The regular season has concluded and the brackets have been released for the 3A, 4A and 5A conferences. 

There were some technical difficulties with the bracket release show that kept the brackets from being released live like in year’s past, but the drama was at a feverpitch nonetheless. 

The team at Arizona Varsity, along with an anonymous voice, came together to share their insight on how the brackets played out. Below are the questions asked of every Team AZV member. 

• What are some takeaways from the final bracket?
• Looking at the path for the top two seeds in the conference, which team has the most difficult route to the championship?
• Which team is the favorite now at the end of the season? Any new dark horses? 
• Who do you believe will be playing in the conference championship? 

Answers to each question for the 5A Conference are below. 

What are some takeaways from the final bracket?

Chris Eaton, Gridiron Arizona: Cactus had the fractions work out its way after a 55-17 win at home over Sunrise Mountain on Friday. The Cobras went from 11 all the way up to 8 (and a first-round bye).  It’s not surprising that CHS passed Desert Mountain and Mountain Pointe (who both lost), but it also got by Cactus Shadows (a 48-40 winner over Tucson). Here’s the way the final numbers panned out:

• 8. Cactus 11.7184
• 9. Desert Mountain 11.6990
• 10. Cactus Shadows 11.690

The good news for Cactus Shadows is they avoid Desert Edge’s side of the bracket.

Ralph Amsden, Arizona Varsity Publisher: While I didn’t think Gilbert would make the cut, I’m glad they did, and I don’t really see any surprises with how the 5A seedings turned out. I’m sure Desert Mountain and Arizona College Prep are both kicking themselves for not finishing the final week with a win, as both their paths got exponentially more difficult. Mountain Pointe caught me off guard with the passionless way they played in week 10 against ALA Gilbert North, but the loss put them in a situation where they actually have a solid path to make some noise against Flowing Wells and Desert View… assuming the effort is there.

JJ Digos, Arizona Varsity Photographer/Writer: My biggest takeaway from the 5A bracket is that we’re going to see a lot of really great matchups this Friday night. No. 10 Cactus Shadows and No. 23 Tucson are about to run it back for a second straight week after a 48-40 shootout. No. 20 Yuma Catholic has been on a tear down the stretch, and we’ll see if their offense will continue to put points on the board against a porous No. 13 Millennium defense. Definitely an upset alert worthy matchup on the West Side.

Adam Beadle, Arizona Varsity Multimedia Specialist: I was really bummed to see that Tolleson didn’t make the playoffs. I think the Wolverines did some really special things this season behind quarterback Youngmin Lee, who was an out-of-state transfer from Washington, and wide receiver Rico Blassingame. I applauded Blassingame for enduring some difficult times at Tolleson and not getting caught up in the crazy world of the high school football transfer portal. I can’t wait to see what he accomplishes at Minnesota.

Brett Quintyne, C-Town Rivals: Props to Flowing Wells, it had been awhile since they had made the post season.

Zach Alvira, Arizona Varsity Writer: My biggest takeaway is the variety of matchups we are seeing in the 5A this season. And credit the new playoff format for that. 

Flowing Wells faces off against Mountain Pointe for the first time ever. Yuma Catholic is facing Millennium, Tucson can make a statement against Cactus Shadows and Cienega vs Sunnyslope will be a dog fight. I’m intrigued by how some of these will play out. 

Anonymous: In 5A the biggest takeaway is the lack of true contenders. Desert Edge is the clear favorite but who is the one team that has a chance to knock them off? They beat No. 2 ALA Gilbert-North already 29-7 in a sloppy performance, No. 3 Desert View played a weaker schedule and hasn’t been tested by anyone yet. Could it be Marana who has a lethal offense? Or Horizon with a stellar rushing attack and is one of the most physical programs in the state regardless of conference. Or is it Cactus Shadows with Donivan Dixon who gave Desert Edge all it could handle week one? 

Looking at the path for the top two seeds in the conference, which team has the most difficult route to the championship?

Chris Eaton, Gridiron Arizona: ALA-Gilbert North passed Desert View in the final week of the season for the 2 seed. That means a potential semifinal down the road would be in Gilbert instead of South Tucson. It also means we’ll compare the Eagles path to the final with Desert Edge.  I think ALA-Gilbert North has a tougher potential quarterfinal game with ACP, but Desert Edge the more difficult possible semi with Marana, who I believe is the second-best team in the field. 

Ralph Amsden, Arizona Varsity Publisher: Believe it or not, undefeated Desert Edge has the harder path. Horizon and Marana are both on the top side of the bracket- Desert Edge hasn’t had to play either one yet, and those teams went a combined 10-1 vs 5A playoff teams this year, with Horizon being the lone loss in triple overtime vs Notre Dame Prep. 

JJ Digos, Arizona Varsity Photographer/Writer: No. 2 ALA Gilbert North and No. 1 Desert Edge are both potentially a little bit more difficult than it may look on paper. Potential rematches across every round for both squads. DE/Cactus and ALAGN/ACP in the quarterfinals could be tricky, given DE/Cactus recent rivalry and ALAGN/ACP was a pretty close contest earlier in October before ALA was able to put the game away. 

Adam Beadle, Arizona Varsity Multimedia Specialist: Desert Edge has the more difficult path in my opinion because, just like in 4A, the Scorpions are going to potentially face teams like Cactus, Desert Mountain, Horizon, or Marana, all teams who have historically been successful in 5A. I was really impressed with the way Desert Edge’s offense turned up the intensity in the second half of the season. They’re going to have to continue to do that in the playoffs.

