After last week saw a chunk of Thursday night games, Southern Arizona tackle football returns to a primarily Friday schedule this go-round.
Aside from Cienega (2-2) at Tempe McClintock (4-0) Thursday night, the entire remaining slate of 18 games featuring Tucson-area teams will come Friday.
There’s a some really big games like Marana at Canyon del Oro and some rivalries like Benson at Bisbee. The big theme this week is 5A versus 4A as there’s six inter-conference 5A-4A tilts.
The games start at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
Thursday
Class 5A
Cienega (2-2) at Tempe McClintock (4-0)
Location: 1830 E. Del Rio Drive, Tempe
Notable: Last season the Bobcats beat McClintock at home 23-19.
Empire’s Nikolas Bejarano (1) takes a throw in the last of the daylight as the Ravens run through their pre-game drills before taking on Pueblo at Empire High School on Sept. 20.
Friday
Class 5A
Phoenix Barry Goldwater (2-2) at Flowing Wells (3-1)
Location: 3725 N. Flowing Wells Road
Notable: Last week the Caballeros ran for 443 yards in a 47-16 win over Sahuarita while Barry Goldwater gave up 168 yards on the ground in a 53-14 loss to Buckeye Verrado.
Sunnyside (1-3) at Nogales (0-3)
Location: 1905 Apache Blvd., Nogales
Notable: The Blue Devils have won seven in a row against the Apaches and are 12-1 against Nogales in the Max Preps era (since 2004).
Classes 5A/4A
Marana (4-0) at Canyon del Oro (3-1)
Location: 25 W. Calle Concordia
Notable: Last week the Marana tackle football team beat Mountain View 46-13 in the Battle of the Boot rivalry game; then, on Tuesday, Marana’s flag football team beat Mountain View in the Battle of the Saddle rivalry game 20-0.
Mica Mountain (4-0) at Casa Grande (4-0)
Location: 2730 N. Trekell Road, Casa Grande
Notable: The Cougars have won their last two against Southern Arizona teams, beating Nogales 49-3 on Sept. 6 and Buena 35-31 in November.
Tucson High (3-1) at Catalina Foothills (0-4)
Location: 4300 E. Sunrise Drive
Notable: The Badgers are 1-2 against Foothills with their win coming in 1994, the Falcons’ first varsity season according to AZFootballArchives.com.
Walden Grove (1-2) at Desert View (1-2)
Location: 4101 E. Valencia Road
Notable: Desert View has lost its last four matchups to 4A teams — once to WG and three times to CDO.
Sahuaro (3-1) at Ironwood Ridge (3-1)
Location: 2475 W. Naranja Drive
Notable: Both teams have won two in a row since losses on Sept. 6.
Buena (3-1) at Pueblo (2-2)
Location: 3500 S. 12th Avenue
Notable: Both the Colts and Warriors look to rebound after losses last week to Tucson High and Empire, respectively.
Class 4A
Cholla (1-3) at Amphitheater (1-3)
Location: 125 W. Yavapai Road
Notable: Amphi has only scored six points since dropping 43 on Phoenix Maryvale in game one.
Empire (3-1) at Douglas (0-4)
Location: 1550 15th St., Douglas
Notable: Empire leads the all-times series with Douglas 6-4 but the Bulldogs have won the last two, in 2022 and 2023.
Rio Rico (2-2) at Rincon/University (1-2)
Location: 421 N. Arcadia Ave.
Notable: The Rangers’ bye was last week while RR’s bye is next week.
Class 3A
San Tan Valley San Tan Foothills (2-3) at Pusch Ridge Christian (3-1)
Location: 9500 N. Oracle Road (6 p.m.)
Notable: Pusch Ridge prepares for its annual match up with the Sabino Sabercats with a game against the San Tan Foothills Sabercats. The Lions then play the Clifton Morenci Wildcats on Oct. 11.
Class 2A
Benson (2-2) at Bisbee (3-1)
Location: 99 Arizona St., Bisbee
Notable: Benson and Bisbee first played in 1982 according to AZFootballArchives.com. It was a 6-6 tie. The teams also drew, 0-0, in 1983.
Santa Rita (0-4) at Palo Verde (2-2)
Location: 1302 S. Avenida Vega
Notable: Although they’re both 2A teams on the East side, due to forfeits and not being able to field teams, the last time SR and PV played each other in varsity football was 2020. Palo Verde won 10-0.
Catalina (0-4) at Tanque Verde (3-1)
Location: 4201 N. Melpomene Way
Notable: TV's Hawks have won three in a row and seven of their last nine.
Willcox (2-2) at Tombstone (2-2)
Location: 1211 N. Yellow Jacket Way, Tombstone
Notable: Both the Cowboys and Yellow Jackets are 2-2 but Willcox’s .500 record came by winning their first and most recent games, while Tombstone won it's middle two games.
Class 1A
Salome (3-2) at Desert Christian (3-1)
Location: 9415 E. Wrightstown Road (6 p.m.)
Notable: DC has won three in a row; Salome has lost two in a row.
St. David (4-1) at Elfrida Valley Union (3-1)
Location: 4088 W. Jefferson Road, Elfrida
Notable: St. David looks to rebound after falling 66-36 to Heber Mogollon following a 4-0 start to 2024.
