November football, baby.

The weather becomes cooler and the football becomes more action-packed. It’s also win or go home.

Playoff football is a crap shoot most of the time, with games often decided by one or two scores. That was the case this past week, with plenty of nail biters and some upsets en route to decide state champions.

Here’s a look at some of the top headlines from last weekend.

Down go the top-ranked teams

Drama unfolded right away in the quarterfinal rounds of the playoffs for the 5A and 6A conferences, with both top-ranked teams and the No. 3 seed in 5A falling.

In 5A, Desert View put up a fight with No. 6 Canyon View, which jumped out to an early lead over the No. 3 seed. The two went back and forth, with both offenses finding success, particularly in the run game. Eventually, Canyon View figured out a way to make key stops defensively to pull away from the south Tucson Jaguars and advance to the semifinals with a 38-28 victory. This marks the first trip to the semifinals for the Canyon View football program, which started a short time ago in 2018. The Jaguars now move on to face No. 2 ALA Gilbert North with a trip to the championship on the line.

While Canyon View pulled off the upset on the long trip to Tucson, Desert Mountain was shocking the state in Goodyear. The Wolves, which have long been one of the top teams in 5A and were “rewarded” for it with trips to the Open Division, took one step closer toward a 5A title by knocking off top-ranked Desert Edge, 13-10. Key mishaps for the Scorpions on special teams, as well as injuries, played a role in their loss to the Wolves. But make no mistake, Desert Mountain knows how to play its best football in November. Since Conrad Hamilton took over as head coach in 2019, the Wolves have been to the quarterfinals five times, including two trips to the Open (2023, 2024) and this season. This year will mark their first time practicing on Thanksgiving, an honor for any football program.

The 6A Conference was met with a shocking result as Salpointe Catholic made the trip up to North Phoenix and knocked off No. 1 Pinnacle, 10-7. The loss marked the second straight for the Pioneers, who were bumped from the Open Division tournament by Williams Field in upset fashion. The win allows the Lancers to advance to the semifinal round of the playoffs for the first time since 2023, when they fell to the Saguaro Sabercats, 42-24, in the 6A bracket. Salpointe is chasing its first championship birth since 2021, and just its second 2018. The Lancers will face off against Casteel, which is making its fourth appearance in the semifinals. The Colts have only advanced to the title game once in program history (2017 in the 3A Conference).

Close games and sighs of relief

While some teams were unable to avoid upset, others got by just barely.

Chandler had a comfortable lead over Brophy in the quarterfinal round of the Open Division playoffs. But, just like two weeks prior against Hamilton, the Wolves took their foots off the gas and allowed the Broncos to get back into the game. That is until a pair of interceptions sealed the deal for Chandler. In their first year under head coach Ty Wisdom, the Wolves are returning to the Open Division semifinals for the first time since 2022. They will face rival Hamilton.

Speaking of the Huskies, for just the second time all season they appeared to be on the ropes. Two weeks ago, Chandler nearly knocked off the Huskies before a furious come-from-behind win led by senior quarterback Daniel Vaita, who came in to relieve Jax Sculley after a knee injury. Sculley remains sidelined, allowing Vaita to take over under a high-pressure situation. It wasn’t the best showing from Hamilton as a whole, as the Huskies’ high-powered offense was limited to 35 points (nearly 20 less than its season average) and the defense was exposed at times. However, they found a way to keep Mountain View out of the end zone twice on two-point conversion tries. A late touchdown sealed the 35-27 victory.

Centennial, last year’s 6A champion, trailed Mesa with less than a minute remaining. That is until wideout Torrin Hill caught a hail mary in between multiple Jackrabbit defenders to set up the Coyotes for the game-winning field goal. Centennial, the No. 2 seed in the 6A bracket, escaped the No. 7 Jackrabbits with a 41-39 win.

Casteel trailed by as many as three touchdowns to Higley last Friday in the 5A quarterfinals. But the Colts came storming back to beat the Knights 39-34 and move on in the postseason. Junior quarterback Tee Smith accounted for 352 yards of total offense and a pair of rushing touchdowns to help lead his team to victory.

