No. 1 Poston Butte (8-2) vs No. 16 Northwest Christian (3-7)
The San Tan Valley has grown throughout the years, as has the success of the Poston Butte Broncos. The Broncos enter the postseason with a five-game winning streak and a victory over Pinal country rival Apache Junction 57-36. The only two losses for the Broncos were to the two 4A representatives in the open division bracket, No. 4 Cactus and No. 8 ALA-Queen Creek. Running back Octavious Joe has been the lead rusher on a run-first offense rushing for 1,451 yards and 17 touchdowns. His success in the postseason will lead to success for the Broncos in their attempt to make the 4A Conference championship game.
Northwest Christian enters the postseason with the lowest win total of any team in the 4A bracket, but that was due, in part to having the conference's toughest schedule. The Crusaders played their way into a playoff spot defeating then No. 14 Greenway 42-20 in their final regular season game. Junior quarterback Ashton Kamp took over as the starter after the loss to Poston Butte and has had the Crusader offense rolling. Kamp has 737 yards passing and six touchdowns in four games as the starting quarterback and has improved week by week. If he continues his improvement, the Crusaders may be tough out round one.
No. 8 Prescott (7-3) vs No. 9 Bradshaw Mountain (7-3)
Prescott just two weeks ago fell 24-6 at home to Bradshaw Mountain but has a chance at redemption against its rival. Both schools are separated by 20 minutes but play the same style of football. The Badgers' brand of football is led by junior running back Cody Leopold, who finished the regular season with 1,271 yards and 17 touchdowns. The Badgers played five playoff teams as compared to four for Bradshaw Mountain which gave the Badgers the edge in the rankings and the home game. But Prescott was only 2-3 at home and 5-0 on the road which doesn’t mean there’s a home field advantage for the Badgers.
As these rivals face off once again, Bradshaw Mountain has the blueprint to beat the Badgers once again. In their first matchup, the key to victory for the Bears was slow and methodical drives down the field that drained the clock for the Badgers and extended the lead for the Bears. In order to do that again, tight end Malachi Stephenson who doubles as a power back for the Bears will need to once again average seven yards per carry. The Bears will also need to get their leading rusher, Gabriel Ricketts going. Ricketts has 716 yards and 11 touchdowns this season.
No. 5 Lake Havasu (7-2) vs No. 12 Canyon Del Oro (6-4)
Lake Havasu, after an 0-2 start, rattled off seven straight wins to enter the postseason as hot as any team in the bracket. The Knights have run into the postseason behind junior running back Isaac Stopke and his 1,576 rushing yards and a whopping 32 rushing touchdowns. Defensively, Stopke contributes as well with 27 tackles, four sacks, and an interception as well. For the Knights to have a run towards the 4A title game it’ll be Stopke who helps lead them there.
Canyon Del Oro has the longest drive out of any team in the postseason, but for the trip to be worthwhile it’ll be junior quarterback Caden Dawes leading the Dorados. In the regular season Dawes passed for 1,570 yards and 17 touchdowns and distributed the ball evenly having five receivers with over 100 yards receiving. The Dorados are another 4A team who had a challenging schedule with their four losses coming to playoff teams including 5A No. 2 Salpointe Catholic to start the season.
No. 4 Glendale (9-1) vs No. 13 Coconino (5-3)
Glendale lost to Prescott week one 27-13. From that point forward the Cardinals won nine straight games to finish the regular season, including a victory over 5A No. 10 Apollo 14-12. Sophomore quarterback Zecheriah Owens finished the season as one of the best dual threat players in the 4A conference. Owens through the air had 1,665 yards and 18 touchdowns as well as 1,023 yards rushing and eight touchdowns on the ground. Senior running back Keyon Walker led the team with 1,120 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns.
Coconino started their 2021 season two weeks after most schools due to Covid cases on the team. Once the Panthers started playing they rattled off back to back wins before another Covid outbreak on the team cost the team another two weeks. The Panthers moved their game against Lee Williams to a Saturday afternoon so they wouldn’t miss another game and possibly risk not meeting the minimum game threshold. Heading into the last three weeks of the regular season, Coconino was ranked in the bottom half of the open division rankings and was a top 4 seed in the 4A bracket. Back-to-back losses to No. 9 Bradshaw Mountain and No. 5 Lake Havasu put the Panthers in a week 11 must-win situation against rival Flagstaff. The Panthers won 26-7 clinching them a playoff spot in the process. Corner Andy Ruiz is a player to watch for the Panthers, and is also the top receiver.
