It’s another crucial week in high school tackle football in Southern Arizona as the small schools close out the season and the bigger schools found out where they stand.
On Tuesday, the 6A to 4A schools saw their first rankings. Tucson’s last undefeated team, Desert View, debuted at No. 2 in the 5A, Sahuaro was the highest local 4A side at No. 6, and Salpointe Catholic came in at No. 12 in the Open/6A rankings, taking the last Open spot for now.
In 6A, the top 12 teams go to the Open, eight more go into the first round of the 6A tourney, and the losers in the first round of the Open go to the 6A tournament.
In 2A, the teams play their last game before the all-new Region Crossover Games next week, and in 1A, they close out the regular season.
All games are at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
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FRIDAY
6A
No. 12 Salpointe Catholic (4-2) at No. 1 Chandler Basha (6-0)
Location: 5990 S. Val Vista Drive, Chandler
Notable: The Bears are not only No. 1 in the Open and 6A but , according to USA Today. Basha College Recruiting Coordinator Eric Rogers was Salpointe’s head coach for four seasons until 2024. Basha junior quarterback Jake Rogers went to Salpointe.
5A
No. 2 Desert View (7-0) at No. 37 Canyon del Oro (3-4)
Location: 25 W. Calle Concordia
Notable: Desert View beat Nogales 57-0 last week to secure its .
No. 17 Sierra Vista Buena (4-3) at No. 31 Casa Grande (3-4)
Location: 2730 N. Trekell Road, Casa Grande
Notable: Last week, Casa Grande fell 51-27 at Marana, three days after .
No. 23 Cienega (4-3) at No. 16 Flowing Wells (6-1)
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: 3725 N. Flowing Wells Road
Notable: Flowing Wells closes out the regular season with three teams currently in a playoff position as the Cabs try to secure a bye.
No. 25 Tucson High (4-3) at No. 7 Marana (6-1)
Location: 12000 W. Emigh Road
Notable: Tucson High finds itself one spot outside the postseason as it looks to make the playoffs for the second year in a row. The last time the Badgers went to the postseason in consecutive years was 2016.
No. 41 Nogales (2-5) at No. 18 Mountain View (4-3)
Location: 3901 W. Linda Vista Blvd.
Notable: Mountain View finds itself solidly in the playoffs after a 47-14 win over previously unbeaten Flowing Wells last week.
No. 21 Maricopa (4-3) at No. 20 Sunnyside (4-3)
Sunnyside’s Raymond Duarte (1) slithers his way out of the grip of Cienega’s Oliver Bonilla (4), sprinting up the middle during the second quarter of their game, Oct. 10, 2025.
Location: 1725 E. Bilby Road
Notable: A pair of 4-3 sides collide at Sunnyside, but it’s not quite an elimination game for the Blue Devils as they close out the regular season with Flowing Wells and Mountain View.
No. 40 Ironwood Ridge (1-6) at No. 39 Casa Grande Vista Grande (2-5)
Location: 1556 N. Arizola Road, Casa Grande
Notable: Ironwood Ridge is 2-1 against Vista Grande, having beaten the Spartans in 2013 and 2014 but losing in 2022.
4A
No. 22 Walden Grove (4-3) at No. 31 Catalina Foothills (3-4)
Location: 4300 E. Sunrise Drive
Notable: Catalina Foothills has work to do to get into a position to make the playoffs, but it finishes the regular season with Walden, No. 25 Douglas and No. 9 Mica Mountain.
No. 6 Sahuaro (5-2) at No. 25 Douglas (4-2)
Location: 1550 15th St., Douglas
Notable: Southern Arizona’s highest-ranked 4A team, Sahuaro, looks to be in prime position to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2019, when it went to the quarterfinals.
No. 33 Sahuarita (3-4) at No. 37 Empire (2-5)
Location: 10701 E. Mary Ann Cleveland Way
Notable: Sahuarita and Empire are tied 5-5 in the all-time series. The Ravens won five in a row through 2023, but Sahuarita won last year, 20-12.
