2A South 1 Region champs No. 14 Tanque Verde visit 2A South 2 champs No. 1 Willcox for the outright region title in the 2A crossover game to end the regular season.

In Conference 4A, No. 22 Pueblo visits No. 24 Sahuarita for the Gila Region title. Both teams enter with 6-2 records overall and 3-0 region records. Only one will emerge perfect as region champ.

The case is the same for the 5A Southern, as No. 7 Desert View hosts No. 24 Cienega. Both teams are 4-0 in the region, but face very different paths in the playoffs, as Desert View remains the only undefeated team in Southern Arizona, while the Bobcats occupy the last 5A playoff spot.

FRIDAY

2A

San Carlos (1-8) at Catalina (3-6)

Location: 3645 E. Pima St.

Notable: Both teams are ineligible for the postseason, meaning that Friday is the season finale for the Braves and the Trojans. The two teams have multiple common opponents, with both squads taking down Scottsdale Coronado earlier in the season. Catalina has beaten Santa Rita and Desert Christian, two teams San Carlos lost to.

Scottsdale Coronado (0-9) at Santa Rita (2-7)

Location: 3951 S. Pantano Road

Notable: Santa Rita is in the hunt for its first three-win season since 2019, when Richard Sanchez, now offensive line coach at Mica Mountain, headed up the Eagles’ program. Head coach Cam Gaddis’ squad beat Desert Christian to snap a 26-game losing streak on Sept. 4, then won again last week at home against San Carlos.

No. 14 Tanque Verde (6-3) at No. 1 Willcox (9-0)

Location: 240 N. Bisbee Ave., Willcox

Notable: The 2A South Region 1 and 2 Champions are set to meet for the outright 2A South Region title on Friday in Willcox. Tanque Verde won the 2025 bout 42-14, but the Cowboys are not to be trifled with in 2026. Both teams are run-dominant with well over 2,000 rushing yards as a group. Willcox has 40 rushing touchdowns to Tanque Verde’s 34. Tanque Verde also incorporates far more ball carriers into its offense, with five rushing for 200 yards or more compared to Willcox’s three.

Bisbee (1-8) at Desert Christian (2-7)

Location: 7525 E. Speedway

Notable: Friday will be the first-ever meeting between two very opposite schools in the historical category. Bisbee has been playing high school football in Arizona since 1916, over 110 seasons, while Desert Christian is in just its third year of varsity football and second year of 11-man.

Palo Verde (6-3) at No. 7 Benson (7-2)

Location: 360 S. Patagonia St., Benson

Notable: Palo Verde football won five of its last six games to finish the regular season with a 6-3 record ahead of the 2A Region Crossover Games in the final week this upcoming Friday. The win secures back-to-back winning seasons for the Titans, the first time the team has achieved that mark since 2008-2009, when Palo Verde went 9-1 in consecutive years under then-head coach Todd Mayfield.

3A

No. 4 Thatcher (6-2) at Sabino (3-5)

Location: 5000 N. Bowes Road

Notable: Thatcher’s only two losses this season are to two top five teams in the 3A Conference, runaway No. 1 Queen Creek Benjamin Franklin and No. 5 Pusch Ridge. Sabino has lost three of its last four, most recently a 51-7 drubbing by No. 11 Florence. The loss pushed Sabino to No. 19, three spots out of the playoffs, so Friday is a must-win situation for the Sabercats if they wish to keep playing in November.

4A

Amphitheater (1-7) at No. 21 Sahuaro (4-4)

Location: 545 N. Camino Seco

Notable: The Cougars have won their last two games by a combined margin of 81-6, beating Catalina Foothills and Douglas. Senior running back Anakin Alexander has run for at least 120 yards in four consecutive games with at least 20 carries across that span. He had 20 carries for 124 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-0 win over Douglas on Friday.

No. 2 Mica Mountain (7-1) at Catalina Foothills (2-6)

Location: 4300 E. Sunrise Drive

Notable: Mica Mountain took out the frustrations of one of the great upsets of the season in their loss to Walden Grove out on Amphitheater last week, jumping out to a 43-0 lead over the Panthers at halftime, ultimately winning 49-0. Mica’s last two tests are against Catalina Foothills and No. 21 Sahuaro before it turns up the heat for playoffs.

Douglas (5-3) at No. 9 Walden Grove (6-2)

Location: 15510 S. Sahuarita Park Road

Notable: Walden Grove’s 35-10 win over Douglas marks the fifth straight win for the Red Wolves after consecutive losses to Eastmark and Tucson in September. With the win over Mica, they’re on the verge of a region title barring they finish the job at home against Douglas and at Amphi over the next two weeks.

