#1 Notre Dame Prep (9-1)
After a week six victory against then 5A number one Desert Mountain, the target had been firmly pressed against the Saints back as the team to beat in the 5A conference. The Saints emergence back to the top of the conference was led by the duo of quarterback Noah Trigueros and Cooper Perry. Trigueros finished with over 2,600 total yards and 31 touchdowns while Perry was the breakout star of the conference as he finished with 20 total touchdowns and over 1,000 yards. Defensively, the secondary of the Saints led by Trevor Auerbach and Joseph Francis pulled in 16 interceptions as up front Ty Borowski and Ben Roberts combined for ten of the 22.5 sacks by the Saints.
#16 Paradise Valley (9-1)
After a seven year hiatus from the postseason, The Trojans return after one of the best regular seasons in school history. Leading the Trojans has been dual threat quarterback Jaden McDaniel who finished with 2,400 yards and 37 total touchdowns. McDaniel’s top target in the regular season was Jaden Ralston who finished with 711 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Alongside Ralston has been rising sophomore Elantae Fleming who pulled in six touchdown receptions and led the Trojan defense with three interceptions. Also emerging as a threat on defense has been junior pass rusher Jackson Schultz who finished with 3.5 sacks and six tackles for loss.
#8 Marana (9-1)
The Tigers finished tied for the most regular season wins in school history and brought home a rivalry game victory against Mountain View for the second year in a row. The Tigers look poised to make a run past the second round for the first time in school history behind their prolific offensive attack that averaged 51 points per game during the regular season. Leading the offense has been Elijah Joplin who returned from an eye injury during the Summer to throw for over 2,300 yards and 28 touchdowns. Joplin’s top targets were the duo of sophomore Dezmen Roebuck and senior Sam Brown who combined for over 1,600 yards and 20 receiving touchdowns. On defense Brown has made his impact felt by pulling in five interceptions alongside Jaelen Collins who pulled in four himself.
#9 Sunnyslope (6-4)
Heading into the penultimate week of the regular season, the Vikings were on the bubble of the postseason rankings needing a victory against Desert Mountain who was fighting for an open division spot. Behind running back Jackson Sriro’s 149 rushing yards and three interceptions by the Vikings secondary led Sunnyslope to an upset victory that locked the Vikings into the 5A top ten. Throughout the regular season quarterback Luke Moga and defensive backs Deven Broady and Jayden Carbajal have made clutch plays to put the Vikings into this position. Carbajal and Broady combined for 11 interceptions in a hungry secondary that pulled 21 total. Meanwhile on offense Moga combined for 2,500 total yards and 29 touchdowns with clutch late game drives against Skyline, Desert Mountain, and Apollo.
#5 Horizon (6-4)
The defending 5A champions road back to the postseason got off to a bumpy start. The Huskies were blown out by Notre Dame Prep, Hamilton, and Pinnacle in three of their first four games and did not look like the team that rolled to the championship. Then, a victory against Higley sparked a five game winning streak to end the season. Leading the pack has been the duo of Cole Linyard and Baylor commit Matthew Klopfenstein who combined for over 1,100 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. Defensively, Carson Kolb and Cody Naughton have led a strong pass rush that has shown signs of repeating last postseason's success.
#12 Gilbert (6-4)
The Tigers return to the postseason has been bumpy. The regular season had moments of drama off the field and while on the field, Gilbert blocked out the noise with one of the better defensive units in the conference. Led by junior Parker Bryce’s 17 sacks, the heavy blitzing lineup of the Tigers finished with 50 total sacks in the regular season with four games of seven or more sacks as a unit. The physicality that the Tigers played with was also reflected in the seven different players that forced fumbles for Gilbert this season including five forced fumbles by Bryce.
#4 Cactus (7-3)
Last season as a 4A program, the Cobras rolled through their regular season schedule that saw Cactus defeat three 5A opponents they faced by an average of 43 points. Although the Cobras did not immediately replicate the success they had against 5A teams last season, as the season has gone on the Cobras looked poised to make a run to the championship game. Offensively, the Cobras are one of the most dangerous teams in the conference led by athlete Will Galvan and Damian Jiles, two players that make big plays for quarterbacks Rudy Gonzales and Braiden Lagafuaina. Sophomore Nikko Boncore-Montoya has made an immediate impact on varsity with 744 receiving yards and will be important in the postseason. Defensively, Montana State commit Dom Solano anchored a defensive line that finished with 28 sacks, 14.5 coming from him alone.
#13 Willow Canyon (7-2)
For the first time in 11 years, the Wildcats are playing postseason football. Behind a region championship and matching a school record for wins in a season, Willow Canyon enters the playoffs with confidence. Rushing the Wildcats into the postseason is running back Brady Ferris who finished the regular season with over 1,100 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on a ten yards per carry average. Meanwhile defensively, the duo of Bryson Wilke and Austin Rhodes have led the way in the secondary pulling in seven combined interceptions and leading a unit that had 26 total takeaways. Throughout the regular season, the Wildcats made opposing teams earn their points allowing 14 points or less in six of their nine total games going 5-1 in those contests.
