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remains Southern Arizona’s elite conference, with four teams still standing, and two of those had byes last week. In and , which the Tucson area has owned the last two years — in terms of state championships — only the defending champions, Mica Mountain and Pusch Ridge, remain.

In , three local teams are carrying the local banner, with two of them facing off and the starts this week.

All games are Friday at 7 p.m.

6A playoffs first round

No. 17 Salpointe Catholic (5-5) at No. 16 Queen Creek (6-4)

Location: 22149 E. Ocotillo Road, Queen Creek

Notable: Salpointe dropped from a position in the Open tournament to having to travel for the first round of the 6A tournament with a 1-4 stretch in the second half of the regular season. In the 29-team 6A, the top 12 make the Open, then the next eight make the 6A tournament. The 6A tournament features three below .500 teams, including No. 20 Phoenix Sandra Day O’Connor (3-7).

The last time Salpointe missed the postseason was 2015. Since Salpointe get promoted to 6A in 2022, the Lancers have four playoff appearances.

The game will be streamed on the (subscription).

5A playoffs second round

No. 18 Mountain View (7-4) at No. 2 ALA - Gilbert North (9-1)

Location: 1070 S. Higley Road, Gilbert

Notable: Fresh off its big 27-8 win at No. 15 Sierra Vista Buena in the first round last week, Mountain View heads to ALA - Gilbert North, which beat Buena 42-14 on the road on Sept. 12. ALA - Gilbert North head coach Ty Detmer won the Heisman Trophy at BYU in 1990 and played eight seasons in the NFL.

According to All Sports Tucson, Mountain View head coach Matt Johnson is the with 145 victories.

The game will be streamed on the (subscription).

No. 17 Cienega (7-4) at No. 1 Goodyear Desert Edge (10-0)

Location: 15778 W. Yuma Road, Goodyear

Notable: With their 49-35 win at No. 16 Phoenix Sunnyslope last week, the Bobcats won their first playoff game since 2021. The Scorpions have won 14 in a row, including the 5A state championship last year.

Desert Edge also made it to the state championship game in 2023. Last year, it eliminated Tucson High 30-14 in the second round on the road. Desert Edge won its quarterfinal and semifinal games on the road to reach ASU, site of the title game.

The game will be streamed on the (subscription).

No. 14 Phoenix Mountain Pointe (7-4) at No. 3 Desert View (10-0)

Location: 4101 E. Valencia Road

Notable: Mountain Pointe spoiled a Flowing Wells and Desert View matchup by beating the Caballeros 47-26 last week. The Pride were moved down from 6A after they went 6-4 last year, including a 29-12 home loss to Salpointe.

According to , this is Desert View’s . In 2021, the Jaguars went 10-2, losing to Desert Edge in the second round of the tournament.

The game will be streamed on the (subscription).

No. 20 Yuma Catholic (7-4) at No. 4 Marana (9-1)

Location: 12000 W. Emigh Road

Notable: Yuma Catholic started the season 0-4, including a 47-14 home loss to Marana. Starting with a forfeit win over Laveen Betty H. Fairfax on Sept. 26, the Shamrocks have won seven straight.

Yuma Catholic’s enrollment is 526, putting it in 3A in other sports but in football the Shamrocks were moved up twice following a 4A state semifinals loss to Mica Mountain last year, a championship game loss to Canyon del Oro in 2023 and 3A state championship game losses to Snowflake in 2021 and 2020.

According to , Marana won nine or more , 1968, 2022 and 2024, though in 1962 and 1967 it went 8-0-1 in the regular season. The Tigers have won nine in a row.

The game will be streamed on .

4A playoffs second round

No. 10 Lake Havasu (9-2) at No. 7 Mica Mountain (8-2)

Location: 10800 E. Valencia Road

Notable: Mica Mountain comes in on a six-game winning streak, and Lake Havasu has won four in a row. Mica is 6-1 in the playoffs all-time.

Lake Havasu is 5A in other sports, with an enrollment of 1,825. The Knights return to the playoffs for the first time since 2022, where they beat Yuma Catholic but lost to ALA - Gilbert North.

The game will be streamed on the (subscription).

3A playoffs quarterfinals

No. 13 Florence (7-4) at No. 5 Pusch Ridge Christian (9-2)

Location: 9500 N. Oracle Road

Notable: After Florence upset No. 4 Thatcher 14-6, the Gophers earned a rematch with Pusch Ridge, who beat them in Tucson 39-27 on Sept. 19. Thatcher beat Pusch Ridge 28-14 a week later at home, where the quarterfinal with PRCA would have been.

The Lions are 2-2 against Florence all-time, having lost in 2011 and 2012 but winning in 2020 and this season. This season, when Pusch Ridge moved into the newly formed 3A East, Florence joined it. Last year, the Gophers were in the 3A Central, while Pusch Ridge was in the 3A South.

The game will be streamed on the (subscription).

2A playoffs quarterfinals

No. 9 Tanque Verde (10-2) at No. 1 Phoenix Veritas Prep (11-0)

Location: 3102 N. 56th St., Phoenix

Notable: After making the four-hour drive to Camp Verde and getting the 39-15 win last week, Tanque Verde puts its eight-game winning streak on the line against Veritas Prep, which has won 11 in a row. During the streak, Tanque Verde has outscored opponents 404-49. In those eight games, the Hawks have blown out Goodyear Trivium Prep, which reached the second round, Willcox, which is in the quarterfinals, and Tonopah Valley, which made it to the first round before Tanque Verde eliminated it.

Veritas (truth in Latin) Prep is dedicated to a , and students have to take Greek and Latin.

No. 14 Benson (8-4) at No. 6 Willcox (9-2)

Location: 240 N. Bisbee Ave., Willcox

Notable: In the shadow of Mica Mountain and Mt. Graham, Benson travels to Willcox in the only all-Southern Arizona game of the week. During the regular season, Willcox won 26-17 at home over the Bobcats.

The Cowboys have won the last four in this Cochise County rivalry, which has been contested at least once every year except 2011 in the Max Preps era (since 2004). Benson holds a 14-9 advantage in that era.

According to , Benson and Willcox first met in in 1945, a 26-18 win for the Bobcats.

The game will be streamed by and on the .