For most of the game, it appeared Willcox would become just the second 2A team to take down Scottsdale Christian. Then the Eagles scored late to escape with a 28-25 win over the 6-seed Cowboys. The No. 2 Eagles now advance to the 2A championship for the second straight year as they look to defend their title. They will face No. 4 St. Johns on Saturday, Nov. 29 at Mountain Pointe High School at 3 p.m.

Upset-minded lower seeds come away with victories

Some upsets were more dramatic than others, but lower seeds got it done on multiple occasions last week.

In 3A, No. 3 Round Valley took down second-ranked Valley Christian, once again sending the Trojans home in the semifinal round of the playoffs. The Elks will take on top-ranked Benjamin Franklin.

ALA West Foothills took the long trip to Bullhead City and took down the fourth-ranked Mohave Thunderbirds, 28-18. The Guardians did their damage on the ground, as junior running back Kenyon Rosenthal rushed for 211 of the team’s 222 yards and found paydirt three times. Cannon Trythall added another score on defense. The Guardians now face top-ranked Arcadia in the 4A semifinals.

Mica Mountain, last year’s 4A champion, took the trip to Snowflake to heart. The Thunderbolts had an opportunity to prove not only are they good enough to defend the title, but they were up to the task of knocking off the Lobos on their home field. They did just that in the form of a 21-14 victory. Jaidyn Crist and Riley Carson connected five times for 122 yards through the air for Mica Mountain. Crist threw two touchdown passes overall in the win. The Thunderbolts now face No. 6 Gila Ridge, which goose-egged Coconino in the quarterfinal round.

No. 5 Horizon went down to Marana and knocked off the fourth-ranked Tigers, 30-20, in a game many had hoped to see last season when both teams were pulled into the Open Division. The Huskies now advance to the semifinals for the third time since 2021. Their last appearance came in 2023, when the lost to Desert Edge, 18-15. The Huskies fell to Basha last season in the Open quarterfinals. They’ll face Desert Mountain in the semifinals.

Top four Open teams advance

Aside from flip flopping at times, the top four teams in Arizona Varsity statewide media rankings are now headed toward the Open Division semifinals.

No. 1 Hamilton will face off against rival No. 4 Chandler on Saturday, Nov. 29 at 6 p.m. at Dobson High School. The Huskies faced the Wolves two weeks ago and won in come-from-behind fashion.

And yet again, Basha will face Liberty in the battle of the Nos. 2 and 3 teams in the Open Division. The Bears and Lions begin each season by scrimmaging one another, and will now face each other for the third time since the Open Division began in 2019. This will be the fourth meeting overall between the two programs since 2021. Liberty is 3-0 in the last three meetings with Basha, including last year’s state title game.

Semifinals, Finals set for all conferences

Here’s a look at the upcoming playoff games on tap for Friday and Saturday.

Open Division semifinals, Saturday, Nov. 29, 6 p.m. at neutral sites

No. 4 Chandler vs No. 1 Hamilton at Dobson High School

No. 3 Liberty vs No. 2 Basha at Corona del Sol High School

6A Conference semifinals, Friday, Nov. 28, 7 p.m. at the high seed

No. 8 Salpointe Catholic at No. 4 Casteel

No. 3 ALA Queen Creek at No. 2 Centennial

5A Conference semifinals, Friday, Nov. 28, 7 p.m. at the high seed

No. 9 Desert Mountain at No. 5 Horizon

No. 6 Canyon View at No. 2 ALA Gilbert North

4A Conference semifinals, Friday, Nov. 28, 7 p.m. at the high seed

No. 12 ALA West Foothills at No. 1 Arcadia

No. 7 Mica Mountain at No. 6 Gila Ridge

3A State Championship, Saturday, Nov. 29, 7 p.m. at Mountain Pointe

No. 3 Round Valley vs No. 1 Benjamin Franklin

2A State Championship, Saturday, Nov. 29, 3 p.m. at Mountain Pointe

No. 4 St. Johns vs No. 2 Scottsdale Christian