Welcome to the annual ArizonaVarsity Pick’Em Contest! Each week we pick 10 games and do our best to pick a winner, with the twist of the perceived favorite getting “points” to make choosing the winner more challenging.
Standings
Week 3 Games, 1-5
Basha (-9.5) at Williams Field
All time record: First Meeting
Game Notes: Basha is coming off a win over Orange Lutheran, and we’ll see if that galvanizes the team, or results in any type of hangover. Williams Field destroyed Eastlake last week in the San Juan Hills classic behind three first half Courshawn Hill TD runs, and the connection between QB Dominic Barjona, and 2027 wideouts Knolan Tyler and Trey Smith. Barjona has great downfield vision and patience, due in part to having one of the best pass-blocking offensive lines in the state- it will be interesting to see how that unit fares against the emergence of Basha’s 2028 6-5, 255 defensive end Landen Wade.
Brophy Prep (-3.5) at Perry
All time record: Tied 4-4 (Brophy won twice in 2024)
Game Notes: Perry has struggled to move the ball through the air- and the struggles seemed to start last year when Perry and Basha faced off in the 6A quarterfinals. Talen Frazier has had a strong start to the season for Perry on both sides of the football, and they’ll need that trend to continue to avoid a third loss to the Broncos since the start of 2024. Basha is also looking to gets its passing game going, as they only have one completion of 20+ yards on the season so far- but look for Case VandenBosch to continue to run the ball effectively as a way to keep the Broncos offense on the field.
Shadow Ridge at Westwood (-9.5)
All time record: Shadow Ridge leads 3-1
Game Notes: Last week, Westwood QB Elliot Reed showed off his capabilities as a dual-threat QB by throwing for 218 yards and 2 TDs, and rushing for 124 yards on only 7 carries in a 30-point win over Desert Ridge. We’ll see what “the Aidens” are able to do about that, as Shadow Ridge’s Aiden Mytinger has back-to-back games with tackles for a loss, and Aiden Tatum has been solid in pass coverage.
Canyon View (-7.5) at Sunrise Mountain
All time record: 1-1 (Sunrise Mountain won 23-7 in 2024)
Game Notes: Marana shut down Canyon View’s rushing attack last week in the Jaguars first game of the season, but QB Brady Scott showed that he can move the ball through the air very well- passing for 346 yards in a loss. Sunrise Mountain got their first win of the Santiago Maldonado era with an offensive explosion against Ironwood- with Cade Culley throwing for 415 yards and 5 TDs. Get ready for a high scoring affair out in the west valley.
Buena at ALA Gilbert North (-6.5)
All time record: First Meeting
Game Notes: Want to run the ball on Buena? Cooper Krauss will find you- just like he did against Skyline last week, racking up 12 solo tackles, and 19 total. Senior RB Michael Lujan is the engine of Buena’s offense, but if they want to knock off one of the premier 5A teams in ALA Gilbert North, Lujan will have to get past 6-1, 210 DE Gaven McKinney. Offensively, ALA Gilbert North has gotten back-to-back solid games from juniors Weston Powell and Isaac Massey- so be on the lookout for them.
Week 3 Games, 6-10
Sunnyside at Campo Verde (-6.5)
All time record: Campo Verde leads 2-0
Game Notes: Campo Verde dominated Ironwood Ridge last week by spending the entire game wreaking havoc with the defensive front seven- racking up 6 sacks and 7 tackles for a loss. Sunnyside might be able to counter that with an offense that hands the ball off to several different options, such as Anthony Sanchez, or Aaron Fontes (both 2027), or QB Raymond Duarte can always run the ball himself.
Prescott at Northwest Christian (-3.5)
All time record: Northwest Christian leads 1-0
Game Notes: Prescott’s Jacob Chamberlain had a breakout game last week in a narrow loss to Thunderbird, rushing for 176 yards and 2TDs. Northwest Christian just held Poston Butte to under 5 yards per carry in a dominant win at Poston Butte, so it will be interesting to see if they can keep that effort up against the Badgers.
Mohave(-13.5) at River Valley
All time record: Mohave leads 15-10
Game Notes: Mohave senior QB Joe Yoney Jr. did something he rarely does last week against Lake Havasu- he turned the ball over multiple times. Mohave was fortunate enough to get the win, but he’ll need to protect the football this week to put away River Valley. Yoney is two rushing TDs away from reaching the career 50 passing TD / 40 rushing TD mark- which might not have been done before in the state of AZ. River Valley counters in this game with 2027 RB Aden Montgomery, who had 3 rushing TDs last week in the Dust Devils first win of the season.
Round Valley (-16.5) at St. Johns
All time record: N/A (Round Valley has won 13 in a row)
Game Notes: The oldest rivalry in the state of Arizona, and one of the oldest in the country- this is the 121st year of Round Valley and St. Johns facing off. Jeffrey Cochran dominated on both sides of the ball in Round Valley’s opener, but hasn’t played since. Brody Crick has taken over as both a home run threat as a RB and WR, and will be tough to stop. St. Johns opened the eyes of AZ media last week with a 49-0 win over a Santa Cruz team that many thought would beat them, and they’ve now outscored opponents 179-12 in just three weeks, getting 6 rushing TDs from Trace Nielsen.
Miami at Globe (Pick’Em)
All time record: Globe leads 38-18
Game Notes: Miami started the season 2-0, but was shut out last week against Trivium Prep and their high powered rushing attack. Can the Vandals get back on track against a Globe team that they beat 30-19 last year? Globe QB Jaeger Franco can attack defenses with his arm and legs- and they’ll need him to have a great game to get this win.
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