No. 55 Amphitheater (2-5) at No. 9 Mica Mountain (5-2)
Location: 10800 E. Valencia Road
Notable: In 2022, Mica Mountain won its region but missed the playoffs, and in 2023, the same fate befell Amphi. But with 24 teams in the 4A tournament, that is much less likely to happen.
No. 54 Rio Rico (1-6) at No. 29 Pueblo (4-3)
Catalina Foothills’ Damon Brown (41), left, and Catalina Ronan Ranellone-Mims (5) can’t stop Pueblo’s Jeremiah Sandoval (10) from getting to the end zone during the first quarter at Pueblo High School, Sept. 26, 2025, in Tucson.
Location: 3500 S. 12th Ave.
Notable: After starting 0-3, Pueblo has won four in a row and has a chance to make the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
No. 48 Cholla (2-5) at No. 43 Rincon/University (2-4)
Location: 421 N. Arcadia Ave.
Notable: Cholla has dropped five games in a row, and the Rangers have lost two consecutive.
3A
No. 15 Sabino (3-4) at No. 14 Florence (3-4)
Location: 1000 S. Main St., Florence
Notable: Although the 3A has automatic bids, the Sabercats probably don’t have to worry about getting bumped from the playoffs by a bid stealer. No. 20 El Mirage Dysart (3-4, 2-0 3A West) looks like the only potential bid stealer in the 3A.
No. 4 Pusch Ridge Christian (7-1) at No. 24 Safford (2-5)
Location: 1400 W. Bulldog Blvd., Safford
Notable: Since the 3A state tournament semifinals and championship are at neutral sites, at No. 4, Pusch Ridge already is in position to get home-field advantage in the playoffs
2A
No. 17 Eloy Santa Cruz Valley (3-5) at No. 36 Desert Christian (3-4)
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: 7525 E. SpeedwayÂ
Notable: Desert Christian has lost three games in a row.
Catalina (3-4) at No. 20 Globe (4-4)
Location: 125 S. Sixth St., Globe
Notable: Catalina snapped its four-game losing streak with a 20-0 win over Scottsdale Coronado last week.
No. 33 Bisbee (3-5) at No. 28 Palo Verde (5-3)
Location: 1302 S. Avenida Vega
Notable: Palo Verde has won four in a row.
No. 50 Santa Rita (0-8) at Peridot San Carlos (4-3)
Location: Highway 70 Mile Post 270, Peridot
Notable: Santa Rita is 1-1 against San Carlos all-time, splitting games in 2018 and 2019.
No. 10 Tanque Verde (6-2) at No. 44 Tombstone (1-6)
Location: 1211 N. Yellow Jacket Way, Tombstone
Notable: Tanque Verde won the 2A South 1 and will face another region champion next week in the 2A.
No. 16 Benson (5-3) at No. 6 Willcox (7-1)
Location: 240 N. Bisbee Ave., Willcox
Notable: It’s the de facto 2A South 2 championship game as both the Bobcats and Cowboys are 2-0 in the region.
1A
No. 11 San Manuel (3-5) at No. 20 Topawa Baboquivari (0-7)
Location: Highway 86 and Route 19, Topawa
Notable: Baboquivari has a chance to snap its 10-game losing streak in the final game of the season.
No. 3 St. David (7-1) at No. 2 Bagdad (7-0)
Location: 500 Sultan Way, Bagdad
Notable: After losing 51-14 to No. 1 Winkelman Hayden and dropping down to No. 3, St. David gets to face No. 2 Bagdad before the state tournament brackets are announced Saturday morning.
No. 8 Elfrida Valley Union (5-2) at No. 19 Phoenix Valley Lutheran (0-7)
Location: 5199 N. Seventh Ave., Phoenix
Notable: The 1A state tournament is 12 teams and starts Friday, Oct. 24, with the top four teams receiving byes.
Bobcats roar back: Cienega braces for daunting 5A Southern showdown
