Week 7 of the Arizona high school football season brought soggy conditions and many in the top 10 of the Arizona Varsity Statewide Media Rankings on a bye.
That allowed the spotlight to shine on other programs, including some who continue to quietly hang around the top of the rankings but don’t always get as much attention.
Here’s a look at some of the top storylines from Week 7.
Red Mountain puts on a clinic
This is about the time every year people start to realize Red Mountain is lurking in the shadows waiting to make a deep postseason run.
The Mountain Lions are 6-1 on the year, with their only loss having come against Brophy in an uncharacteristically lackluster performance. It also came a week after they shut out Salpointe Catholic.
But a bye week allowed the Mountain Lions to bounce back … and they did so in a big way Friday night by scoring 69 points in a win over Desert Ridge. It’s a nice win for Red Mountain as it prepares for the Battle of Brown Road against Mountain View next week.
Chandler gets revenge against Perry
The Perry Pumas had the Chandler Wolves’ number last year. Not only did the Pumas beat the Wolves in the regular season for the first time in program history, they knocked the Rick Garretson-led team out of the playoffs in the first round.
The Wolves undoubtedly had that on their minds heading into Friday’s matchup, and on paper they appeared to be the team riding the biggest wave of momentum. That showed as Chandler knocked off Perry 39-17 to improve to 5-1 on a season where the Wolves are coming back as of the best teams in 6A under Ty Wisdom.
Desert Edge makes a statement
Maybe this is overthinking things a bit, but the Desert Edge Scorpions showed some vulnerability against a good Canyon View team last week.
Perhaps the Scorpions heard the noise, because they flat out dominated Verrado Friday night, a team that has become a bitter rival after altercations following the Vipers’ regular-season victory over Desert Edge last season.
It was one of the most complete performances of the season for Desert Edge, as the talented group of sophomores and juniors continue to mature each week. The 5A Conference is improving, too, but the Scorpions showed the rest of the state they’re still a step above the competition.
I no longer have a good headline for the 4A Conference
It’s just mayhem every week. A week after beating Eastmark, Mesquite got boat raced by Arcadia to the tune of a 63-21 beat down. Peoria upset Paradise Honors, Coconino beat the brakes off of Prescott and ALA West Foothills, a week after losing to Paradise Honors, beat Northwest Christian.
Lake Havasu, which started receiving top 5 votes in the Arizona Varsity Statewide Media Poll, lost to Deer Valley. St Mary’s, which was upset by Peoria, beat Thunderbird. And to make things even crazier, Buckeye knocked off previously unbeaten Youngker, 26-14.
Marcos de Niza will likely rise in the rankings after beating Independence and mayhem above the Padres. Or they’ll continue to be “disrespected,” according to one of its assistant coaches.
The 4A Conference needs to be its own reality TV show.
Other notables from Week 7
- Highland beat Casteel for its second win of the season
- Liberty knocked off Centennial in the battle of Peoria
- Saguaro continues to show improvement but struggles to close out games
- ALA Gilbert North took away any momentum Gilbert had after beating Campo Verde
- Yuma Catholic upset Cactus on the road
- Desert View continues to roll
- Round Valley upset Show Low in 3A
- Now healthy, Pima is starting to roll
- Chaparral and Notre Dame will finish its game Monday at 6 p.m. after storms forced officials to call the game tied in the fourth quarter
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