Brett Quintyne, C-Town Rivals: I could be wrong but I think the bottom park of the bracket is a pinch more competitive than the top. With that being said I don’t know a whole lot about Desert View. Great to see them turn around like this!

Zach Alvira, Arizona Varsity Writer: Desert Edge, in my opinion, has the most difficult path simply because of the mind games that could be played on the Scorpions. I fully expect them to get past either Sunnyslope or Cienega with ease, but a potential matchup against Cactus – two teams with major history – is on the docket for the quarterfinals. Then the Scorpions could see a number of teams, but I believe it will be either Horizon, Marana or Millennium. The first two have experience in the postseason. Millennium is a rival. 

Anonymous: The toughest path appears to be Desert View. They’ve had a stellar season but a potential draw of No. 14 Mountain Pointe, No. 6 Canyon View/No. 11 Campo Verde, and No. 2 ALA Gilbert North is a scary draw for any team much less the No. 3 seed. The lack of true competition on their schedule is why this path is so tough as they haven’t faced teams as talented as the ones that stand between them and the State Championship game.

Which team is the favorite now at the end of the season? Any new dark horses? 

Chris Eaton, Gridiron Arizona: Out of all the conference brackets, Desert Edge is clearly the biggest favorite. The Scorpions are defending 5A champs, are loaded with D-I talent, and have hit their stride. DEHS has outscored its last four opponents, 228-55.  My midseason dark horses were Desert Mountain and Millennium. I’m more inclined to side with Canyon View and Notre Dame at this point.  Canyon View set a school record for wins with 8 and can light up the scoreboard in the passing game. Notre Dame moved edge rusher Nathan Jones to running back last Friday and he ran for 164 yards and 4 TDs in an upset of Desert Mountain. Jones still played defense and had 8 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Assuming NDP defeats Maricopa, a rematch with Horizon would await.  The Saints defeated HHS in triple overtime a month ago, 42-41 and could be a live 12 seed.

Ralph Amsden, Arizona Varsity Publisher: Desert Edge is the massive favorite. A lot of people think they don’t belong in this playoff bracket at all, so the Scorpions have to go out and embrace the pressure to be perfect. I think to be a dark horse in 5A you probably have to be ranked outside the top 10, and in that case, you have to wonder if Yuma Catholic  is a little bit of a ringer at 20 after winning their last 6 games in a row and blasting Cactus 30-7.

JJ Digos, Arizona Varsity Photographer/Writer: In 5A, yes it all runs through Desert Edge. ALA Gilbert North is excellent, Desert View is having a magical season and that could be an incredible semi final on their side of the bracket. Marana’s still lurking, and they’ll get their shot at DE (that they should’ve had last year) potentially in the semi finals. I’m a believer in the Fighting Freeman’s as well. I could see the Coyotes continuing to band together to make a serious run deep into November. 

Adam Beadle, Arizona Varsity Multimedia Specialist: Desert Edge is still by far the favorite in 5A, although I think they will be challenged in the playoffs. Canyon View at No. 6 is a team I would look out for to make a semifinal/championship run. Another team to watch out for, simply because of its seeding, is Notre Dame Prep at No. 12.

Brett Quintyne, C-Town Rivals: 5A is always a beast. Last year Desert Edge played Cactus for the title. With the adjusted playoff format (great move by the AIA) they have a chance to meet in quarterfinals. That shows the depth of this conference. On the bottom of the bracket what AZ College Prep has done is amazing in its first year of 5A football.

Zach Alvira, Arizona Varsity Writer: Desert Edge is still the clear favorite to win the championship, but the job that Robert Bonillas has done at Desert View can’t be overlooked. The Jaguars have proven themselves to be one of the best teams in the conference with a stout offense and defense. ALA Gilbert North is also a powerhouse that could easily make a run. 

As for dark horses, don’t overlook Canyon View. 

Anonymous: The preseason favorite in both 3A and 5A continues to be the favorites entering the postseason. Ben Franklin and Desert Edge have both dominated their respective conferences all year long and have shown no signs of slowing down. In fact they’ve both started to play their best ball at the right time. 

Who do you believe will be playing in the conference championship? 

Chris Eaton, Gridiron Arizona: Desert Edge cruises into the 5A finals on Friday night, Dec. 5.  I’m one of the few people in the Valley that has seen this Desert View team play a varsity game this season.  The Jaguars only had one game in the Valley and that was back on opening night against Sunrise Mountain on Aug. 29.  Desert View has a 1,400-yard rusher in Jaylee Abraham, a 2,100-yard passer with 25 touchdowns in Ryan Vasavilbaso, and a gritty team that has rebounded from a 3-7 season in 2024 behind head coach Robert Bonillas, who has provided stability in his 14th year with the Jaguars. Give me a DE-DV final in 5A. Battle of the unbeatens. Tucson team the prohibitive underdog, but you never know.

Ralph Amsden, Arizona Varsity Publisher: Desert Edge and ALA Gilbert North. I hate to be boring, but they’ve been the most consistent in getting stronger from week 1 to week 10. 

JJ Digos, Arizona Varsity Photographer/Writer: Desert Edge vs ALA Gilbert.

Adam Beadle, Arizona Varsity Multimedia Specialist: No 1. Desert Edge vs No. 2 ALA-GN

Brett Quintyne, C-Town Rivals: Desert Edge vs ALA Gilbert North

Zach Alvira, Arizona Varsity Writer: I think we see Desert Edge facing off against ALA Gilbert North. But don’t look past the Jaguars of Desert View. 

Anonymous: I think it’ll be Desert Edge versus ALA Gilbert North