After a mixed week of action for Southern Arizona tackle football last Friday, all of the conferences are finally experiencing November madness.
Class 5A remains Southern Arizona’s elite conference, with four teams still standing, and two of those had byes last week. In 4A and 3A, which the Tucson area has owned the last two years — in terms of state championships — only the defending champions, Mica Mountain and Pusch Ridge, remain.
In 2A, three local teams are carrying the local banner, with two of them facing off and the 6A tournament starts this week.
All games are Friday at 7 p.m.
6A playoffs first round
Salpointe’s head coach Pat Ryden gets watered down as the Lancers celebrate holding on for 20-18 win to open their season against Marana, Aug. 29, 2025, in Tucson.
No. 17 Salpointe Catholic (5-5) at No. 16 Queen Creek (6-4)
Location: 22149 E. Ocotillo Road, Queen Creek
Notable: Salpointe dropped from a position in the Open tournament to having to travel for the first round of the 6A tournament with a 1-4 stretch in the second half of the regular season. In the 29-team 6A, the top 12 make the Open, then the next eight make the 6A tournament. The 6A tournament features three below .500 teams, including No. 20 Phoenix Sandra Day O’Connor (3-7).
The last time Salpointe missed the postseason was 2015. Since Salpointe get promoted to 6A in 2022, the Lancers have four playoff appearances.
The game will be streamed on the NFHS Network (subscription).
5A playoffs second round
No. 18 Mountain View (7-4) at No. 2 ALA - Gilbert North (9-1)
Location: 1070 S. Higley Road, Gilbert
Notable: Fresh off its big 27-8 win at No. 15 Sierra Vista Buena in the first round last week, Mountain View heads to ALA - Gilbert North, which beat Buena 42-14 on the road on Sept. 12. ALA - Gilbert North head coach Ty Detmer won the Heisman Trophy at BYU in 1990 and played eight seasons in the NFL.
According to All Sports Tucson, Mountain View head coach Matt Johnson is the winningest active Southern Arizona head coach with 145 victories.
The game will be streamed on the NFHS Network (subscription).
No. 17 Cienega (7-4) at No. 1 Goodyear Desert Edge (10-0)
Cienega’s Mariano Soto (21) flips on his run to the tunnel as the Bobcats charge out to face Sunnyside at home, Oct. 10, 2025.
Location: 15778 W. Yuma Road, Goodyear
Notable: With their 49-35 win at No. 16 Phoenix Sunnyslope last week, the Bobcats won their first playoff game since 2021. The Scorpions have won 14 in a row, including the 5A state championship last year.
Desert Edge also made it to the state championship game in 2023. Last year, it eliminated Tucson High 30-14 in the second round on the road. Desert Edge won its quarterfinal and semifinal games on the road to reach ASU, site of the title game.
The game will be streamed on the NFHS Network (subscription).
No. 14 Phoenix Mountain Pointe (7-4) at No. 3 Desert View (10-0)
Location: 4101 E. Valencia Road
Notable: Mountain Pointe spoiled a Flowing Wells and Desert View matchup by beating the Caballeros 47-26 last week. The Pride were moved down from 6A after they went 6-4 last year, including a 29-12 home loss to Salpointe.
According to azfootballarchives.com, this is Desert View’s second 10-win season. In 2021, the Jaguars went 10-2, losing to Desert Edge in the second round of the tournament.
The game will be streamed on the NFHS Network (subscription).
No. 20 Yuma Catholic (7-4) at No. 4 Marana (9-1)
Marana's Jaxsun Sharp (12) gets surrounded by Tigers after he grabbed a desperation heave to score in the second quarter of their game at Salpointe, Aug. 29, 2025, in Tucson.
Location: 12000 W. Emigh Road
Notable: Yuma Catholic started the season 0-4, including a 47-14 home loss to Marana. Starting with a forfeit win over Laveen Betty H. Fairfax on Sept. 26, the Shamrocks have won seven straight.
Yuma Catholic’s enrollment is 526, putting it in 3A in other sports but in football the Shamrocks were moved up twice following a 4A state semifinals loss to Mica Mountain last year, a championship game loss to Canyon del Oro in 2023 and 3A state championship game losses to Snowflake in 2021 and 2020.
According to azfootballarchives.com, Marana won nine or more regular-season games in 1964, 1968, 2022 and 2024, though in 1962 and 1967 it went 8-0-1 in the regular season. The Tigers have won nine in a row.
The game will be streamed on Marana football’s Facebook page.
4A playoffs second round
No. 10 Lake Havasu (9-2) at No. 7 Mica Mountain (8-2)
Location: 10800 E. Valencia Road
Notable: Mica Mountain comes in on a six-game winning streak, and Lake Havasu has won four in a row. Mica is 6-1 in the playoffs all-time.
Lake Havasu is 5A in other sports, with an enrollment of 1,825. The Knights return to the playoffs for the first time since 2022, where they beat Yuma Catholic but lost to ALA - Gilbert North.
The game will be streamed on the NFHS Network (subscription).
3A playoffs quarterfinals
No. 13 Florence (7-4) at No. 5 Pusch Ridge Christian (9-2)
Location: 9500 N. Oracle Road
Notable: After Florence upset No. 4 Thatcher 14-6, the Gophers earned a rematch with Pusch Ridge, who beat them in Tucson 39-27 on Sept. 19. Thatcher beat Pusch Ridge 28-14 a week later at home, where the quarterfinal with PRCA would have been.
The Lions are 2-2 against Florence all-time, having lost in 2011 and 2012 but winning in 2020 and this season. This season, when Pusch Ridge moved into the newly formed 3A East, Florence joined it. Last year, the Gophers were in the 3A Central, while Pusch Ridge was in the 3A South.
The game will be streamed on the NFHS Network (subscription).
2A playoffs quarterfinals
No. 9 Tanque Verde (10-2) at No. 1 Phoenix Veritas Prep (11-0)
Location: 3102 N. 56th St., Phoenix
Notable: After making the four-hour drive to Camp Verde and getting the 39-15 win last week, Tanque Verde puts its eight-game winning streak on the line against Veritas Prep, which has won 11 in a row. During the streak, Tanque Verde has outscored opponents 404-49. In those eight games, the Hawks have blown out Goodyear Trivium Prep, which reached the second round, Willcox, which is in the quarterfinals, and Tonopah Valley, which made it to the first round before Tanque Verde eliminated it.
Veritas (truth in Latin) Prep is dedicated to a classical approach to education, and students have to take Greek and Latin.
No. 14 Benson (8-4) at No. 6 Willcox (9-2)
Location: 240 N. Bisbee Ave., Willcox
Notable: In the shadow of Mica Mountain and Mt. Graham, Benson travels to Willcox in the only all-Southern Arizona game of the week. During the regular season, Willcox won 26-17 at home over the Bobcats.
The Cowboys have won the last four in this Cochise County rivalry, which has been contested at least once every year except 2011 in the Max Preps era (since 2004). Benson holds a 14-9 advantage in that era.
According to azfootballarchives.com, Benson and Willcox first met in Benson’s first football season in 1945, a 26-18 win for the Bobcats.
The game will be streamed by COOL fm and on the Herald/Review Facebook page.