No. 3 Mesquite (7-3) vs No. 14 Benjamin Franklin (6-4)
The back-to-back defending 4A champion started their season with a 56-6 drubbing by open division No. 4 Cactus in a rematch of last season's 4A Conference championship game. The Wildcats challenged themselves with a tough schedule that included both 4A open division representatives, 5A No. 5 Sunrise Mountain, and three other 4A playoff teams. Although they are not a top-two seed in the bracket, both of their past two titles have been as the No. 6 seed and the No. 3 seed. Senior receiver and Marshall commit Andrew Morris finished the regular season with 606 receiving yards and 12 total touchdowns.
Benjamin Franklin enters the postseason with back-to-back losses to No. 3 Mesquite and open division No. 8 ALA-Queen Creek which may be a blessing in disguise. It gives the Chargers the mindset of what to expect in the playoffs against tougher opponents. The rushing duo of Dawson Smith and Garrett Jones have led the Chargers offensively throughout the season combining for 29 touchdowns and 2,053 rushing yards.
No. 6 Apache Junction (7-2) vs No. 11 Lee Williams (7-3)
The Junction boys, as they’re called by those around the town of Apache Junction, have been one of the best offensive teams in the 4A Conference this season. In just nine games, sophomore running back Isaiah Savoie has rushed for 1,599 yards and 20 touchdowns, the former being the most in the 4A-6A conferences. The Prospectors averaged 38 points per game and had four games of 46 or more points, their offensive firepower isn’t just on the ground it’s also through the air as junior wide receiver Garrett Garcia pulled in 69 catches, 1,151 yards, and 12 touchdowns.
Lee Williams is the opposite of Apache Junction. The Volunteers are a team that will try and limit their opponents positions and try to keep it as a low-scoring game to avoid a shootout. The Volunteers had five games where they’ve allowed 21 or less points and are 3-2 in those contests. The bulk of the offense that the Volunteers do have comes from Devean Santos who leads the team in both passing and rushing with 2,328 total yards and 30 touchdowns.
No. 7 Buckeye (8-2) vs No. 10 St. Mary’s (7-3)
The high-scoring Buckeye Hawks fly under the radar into the postseason with one of the better offenses in the 4A Conference. The Hawks, in a loss to open division No. 8 ALA Queen-Creek, scored 28 points, which was the most given up by ALA to a 4A opponent this season. In six of the Hawks' ten contests, they scored 40 or more points, including a season high 52 against Moon Valley. Leading the Hawks high scoring offense is the duo of running back Viliami Tongotea and his 1,392 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns and quarterback Tyler Hill’s 2,078 total yards and 25 touchdowns.
The regular season for St. Mary’s could not have started off any more dim than it did week one. The Knights, in their first matchup against rival 6A Brophy Prep, were dominated 49-0 and lost their quarterback Nick Martinez to a broken collarbone. His absence would be felt the following week as well as the Knights fell to No. 1 Poston Butte 41-21. But after that loss, the Knights hit their stride and won seven of their final eight games and welcomed back Martinez at quarterback. While Martinez was out, the duo of Joseph Beguhl and David Galindo ran the offense with Galindo had 1,029 total yards and 13 touchdowns at quarterback and Beguhl had 480 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground rushing.
No. 2 Casa Grande (9-0) vs No. 15 Deer Valley (7-3)
Casa Grande finished the regular season as one of two undefeated teams in the 4A conference, the other being open division No. 4 Cactus. The Cougars rolled through their schedule with only one game being decided by 13 points or less and allowing a total of 61 points on the season, the majority of which came in weeks one and two against 5A Sunnyslope and Peoria. The offense has been overpowering as well in the process, with senior quarterback Angel Flores beating teams with his passing skills and his mobility. Flores has 2,654 total yards and 33 touchdowns on the season and running back RJ Keeton’s 809 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns is the most on the team.
Deer Valley, after a 5-0 start to the season, looked primed to be a high seed in the 4A bracket before a 2-3 finish nearly knocked the Skyhawks out of the playoff rankings. The Skyhawks enter the postseason as the highest scoring team in the 4A playoffs averaging 41 points per game. This is due to the duo of quarterback Rudy Gonzales who leads the team with 2,535 yards passing and 29 total touchdowns and running back Ashton Hill’s 1,461 total yards and 20 touchdowns. In order for the Skyhawks to make a run to the 4A conference championship game the duo of Gonzales and Hill need to have strong outings starting with a talented Casa Grande defense.
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