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Despite finishing the regular season 5-5, the Lancers scored a couple of road upsets to reach the 6A semifinals.

“As a team and family, we really worked our butts off all season long and like every single game, every single practice, every single workout that we had in season,� said Salpointe junior safety/receiver Jake Bondi. “All started from January and since January, we've all just been stacking every week, every single month, to get to this and I think we all played really well right now and it just came down in those last two plays and we couldn't execute.�

The No. 8 Lancers (7-6) fell to No. 4 Queen Creek Casteel (8-5), 37-28, in the semifinals after they lost a fumble when they were down by six points late in the game.

“Very proud of our guys,� said Salpointe head coach Pat Ryden. “Our guys fought hard and we got the ball back, there were two minutes to go and had a chance to go down and score, win the game, but our guys don't quit and super proud of our guys in their effort (Friday) night.�

The semifinal game came after Salpointe beat Queen Creek 23-8 in the first round and then No. 1 Phoenix Pinnacle 10-7 in the quarterfinals, also on the road. The playoff Pinnacle game came after it lost 28-21 to Pinnacle in the regular-season finale.

“No one thought we could do what we did,� said Bondi, who had two interceptions in the semifinals. “Beating No. 1 Pinnacle and then coming out here, beating Queen Creek, too, before Pinnacle and coming out here and putting a dog fight against these boys, they thought that was going to be an easy fight, but nah, we really gave him that hammer.�

Since the AIA began placing football teams based on on-field success instead of enrollment, the 4A-sized Lancers moved up to 5A and now 6A, the highest level of Arizona football.

“The 6A competition is just so much better than everything else,� Bondi said. “Like, when you make plays in the 6A, you're gonna get recognized, it just opens doors for everywhere else, college and NAIA, it doesn't matter.�

Most of the 6A football schools play at that level in other sports. This season, Salpointe (enrollment of 1,366) played Mesa Red Mountain (3,277 enrollment, which is the third-largest enrollment in the state), Mesa (3,188) and Mesa Westwood (2,945).

Salpointe also played Open finalist Chandler Basha, who is ranked No. 27 in the country by MaxPreps.

“They're good teams and we have good kids,� Ryden said. “It's just the numbers game is really what it comes down to.�

Since there are no other Southern Arizona 6A football programs, the Lancers often have to travel to the Phoenix area. The Lancers went to the Phoenix area seven times this year, including four straight to close out the season.

“You get used to it,� Bondi said. “We’re road warriors, so we're always fighting on the road, it doesn't bother us at all.�

Since moving up to 6A in 2022, Salpointe has played 21 games in the Phoenix area.

“I think we're kind of used to it,� Ryden said. “We’ve been on the road a lot this season and but I think what wears on us is just our depth, our lack of depth and we're playing schools of this size and I think that that maybe gets us a little bit, but again, my hat's off to our kids, they did a fantastic job.�

Before the season, Mica Mountain head Jay Campos, who coached at the 3A, 4A and the 5A level (when it was the highest level), agreed when asked about the perception of Southern Arizona football.

“If you look at it from the 4A level on down, Southern Arizona has been pretty well represented,� Campos said. “It's still going to be tough in the 6As and the Opens and even the 5A, because we don't have the depth in the offensive and defensive lines and that's the difference between Phoenix football at the highest levels, 5A and 6A and Southern Arizona football is, we all have skill kids but they have more bigger linemen at the 5A and 6 level.�

Still, Salpointe has had 6A success, reaching the quarterfinals in 2022, the semifinals in 2023 and winning its region in 2024.

“We wanted to win it for Tucson but yeah, it just wasn't in the cards (Friday) night,� Ryden said.

In this calendar year, Salpointe has won 4A state championships in boys soccer, girls soccer, baseball, girls volleyball and flag football.

Salpointe will move to 5A in the other team sports besides football next school year after appealing to move up.

Bondi doesn’t wonder what it would be like to be in the 4A in football.

“I don't even think about it,� he said.