Interscholastic Association Executive Board voted Monday to adopt the MaxPreps rankings to use for its power ratings that impact postseason tournament seeding.

“Over the past several years, the AIA has had ongoing discussions with athletic directors, coaches, committees and MaxPreps regarding tackle football rankings,” AIA director of media services Seth Polanksy stated. “As a result of those discussions with MaxPreps regarding the football rankings this past summer, the AIA will now have the ability to utilize the MaxPreps National Football Rankings for tackle football, as published on the MaxPreps website.

“One of the past concerns regarding the use of the MaxPreps National Rankings was the ability to generate rankings specifically for playoff deadlines. MaxPreps is now able to generate football rankings, specifically prior to playoff announcements, once all AIA member school game results have been submitted and entered. This capability was not previously available, but with the enhancements made to the MaxPreps National Rankings, the AIA can confidently utilize these rankings for postseason seeding purposes.”

Here are the preseason rankings in MaxPreps including the top 20 programs overall in the state from Southern Arizona (1A rankings have yet to be published for this season):

Pat Ryden is coaching the top rated Southern Arizona programs in the state at Salpointe heading into the 2026 season (Brittany Bowyer/AllSportsTucson.com)
Jeffrey Bollnow’s Tanque Verde Hawks are rated No. 8 among 2A schools in the state at the outset of the season (Andy Morales/AllSportsTucson.com)
Kent Middleton’s Pusch Ridge Lions are rated No. 5 in the state among 3A programs (Andy Morales/AllSportsTucson.com)
Jay Campos’ Mica Mountain Thunderbolts are two-time defending state champions who are ranked No. 3 in the state among 4A schools (Gilbert Alcaraz/AllSportsTucson.com)
Robert Bonillas’ Desert View team is looking to build on last year’s 5A state quarterfinal appearance, ranked No. 14 in the state (Andy Morales/AllSportsTucson.com)
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