With the Arizona high school football season in full swing, the Star shares our weekly look back at the best of last week while charging ahead toward what we might be able to expect from programs across Tucson and surrounding communities this Friday night.
Team of the week
There was no shortage of big wins last week for Southern Arizona teams, like Tanque Verde, Benson and Cienega, but it’s Mountain View that comes out on top.
The No. 18 Mountain Lions won 27-8 at No. 15 Sierra Vista Buena in the 5A state first round. It was Mountain View’s first playoff win since 2012, when it beat Cienega 19-17 in the first round.
Play of the week
Goodyear Estrella Foothills junior Gavin Knebel kicked a 27-yard field goal in overtime to give the No. 22 Wolves a 17-14 win at No. 11 Sahuaro in the first round of the playoffs.
Cienega’s Julian Hainley (14) hoofs out of a collapsing pocket during the second quarter of the game against Sunnyside, Oct. 10, 2025.
Stat book
— Cienega senior quarterback Julian Hainley passed for 424 yards, four touchdowns and an interception in the Bobcats’ 49-35 win at Phoenix Sunnyslope last week in the first round of the 5A playoffs. Senior Jaden Rodgers caught six passes, racking up 189 yards, and senior Logan Welsh had five catches for 101 yards.
— Flowing Wells senior quarterback Benicio Ruiz ran for 119 yards on nine carries in the Cabs’ 47-26 loss to Phoenix Mountain Pointe on Friday in the first of the 5A tournament.
— Tanque Verde senior Cooper Payne rushed for 133 yards and a touchdown on 11 attempts in the Hawks’ 39-15 win at Camp Verde in the second round of the 2A tournament. He also had four catches for 139 yards, a touchdown, and he made 10 tackles.
Next level
Nebraska sophomore defensive lineman Keona Davis (also known as Keona Wilhite) had seven tackles, five solo, in the Huskers’ 28-21 win over UCLA. The Salpointe Catholic alumnus has started every game this season for the Huskers.
Expansion teams
Since last season, the 5A, 4A, and 2A conferences all expanded their playoffs from 16 teams to 24. The teams seeded 17 to 24 weren’t just there to fill out the numbers; they picked up seven wins, including Cienega and Mountain View in 5A. In 4A, No. 24 Surprise Paradise Honors upset No. 9 Peoria 31-21. Last year, those teams would have been done with their seasons.
Quotable
“The Florence game was everything we wanted and more the last time we played them; they’re a good football team. They run the ball extremely well. They’re very well-coached. I’m not going to say it was surprising what happened down in Thatcher, but certainly having another home game is really nice.” — Pusch Ridge Christian head coach Kent Middleton said to All Sports Tucson about their second-round matchup with Florence.
No. 5 Pusch Ridge beat No. 12 Page 42-14 on Friday, and No. 13 Florence upset Thatcher 14-6, giving PRCA another home game. On Sept. 19, Pusch Ridge beat the Gophers 39-27 at home before losing 28-14 at Thatcher.
Marana's Sean Roebuck (5) lines up to receive a punt as the Salpointe student section lights up the stands with their phones in the second quarte, August 29, 2025, Tucson, Ariz.
Games of the week
5A state second round: No. 20 Yuma Catholic (7-4) at No. 4 Marana (9-1)
Location: 12000 W. Emigh Road
Notable: On Friday at 7 p.m., Marana hosts a Yuma Catholic side that they beat 47-14 on the road in the regular season. The Shamrocks are quite familiar with Tucson area teams in the playoffs, going 2-2 against them this decade. YC beat Pusch Ridge Christian in 2020 and Walden Grove last year, but lost to Mica Mountain in the state semifinals last season and to Canyon del Oro in the state championship game in 2023.
4A state second round: No. 10 Lake Havasu (9-2) at No. 7 Mica Mountain (8-2)
Location: 10800 E. Valencia Road
Notable: Mica Mountain opens its 4A state title defense on Friday at 7 p.m. against Lake Havasu, which beat No. 23 Phoenix Sierra Linda 35-0 in the opening round. The Knights finished second in the West Valley, whose fifth-place team, Goodyear Estrella Foothills, upset No. 11 Sahuaro last week on the road 17-14.
Lake Havasu junior Luke Johnson leads the 4A in scoring (148 points) while Mica Mountain senior Broden Schmidt is 10th in the conference in tackles (106).
