Last week I went 18-6 in my Top 25 picks (Alhambra/North was postponed).
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25) #5 Paradise Honors at #3 Santa Cruz
Paradise Honors might have lost 1,300+ yard rusher Sekou Tyler in a transfer to Goldwater, but 6-2, 210-pound bruising RB Cristian Moga returns and could give Santa Cruz fits. For Santa Cruz, Titarro Jones needs to pick up where Devi Neal left off if the Dust Devils are going to make another deep playoff run.
24) #14 Valley Christian at #4 Tempe Prep
Tempe Prep is notorious for not entering stats into Maxpreps, and as of right now, they've decided they don't need a roster uploaded either. Assuming Ahmad Jones has returned for his senior campaign, Valley Christian is going to have their hands full trying to stop the Knights' running game. Or maybe Valley Christian could attempt to outscore the Knights, as they returned most of their key contributors from 2016.
23) Goldwater at Poston Butte
I went out on a limb to say that Poston Butte would take a major step forward this year, and was almost assured they'd win their opener against lowly Goldwater- but guess what?! Goldwater's back in a big way, beating North Canyon in zero week 52-19. All of the sudden this game became one to watch, and with a win, Goldwater can surpass their win total of the previous two seasons combined.
22) #11 Buckeye at #5 Sunrise Mountain
Can Buckeye make the quick turnaround from opening the season in Hawaii to take on Sunrise Mountain? The Hawks' Joseph Perez threw for two scores and ran for two more in last week's loss, and it'll be interesting to see how Sunrise Mountain's defense attempts to contain him. One player they know they can depend on is Bobby Ramirez, last year's leading tackler- but on the offensive side of the ball, replacing Chase Cord and Garrett Veldhuizen is hard to imagine.
21) #14 Youngker at #8 Florence
Florence had their game cancelled last week when Santa Rita couldn't field enough players for the game. Opening against a Youngker team that just beat Dysart probably isn't what Youngker had in mind. If Youngker gets Greg Dostry going in the running game, it may keep talented Florence QB Jared Wood off the field and out of rhythm.
20) #6 Ironwood Ridge at Sunnyslope
Last year Sunnyslope lost to Ironwood Ridge 33-0, and went 7-2 after being shut out. Ironwood Ridge looks to Heath Beemiller to lead them back to the playoffs.
19) #10 Gilbert Christian at #7 Pima
Last year penalties and an awful fourth quarter kept Gilbert Christian from competing with Pima, but this year the Knights hope the maturation of QB Nick Hershey can score them the upset on the road.
18) #8 Desert Ridge at #13 Brophy
After watching Brophy against Pinnacle, I'm afraid their offensive limitations and struggle to stretch the field in the passing game heavily favors a Desert Ridge team that isn't a far cry, skill and personel-wise, from the opponent the Broncos were blown out by the previous week. The debut of Jaguars' QB Matthew Purnell is much-anticipated, but the Broncos forced three turnovers last week, and are hoping Purnell's inexperience is something they can capitalize on.
17) #3 Perry at Millennium
So I guess Perry is for real? Brock Purdy went off last week and the Pumas destroyed Desert Vista. Millennium is trying to be this year's Perry, and unleash their offense on 6A. We'll see if Millennium's senior QB Ernie Pina is up to the challenge.
16) #15 Horizon at #12 Chaparral (at Arcadia)
Horizon had five rushing touchdowns last week. Chaparral's run defense held Desert Mountain to under 30 yards rushing. Something has to give. The Firebirds are 1-7 in their last 8 games away from home, and this is technically a home game spent on the road- we'll see if Horizon can take advantage of Chaparral's recent struggles.
15) #1 Thatcher at #6 Benson
Thatcher is coming off a 52-6 win over Willcox, so Benson better hope they're not next in the path of the 2A Eagles' buzzsaw.
14) #2 Cienega at Marana
Jamarye Joiner is an Arizona commit who, much like Drew Dixon of Sabino last year, is capable of playing any offensive skill position. But with teams like Marana on the schedule, it's more about the Bobcats' defense than their offense in 2017.
