As the calendar approaches October, the pressure builds on Tucson’s high school tackle football teams looking to make the playoffs or improve their postseason positions.
Believe it or not, 3A, 2A and 1A has moved to the second half of the season, and the first 1A rankings of the season come out next week. Meanwhile, the big schools gear up for their fifth week.
Four Southern Arizona teams remain unbeaten: Desert View (4-0), Flowing Wells (4-0), Pusch Ridge Christian (5-0) and St. David (5-0).
All games are at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted
FRIDAY 6A
Salpointe (3-1) at ALA — Queen Creek (0-4)
Location: 23908 S. Hawes Road, Queen Creek
Notable: The AIA and the Arizona Cardinals selected this as their Game of the Week. It will be broadcast on channels 13.3 (antenna), 19 (Cox) and fubo TV.
Although ALA — Queen Creek is 0-4, its four losses have come to schools that are undefeated against Arizona teams, including Mesa Red Mountain, 31-28, who beat Salpointe 36-0 last week.
5A
Maricopa (2-2) at Desert View (4-0)
Location: 4101 E. Valencia Road
Notable: Desert View sophomore Jaylee Abraham won the Arizona Bowl HS Player of the Week after rushing for 222 yards and four touchdowns on 12 carries last week.
Canyon del Oro (2-2) at Ironwood Ridge (0-4)
Canyon del Oro’s head coach Scott McKee talks with quarterback Peyton Strang (18) after he took a sack in the second quarter, Sept. 19, 2025.
Location: 2475 W. Naranja Drive
Notable: Ironwood Ridge leads the northern Amphitheater Public Schools rivalry series 9-5. CDO won the last two, but Ironwood Ridge won seven in a row in the 2010s.
Sierra Vista Buena (3-1) at Marana (3-1)
Location: 12000 W. Emigh Road
Notable: After dispatching Tucson High 42-28, the 5A Sonoran champion in 2024, Buena takes on last year’s 5A Southern title winner, Marana. The Colts finished second last year, going 4-1 in 5A Southern play.
Cienega (2-2) at Mountain View (2-2)
Location: 3901 W. Linda Vista Blvd.
Notable: Mountain View won its last game against the Bobcats in 2022, 38-37, but before that, Cienega won five in a row against the Mountain Lions.
Tucson High (1-3) at Casa Grande Vista Grande (2-2)
Location: 1556 N. Arizola Road, Casa Grande
Notable: Last season, the Badgers went 8-3, not losing their third game until Nov. 22, 30-14, to Goodyear Desert Edge in the state quarterfinals.
5A/4A
Phoenix Carl Hayden (1-3) at Flowing Wells (4-0)
Location: 3725 N. Flowing Wells Road
Notable: The Caballeros won five games last year, three in 2023 and 2022, four in 2021 and two in 2019.
4A
Cholla (2-2) at Amphitheater (1-3)
Location: 125 W. Yavapai Road
Notable: Cholla head coach Roland Youngling, who also was an assistant at Amphi last season, faces his alma mater.
Rincon/University (2-2) at Douglas (3-1)
Location: 1550 15th St., Douglas
Notable: The Rangers have won two in a row after starting the season 0-2.
Walden Grove (2-2) at Empire (0-4)
Walden Grove quarterback Gauge Abalos looks to pass against the Firebirds at Eastmark High School on Sept. 4, 2025, in Mesa.
Location: 10701 E. Mary Ann Cleveland Way
Notable: The Ravens and Red Wolves played four times in the 2010s, with Empire winning in 2012 and 2013 but Walden Grove striking back in 2014 and 2015.
Sahuarita (1-3) at Mica Mountain (2-2)
Location: 10800 E. Valencia Road
Notable: The last time Mica Mountain lost two in a row was when it dropped four consecutive in 2022 in its first full season of varsity play.
Catalina Foothills (2-2) at Pueblo (1-3)
Location: 3500 S. 12th Ave.
Notable: Pueblo has a .000 winning percentage on the road but is 1.000 at home this season.
Phoenix North Canyon (1-3) at Rio Rico (1-3)
Location: 590 Camino Lito Galindo, Rio Rico
Notable: Rio Rico head coach Dominik Bonilla won his first game at the helm last week, 42-6 over Amphi.
4A/3A
Sabino (3-2) at Sahuaro (3-1)
Sahuaro’s Keegan Hunt (7) bounces off Desert View’s Robert Medrano (4), left, and Jaylee Abraham (5) after hauling a catch to get the Cougars into the red zone in the second quarter, Sept. 5, 2025.
Location: 545 N. Camino Seco
Notable: Sabino leads the east-side rivalry 17-4 in the Max Preps era (since 2004), according to azfootballarchives.com. The schools first met in 1974 and have played every year since, except 1989 and 1990.
3A
Pusch Ridge Christian (5-0) at Thatcher (3-1)
Location: 615 N. Stadium Ave., Thatcher
Notable: Pusch Ridge’s 22-7 win last year over Thatcher snapped a three-game win streak the Eagles had over the Lions that started in the 2021 playoffs.
2A
Phoenix Madison Highland (0-4) at Desert Christian (3-2)
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: 7525 E. Speedway
Notable: This is Madison Highland’s first game against a Tucson team.
Chandler Prep (3-2) at Bisbee (2-3)
Location: 99 Arizona Street #73, Bisbee
Notable: After shutout losses to Douglas, 25-0 and Morenci, 26-0, Bisbee scored 54 in its win over Santa Rita last week.
Tombstone (0-4) at Palo Verde (2-3)
Location: 1302 S. Avenida Vega
Notable: The 60 points that Palo Verde scored last week in its shutout win over Scottsdale Coronado are the most the Titans have posted since they beat Coronado 61-0 on Sept. 8, 2023.
Tanque Verde (3-2) at Santa Rita (0-5)
Location: 3951 S. Pantano Road
Notable: Tanque Verde is 5-0 all-time against Santa Rita, though two of those were forfeits.
Catalina (2-2) at Avondale St. John Paul II (1-4)
Location: 3120 N. 137th Ave., Avondale
Notable: It’s Catalina’s first game against a Catholic school since it lost 45-14 to Scottsdale Notre Dame Prep in 2004.
Scottsdale Prep (2-3) at Willcox (4-1)
Location: 240 N. Bisbee Ave., Willcox
Notable: Four of Willcox’s games have been shutouts, three of those were wins, and one was a loss.
1A
Topawa Baboquivari (0-5) at Duncan (2-3)
Location: 108 Stadium, Duncan
Notable: Baboquivari has won two in a row against Duncan after the Wildkats took six consecutive against Baboquivari.
Superior (4-1) at St. David (5-0)
Location: 70 E. Patton, St., St. David
Notable: St. David has outscored opponents this year 303-6.
