By Zach Alvira
Head of Content
We didn’t think the high school regular season in Arizona would come to a close without any drama, right?
If you did, you were wrong. Way wrong.
It seems as if every other week we had upsets, stunning scores and results that shook up the Open Division rankings. This week was no different.
Here’s a roundup of some of the games with major playoff implications ahead of Saturday’s release of the playoff brackets.
ALA Queen Creek dominant in win over Queen Creek
Perhaps the biggest game of the night took place in Queen Creek as the Bulldogs made the short trip to American Leadership Academy — QC for a matchup between two teams in the Open Division rankings.
The Bulldogs, who have played well all year but especially in recent weeks, ran into a buzz saw. The ALA Patriots flat out dominated, beating their rivals 42-7 with a running clock.
The Patriots entered the matchup at No. 5 in the Open Division. Queen Creek was No. 8. The win may very well vault the Patriots into a top-two seed, and it’s hard to argue they don’t deserve it.
ALA Gilbert pulls off upset over Horizon
Sticking with American Leadership Academy, the Eagles of the Gilbert North campus once again proved why the 5A Northeast Valley Region is one of the best in the state.
ALA is solidified in the 5A playoffs, but that hasn’t stopped the Eagles from playing spoiler. They beat Higley to knock the Knights out of the Open Division a few weeks ago (Higley is now back in). But, they then fell to a Notre Dame team riddled with injuries.
Friday night, however, Ty Detmer’s squad once again played the role of spoiler, beating No. 3 Horizon 17-7. The loss is only the second one of the season for the Huskies, and first to a 5A opponent. It may not be significant enough to bump Horizon from the Open, but it could be close.
Mountain View makes statement in win over rival Red Mountain
The Toros are for real, ladies and gentlemen. They proved so in a win over Red Mountain in the Battle of Brown Road Friday night. It was a shootout, with the Toros clinching the 43-38 victory thanks to three straight scores the Mountain Lions were unable to immediately answer.
Mountain View head coach Andy Litten, in his first season, has now led the Toros to a 9-1 season. In 2019, when he took over Horizon, he led the Huskies to the 5A title. Now, he has the Toros in position to sneak into the Open Division.
Hamilton gets some help with win over rival Chandler
Entering the final week of the season, Hamilton sat at No. 12 in the Open Division rankings. Flat out, the Huskies needed help.
Luckily, they got it.
Horizon, Brophy, Queen Creek and Red Mountain, all teams ahead of Hamilton in the rankings, fell Friday night. The Huskies, meanwhile, picked up a 56-14 win against rival Chandler in the Battle of Arizona Avenue. The win likely won't give Hamilton a ton of power points, but perhaps just enough to place the Huskies in the Open Division.
Salpointe Catholic upends Brophy in Tucson
One of many shockers on the night, Salpointe Catholic welcomed Brophy into Tucson and sent the Broncos home with a 45-30 loss. The win secures a 6A Central Region championship for the Lancers. The loss may very well knock the Broncos out of the Open Division, as they were No. 7 entering the final week of the season.
Salpointe has more than secured a home playoff game with the win. Brophy, in all likelihood, falls to be one of the top seeds in the 6A playoffs.
Higley solidifies Open Division bid with win over Williams Field
There's no question many were left scratching their heads Tuesday when a 6-3 Higley team was back in the Open Division. Well, the Knights may have just solidified their position Friday night with a 41-7 win over rival Williams Field.
The Knights have been banged up all season long, losing both quarterbacks in Luke Haugo and Gunner Fagrell at one point. But Higley managed to pick up signature wins along the way. Now, the two-time defending 5A champion will get its first taste of the Open Division.
Open Division Bracket Prediction
This may be one of the hardest things I've ever had to predict in my seven years covering Arizona high school football. This week brought many surprises, and with the formula being widely unknown, it's very difficult to predict exactly what the Open Division bracket will look like Saturday morning.
Yet, here we go.
Here's where I THINK the Open Division bracket will look like when it's revealed during the AZPreps Saturday Morning Show with myself, Brett Quintyne and Jose Garcia on 1580AM The Fanatic. We will also have a live video feed on the NFHS Network beginning at 8 a.m.
Basha
ALA Queen Creek
Marana
Liberty
Higley
Horizon
Hamilton
Mountain View
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