#6 Desert Edge (7-3)
The Scorpions enter the postseason seeded lower than what most preseason expectations had Desert Edge. No team in the 5A conference may have two better losses than the Scorpions who fell to 6A number two Highland and open division number five Saguaro. Leading the offense has been quarterback Hezekiah Millender who finished with 2,500 total yards and 29 touchdowns. Millender’s ability to change the game with both his arm and legs opened up the field for running back Chris Cordero who finished with 1,330 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns. But for all the talent on the offense, the Scorpions defense may be more impactful to any run Desert Edge plans to make. Cornerback Aundre Gibson controls the game from the secondary while Maxwell Sawyer, Jaylen Dawson, and Deshawn Warner control the front seven after combining for 16.5 sacks and four forced turnovers.
#11 Central (9-1)
After their best season in sixteen years, the Bobcats return to the playoffs for the first time in thirteen years. Leading the Bobcats resurgence has been quarterback Dom Bagchi who threw for over 2,500 yards and 32 touchdowns in the regular season. Bagchi’s success opened up the offense for sophomore wide receiver Breon Ballard and senior Kohnor Roque-Brown who combined for over 1,200 yards and 22 receiving touchdowns. On defense, Bryson Ballard has broken out as a tough cornerback pulling in four interceptions and forcing three fumbles. Izzy Foz has also started to become a tough cornerback pulling in three interceptions. Aaron Francis from the middle linebacker position led the Bobcats with six sacks and was the leading tackler in the regular season.
#3 Higley (8-2)
Higley enters the postseason as one of the favorites to win the 5A championship behind one of the best offenses in the state and a defense that has gotten better as the year has gone on. Quarterback Jamar Malone had one of the best seasons in the state finishing with over 3,600 total yards and 43 touchdowns. With his talent at the position, wide receivers Dom Esposito and Carter Hancock both eclipsed 1000 yards receiving on the season combining for 27 touchdowns. At running back Daxen Hall put together an 1,100 yard season to go along with 13 touchdowns. In the secondary the duo of Nijrell Eason and Donovan Aidoo created a “no fly zone” that pulled in six interceptions between the two and had 13 pass breakups.
#14 Canyon View (6-4)
After a shaky 2-3 start, the Jaguars rattled off a 4-1 finish to sneak into the postseason after sitting on the outside looking in late in the regular season. Leading the Jaguars into the postseason is quarterback Beau Devens who after a shaky start bounced back to finish with over 2,000 yards passing. Devens’ top targets on the season were the trio of Demari Colbert, Santino Varvel, and Ayden Lange. The three Jaguar receivers combined for 1,760 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns. Defensively, Trey Bohm emerged as a leader on the defensive line with six sacks and 13 tackles for loss. Keegan Landis finished with the team lead in tackles with 115 total, 19 of which coming for loss.
#7 Campo Verde (5-4)
The Coyotes after a tough stretch in region play enter the postseason with new found confidence after beating Mesquite 55-19 in week 11. Injuries have held the Coyotes back from their full potential but they’re still one of the toughest teams to face in the 5A conference. Their toughness starts on the ground with their three running back system led by Athan Ferber, Mason Shea, and Bobby Blackburn. This trio led an offense that averaged over 210 yards per game on the ground and finished with 16 touchdowns during the regular season. Their toughness extends to the defensive side of the ball as well where Gavin Silene leads the Coyotes with 109 total tackles. The Coyotes do not force many turnovers but force their opponent off the field on three-and-outs and shorten the game with their offense which makes them tricky to beat.
#10 Millennium (5-5)
The Tigers are battle hardened as the postseason begins after facing two open division opponents in Centennial and O’Connor in the regular season and two of the top five seeds in Horizon and Cactus. The games against Cactus and O’Connor came down to the wire and showed that the Tigers will be a tough out even for their low seed. Starting with Zeus Pindernation at running back, the Tigers offense shows big play ability with him on the ground and Kyan Fields at wide receiver. Fields finished with 575 receiving yards and eight touchdowns while Pindernation finished with 1,581 total yards and 18 touchdowns. Daniel Delponte at linebacker and Shahid Wilson at safety control the defense with a combined 185 tackles and five forced turnovers.
#2 Desert Mountain (8-2)
Six points separated the Wolves from the second seed in the 5A bracket and a spot in the open division. Desert Mountain enters the postseason as one of the most dangerous teams in the conference. Offensively, the two quarterback system with Drew Tapley and Brady McDonough combined for over 2,500 yards passing and 32 touchdowns. The top targets for both McDonough and Tapley have been Dylan Tapley and Jack Freeburg. Dylan Tapley and Freeburg combined for 25 touchdowns and over 1,800 yards in the regular season. Defensively, Nolan Clement has lived in opposing backfields finishing with 13.5 sacks and 21 tackles for loss. Meanwhile Santana Wilson and Dylan Tapley have roamed in the secondary finishing with seven combined interceptions and 66 total tackles.
#15 Verrado (5-5)
The Vipers, although not the last seed in the 5A bracket, were the last team to find a way into the bracket as they were on the outside looking in and weren’t officially in the top 16 until the bracket was released. Leading the Viper offense was Erick Santiago at quarterback who had a connection with Julian Virgen and Colin Tibbs that led to most of the offensive output. Tibbs and Virgen finished with 927 receiving yards combined and had 11 touchdowns. On defense, the duo of Nathan Bilski and Trig Riefkohl lived in backfields finishing with 20.5 combined sacks and 27.5 tackles for loss. At safety, Juan Virgen finished with 92 tackles and was one of the hardest hitting defensive backs in the state. Tibbs also spent time at defensive back on the opposite side of Virgen finishing with four interceptions and two forced fumbles.
