The 4A rankings may as well just be thrown out of the window at this point.
A few weeks ago we saw the No. 1 Mica Mountain Thunderbolts get upset. Then they were upset again. Fast forward to Week 6, four of the top 10 teams in the 4A Conference went down to unranked opponents, another program that has been dominant this season got dominated and another is making a case for moving up in the rankings.
And that only scratches the surface of some of the top storylines from Week 6.
Oh how the mighty fall
OK, maybe the headline is a little dramatic. But when the Nos. 3, 4, 6 and 7 teams in the 4A Conference all fall to unranked opponents on the same night, it sure does add some drama.
That’s exactly what took place last Friday as Thunderbird fell to Northwest Christian, ALA west Foothills fell to Paradise Honors, St. Mary’s fell to Peoria and Eastmark fell to Mesquite. All ranked teams in the statewide media poll. All unranked opponents that rose to the occasion.
The 4A Conference has been wild all season, and that doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon.
More 4A drama
One of the top matchups of the week belonged to the 4A Conference, with No. 5 Combs visiting No. 2 Arcadia. The game was tabbed as a potential defensive slugfest, with the Coyotes not giving up any points in the first five weeks of the season and the Titans having one of the best defensive units in 4A, period.
Well, it was anything but that. Arcadia flat out dominated, beating Combs 37-0 and letting a little wind out of the Coyotes’ sail that had been flying high all season.
More than anything, this shows that there is still a bit of a gap in 4A between some of the top teams.
Upsets galore
Week 6 may very well go down as a major upset week in the history of Arizona high school football. Aside from the mayhem in 4A, the 5A Conference saw its fair share of head scratchers, too.
Notre Dame Prep won a wild game against Horizon, 42-41, knocking off the No. 2 ranked team in the conference in triple OT and Gilbert won a track meet against No. 8 Campo Verde, 49-46, shocking the entire East Valley.
Mesa picked up its 700th win in program history by making a trip down to Tucson and knocking off Salpointe Catholic, 23-14. The Jackrabbits were at full strength with their out-of-state transfers. It was the first time the two programs ever met in the regular season.
In four previous postseason meetings, the Jackrabbits were 1-3 all time.
Close call for the unanimous No. 1 in 5A
Sure, it’s not uncommon for a No. 1 team to get tested every now and then. That’s often where teams have the opportunity to truly show they’re deserving of that rankings.
Desert Edge fits the bill.
The Scorpions were in a dogfight against Canyon View last week, as they came away with a hard fought 29-21 victory. Desert Edge is young but extremely talented, which could pose problems for most teams as the inexperience could get in the way. But not for this team. They find ways to win, even if it is against scrappy opponents.
Speaking of, Desert Edge assistant coach Jacob Seliga praised Canyon View, calling them a legit contender in the conference. He went as far as saying nobody should be surprised if the Jaguars are in the semifinals.
Other notables
- Basha, Liberty and Hamilton — the big three of the 6A Conference — outscored opponents 181-0 on Friday
- ALA Queen Creek finally got into the win column with a 49-7 win over Desert Vista
- Tolleson improved to 6-0 with a win over Kellis. The Wolverines can match their best start ever with a win over Millennium this week
- Kofa improved to 3-3, marking its highest win total since 2017
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