13) #14 Sunnyside at #10 Pueblo
It's not easy to jump up two divisions and get a win, but that's exactly what Pueblo hopes to do on Friday. Fresh off a 58-0 shutout, Pueblo now has to face the same Sunnyside team that beat them 10-6 the year before.
12) #14 Mesquite at Gilbert
Gilbert started off 9-1 against Mesquite with the late Jesse Parker at the helm, but since Parker's departure, the Tigers have split the series with the Wildcats evenly at 4 wins apiece. If Mesquite DE Robert Jordan can bother Gilbert QB Jack Plummer early and often, the Wildcats might be able to pull off a big intracity win.
11) #10 Mesa Mountain View at Valley Vista
The Thursday game is an interesting one- Mesa Mountain View hopes to build on last year's success, and Valley Vista hopes to have RB Ray Baquero continue his streak of 10 consecutive games with a touchdown. This is the year everyone's looking at Toros' WR Jacoby Dinwiddie to break out- week 1 is as good a time as any.
10) Boulder Creek at #7 Liberty
Boulder Creek had a respectable showing against Hamilton, but respectable losses won;t get you into the playoffs. Liberty hopes to get out of the gate strong, and DB Ryan Puskas will have his hands full with Boulder Creek's tall receiving threats, Tristan D'Angelo and Tristan Reed.
9) Highland at #5 Skyline
Highland withstood a relentless aerial attack from Corona del Sol to get a zero week win, and now they'll have to deal with Aaron Wood and Marcus Brown on the ground. If Highland's defense can slow the Coyotes, you'll know they're for real.
8) #11 Desert Edge at #9 Notre Dame
Desert Edge went from averaging 11.5 wins per season over the last five years to suffering the worst defeat in program history in the 2017 opener against Centennial. Can Notre Dame take advantage of a wounded Scorpions team?
7) #3 Salpointe Catholic at #8 Marana Mountain View
Bijan Robinson scored four touchdowns last week, so you know that Mountain View will be taking the talented sophomore RB very seriously. This might not be an intradivision matchup, but the result could still determine, outside of Cienega, who the class of Southern Arizona is.
6) #4 Pinnacle at #9 Basha
This game was on ESPN last year, and while it was exciting, neither team was very good at the time. This year, both teams got off to a fast start and seem to have much improved defenses.
5) #2 American Leadership at #1 Pusch Ridge
Well, time to find out if I made the right call at the top of 3A. This is the second week in a row we've seen an interdivision #1 vs #2 in the state of Arizona.
4) #1 Saguaro at Liberty (NV)
Saguaro is in Las Vegas for the Mayweather/McGregor fight on Saturday, but they'll have a fight of their own to worry about. Liberty hasn't lost a home game since 2014, and has only lost three times on their home field dating back to 2011 (one of which was to Hamilton- a game I covered in person). This will be a tough one for the Sabercats, but QB Max Massingale seems to up his competitiveness based on the level of competition.
3) #3 Queen Creek at #7 Hamilton
I'll be at Hamilton on Friday to see the Bulldogs and Huskies set aside all the outside noise and play some football. I'm not sure if Queen Creek has faced anyone with Jawhar Jordans' quickness since the last time they had to face Jawhar Jordan's quickness.
2) #1 (National) IMG Academy at #1 Chandler
I'll have a more detailed preview of this game on Saturday, but this is a game that Chandler has been progressing toward for years now- can this Wolves' squad get the job done against a dream team?
1) #4 Williams Field at #5 Deer Valley
Normally a national #1 playing Arizona's #1 would make the top spot, but in this matchup we may have a 5A championship preview. Last year Williams Field shut out Deer Valley, but that was before Deer Valley moved Dez Melton to RB.
Best of the Rest
Mountain Ridge at Tucson
Trevor Browne at South Mountain
McClintock at Vista Grande
Cactus at Bradshaw Mountain
Amphi at Cholla
Mingus at Higley
Yuma Catholic at St. Mary's
Moon Valley at Thunderbird
Monument Valley at Winslow