Cholla (5-3) at Rio Rico (2-6)

Location: 590 Camino Lito Galindo, Rio Rico

Notable: Cholla is in the midst of its first winning season in over a decade, dating back to the 6-4 2015 campaign. On the other hand, Rio Rico has produced three four-win seasons since 2022. If the Hawks can knock off the Chargers and take down a struggling Rincon squad, they can make it four. Rio Rico senior quarterback Sebastian Castro has been a bright spot for the team, completing 92 of 175 passes for 1,584 yards, 14 touchdowns and four interceptions.

Rincon/University (0-8) at Empire (0-8)

Location: 10701 E. Mary Ann Cleveland Way

Notable: The battle between the final two remaining winless teams in Southern Arizona. Ranked No. 57 and 56, respectively, Rincon and Empire have had a rough go in 2026. Empire forfeited a game against Walden Grove in Week 5 and has not scored a touchdown this season. Rincon has four touchdowns across its eight losses.

No. 22 Pueblo (6-2) at No. 24 Sahuarita (6-2)

Location: 9000, 350 W. Sahuarita Road

Notable: The 4A Gila Region comes down to a battle between the Warriors and the Mustangs, carrying major playoff implications for both teams. The two squads are level at 6-2 overall and 4-0 in region play, likely with just one team to stay positioned in the 4A playoff picture. Sahuarita head coach Jake Allen coached at Pueblo from 2020 to 2023, before departing for Sahuarita. Both teams have won three straight region games for a 3-0 region record, setting up a major collision course for Friday.

5A

No. 20 Buena (5-3) at Canyon del Oro (4-4)

Location: 25 W. Calle Concordia

Notable: With Marana alone on top of the 5A Sonoran Region, Buena, currently tied for second, looks to strengthen its hold on the runner-up spot. CDO is currently one spot away from the playoffs at No. 25. A win would bode well for the Dorados to make the postseason, and would potentially doom the Colts from missing the mark.

No. 22 Tucson (5-3) at No. 23 Ironwood Ridge (5-3)

Location: 2475 W. Naranja Drive

Notable: It’s a similar situation for a very evenly ranked game between the Badgers and Nighthawks. Tucson has fallen seven playoff spots over the past few weeks and is fourth in the region standings. A win over Ironwood Ridge and a CDO loss would greatly benefit the Badgers’ playoff chances, but third-place Ironwood Ridge looks to disrupt for its own gain.

Mountain View (3-5) at No. 16 Marana (5-3)

Location: 12000 W. Emigh Road

Notable: The Battle of the Boot dates back to 1988 as one of Southern Arizona’s best rivalries. Mountain View has won 14 of the 20 matchups to Marana’s six, but the Tigers have won four of the last five meetings since 2021. The two teams did not play from 2015 through 2020 after Mountain View won six straight from 2009 to 2014.

No. 24 Cienega (4-4) at No. 7 Desert View (8-0)

Location: 4101 E. Valencia Road

Notable: The battle for the 5A Southern Region comes down to a clash at Desert View between the Bobcats and the Jaguars. Cienega is on the fringe of the playoff bubble, occupying the final 5A spot at No. 24. The No. 7 Jaguars are rolling as the lone undefeated team in Southern Arizona entering Week 9 and continue to scale the rankings as the playoffs approach. Both teams are 4-0 in region play.

Flowing Wells (4-4) at Sunnyside (3-5)

Location: 1725 E. Bilby Road

Notable: Sunnyside and Flowing Wells first met on the gridiron all the way back in 1959, an 18-0 win for the Blue Devils. Since then, they have played 30 times, with Sunnyside winning seven of the last eight meetings dating back to 1998. Flowing Wells won for the first time since 1997 in a dominant 43-0 drubbing last year.

Nogales (2-6) at Maricopa (5-3)

Location: 45012 W. Honeycutt Ave., Maricopa

Notable: Nogales’ only two wins of the season came over 4A opponents in the first two weeks of the season. The Apaches are currently 0-5 in region play and last in the 5A Southern. Maricopa is fourth in the region with a 2-2 record, tied with Sunnyside. The Rams have wins over Flowing Wells and Mountain View in region play.

6A

Salpointe Catholic (3-4) at No. 10 Gilbert Perry (5-2)

Location: 1919 E. Queen Creek Road, Gilbert

Notable: Salpointe snapped a four-game losing streak against 6A opponents last Friday with a win over a struggling Scottsdale Saguaro program. That’s the good news. The bad news is the Lancers have to face No. 10 Gilbert Perry and No. 4 Chandler Basha over the next two Fridays, two of the toughest teams in the state, who are each vying for Open/6A titles.