Plenty of rivalry and inter-conference games highlight the high school football schedule this week for fans of Southern Arizona programs.
The new east side rivalry between Mica Mountain and Sabino joins the west side derbies of Flowing Wells/Amphi and Pueblo/Cholla, while Rio Rico also goes at it with Nogales.
And Marana hosts the back-to-back defending 5A state champs as four other local teams look to start 3-0.
All games start at 7 p.m.
Thursday
Class 2A
Santa Rita (0-2) at Florence ALA - Anthem South (1-2)
Location: 8450 West Franklin Road, Florence
Notable: Last week ALA — Anthem South won its first ever varsity football when it beat Catalina 28-26.
Friday
Class 6A
Surprise Shadow Ridge (0-2) at Salpointe Catholic (0-1)
Location: 1545 E. Copper St.
Notable: Salpointe looks to avoid its first 0-2 start since 2007, according to azfootballarchives.com.
Class 5A
Flowing Wells (1-1) at Amphitheater (1-1)
Location: 125 W. Yavapai Road
Notable: FW and Amphi have split the Battle for Prince Road the last two seasons after the Cabs won three in a row from 2019 to 2021 and the Panthers won five straight from 2014 to 2018.
Gilbert Higley (2-0) at Marana (2-0)
Location: 12000 W. Emigh Road
Notable: Both teams were on the road last week; Marana won at Tucson High 56-7 and Higley won 25-20 at San Juan Hills in San Juan Capistrano, California. On Saturday, the Knights went south a bit to see the San Diego State/Oregon State game in person.
Peoria Sunrise Mountain (0-2) at Mountain View (1-1)
Location: 3901 W. Linda Vista Blvd.
Notable: SM has won three in a row against Southern Arizona teams: MV in 2023, Cienega in 2021 and Buena in 2019. Sunrise Mountain's last loss to a Tucson-area school was to Salpointe in 2017 in the 4A state semifinals.
Scottsdale Cactus Shadows (2-0) at Sunnyside (1-1)
Location: 1725 E. Bilby Road
Notable: Cactus Shadows opens the season with three road games while Sunnyside starts with three home games.
Cienega (2-0) at Tucson High (1-1)
Location: 400 N. Second Ave.
Notable: Cienega head coach Justin Argraves is 2-0 against Tucson High, where he was head coach for 10 seasons. The Bobcats are 5-0 against the Badgers all-time.
Class 5A/4A
Buena (2-0) at Catalina Foothills (0-2)
Location: 4300 E. Sunrise Drive
Notable: Buena looks to start 3-0 for the second time in a row after starting 5-0 last season.
Canyon del Oro (1-1) at Desert View (1-1)
Location: 4101 E. Valencia Road
Notable: It’s a matchup of former UA football players-turned-coaches as CDO head coach Scott McKee was a Wildcat from 1999 to 2002 and DV head coach Robert Bonillas played for Arizona from 1995 to 1998.
Empire (2-0) at Ironwood Ridge (1-1)
Location: 2475 W. Naranja Drive
Notable: Last year Ironwood Ridge beat the Ravens 28-0 in the teams' first ever match up.
Sahuarita (1-1) at Maricopa (1-1)
Location: 45012 W. Honeycutt Ave., Maricopa
Notable: Maricopa High is in Maricopa, Arizona — the city, not the county. The City of Maricopa is in Pinal County.
Nogales (0-2) at Rio Rico (1-1)
Location: 590 Camino Lito Galindo, Rio Rico
Notable: Rio Rico has won the last two against its Santa Cruz County rival after Nogales won the first 11 in the series.
Class 4A
Cholla (1-1) at Pueblo (1-1)
Location: 3500 S. 12th Ave.
Notable: Pueblo is 14-4 since 2004 against its west side rival and have won the last two against the Chargers.
Douglas (0-2) at Sahuaro (1-1)
Location: 545 N. Camino Seco
Notable: Sahuaro is 9-0 against Douglas according to azfootballarchives.com; the series started in 1970 with a 16-6 Cougars win.
Mica Mountain’s Conner Hangarner (7) gives Jonah Garcia (13) a big hug after his catch and run put the Bolts up by three scores early in the fourth quarter against Northwest Christian in the Arizona 4A state quarterfinals at Mica Mountain High School in Tucson on Nov. 18, 2023.
Class 4A/3A
Mica Mountain (2-0) at Sabino (2-1)
Location: 5000 N. Bowes Road
Notable: MM has won 18 in a row against teams not named Canyon del Oro.
Rincon/University (1-1) at Safford (1-2)
Location: 1400 W. Bulldog Blvd., Safford
Notable: According to the AIA’s most recent census, Rincon and University combined have an enrollment of 2,232 (6A size), while Safford’s is 920 (3A size).
Class 3A
Yuma (0-3) at Pusch Ridge Christian (1-1)
Location: 9500 N. Oracle Road
Notable: Yuma High School’s nickname, the Criminals, is what Phoenix Union players called Yuma students as an insult in 1913 after they had classes in Yuma Territorial Prison for a few years. The nickname stuck.
Class 2A
Palo Verde (1-1) at Scottsdale Coronado (0-3)
Location: 7501 E. Virginia Ave., Scottsdale
Notable: Last week PV upset 4A Rincon/University 16-15 to get its first win over the Rangers since 2013, ending an eight-game losing streak.
Tanque Verde (1-1) at Phoenix Cortez (1-2)
Location: 8828 N. 31st Ave., Phoenix
Notable: It’s the first time TV has ever played the Colts.
Players for Tucson’s Desert Christian High School (in blue) and Glendale’s Desert Heights Prep (in white) gather with the officials for pregame instructions and the coin toss before their game on Aug. 30.
Class 1A
Desert Christian (1-1) at Phoenix Maryvale Prep (0-2)
Location: 4825 W. Camelback Road, Phoenix
Notable: After forfeiting their season opener and beat Phoenix Desert Heights Prep 42-20 at home on Aug. 30, this is the Eagles’ first-ever road game.
High school football: Marana HS receiver Dezmen Roebuck closes in on state receptions recordAfter setting the state record for receptions (121) in a single season in 2023, Marana High and University of Washington-bound receiver Dezmen Roebuck is now closing in on another record: this one for catches in an Arizona prep career.
Michael Lev column: Years in the making, Tucson’s Desert Christian High School finally has a football program. This is the story of how it all came together for the Eagles.
High school football across Tucson and surrounding Southern Arizona communities: A look back at Buena's big 2-0 start after a win over Ironwood Ridge, along with highlights from Palo Verde, Tanque Verde, Catalina and more.
