Headlining the slate are top-15 clashes in the 3A, 4A, 5A and 6A Conferences.

No. 11 Sabino travels to play No. 12 Coolidge as the two sides vie for a spot in the top 10. 

At the 4A level, No. 2 Mica Mountain welcomes No. 11 Waddell ALA - West Foothills in a much-anticipated rematch for the Thunderbolts, as the Guardians are just one of two teams to beat Mica Mountain in the past two seasons.

5A presents a rematch of the second round of last year’s playoffs, a dramatic duel between No. 11 Yuma Catholic and No. 8 Marana that was decided by a touchdown in the final minute. The Shamrocks are eager for revenge, while an 0-2 Marana squad seeks desperately to get in the win column.

At the 6A level, No. 12 Salpointe Catholic faces its toughest challenge, hosting No. 4 Chandler, a nationally-ranked program in the preseason.

THURSDAY

2A

Santa Rita (1-2) at Winterhaven San Pasqual (1-2)

Location: 676 Baseline Road, Winterhaven

Notable: Santa Rita snapped a 26-game losing streak dating back to 2021 last week with a win over Desert Christian. On Sept. 6, 2024, San Pasqual vanquished its own multi-year losing streak of 16 games with a win over Santa Rita.

2A/4A

Palo Verde (1-2) at Rincon/University (0-2)

Location: 421 N. Arcadia Ave.

Notable: Likely one of the very few 4A vs. 2A contests to be played in Southern Arizona this season. Most non-conference games are between teams separated by one classification.

3A/4A

3A No. 9 Pusch Ridge Christian (2-1) at Catalina Foothills (0-2)

Location: 4300 E. Sunrise Drive

Notable: The Lions narrowly lost out on a statement win over 3A standout Queen Creek Crismon, allowing 21 unanswered points in the second half. Catalina Foothills is still on the hunt for its first win after losses to Ironwood Ridge and North Canyon

4A

Douglas (2-0) at Pueblo (1-1)

Location: 3500 S. 12th Ave.

Notable: Pueblo has attempted 60 passes through the first two games. Senior quarterback Roman Otero is 25 for 60 for 448 yards, throwing four touchdowns and four interceptions.

4A/5A

4A No. 14 Walden Grove (1-1) at 5A No. 16 Tucson (1-1)

Location: 400 N. 2nd Ave.

Notable: Both teams enter Week 3 having suffered losses last week. Tucson was dispatched by Salpointe after a Week 1 win over Mountain View, while Walden Grove suffered an upset at the hands of Mesa Eastmark after dominating Sahuarita.

5A

No. 1 Scottsdale Desert Mountain (2-0) at Mountain View (1-1)

Location: 3901 W. Linda Vista Blvd.

Notable: The Wolves are the defending 5A State Champions and recently jumped No. 2 Desert Edge in the 5A rankings after beating No. 7 Chandler Arizona College Prep 42-14.

FRIDAY

2A

Desert Christian (0-3) at Catalina (1-2)

Location: 3645 E. Pima St.

Notable: This will be the second-ever meeting between the two schools. Desert Christian won 44-6 last season, but the Trojans have been revamped under new head coach Keith Edwards, while the Eagles remain winless.

No. 8 Benson (3-0) at No. 20 Tanque Verde (1-2)

Location: 4201 N. Melpomene Way

Notable: The Bobcats are off to their first 3-0 start since the 2020 season, the second-to-last year under head coach Chris Determan, now at Buena. Tanque Verde finally got in the win column for the first time this season against Palo Verde last week, winning 41-14.

3A

No. 11 Sabino (1-2) at No. 12 Coolidge (2-1)

Location: 684 W. Northern Ave #500, Coolidge

Notable: An even battle between two closely ranked teams; a spot in the 3A Top 10 potentially awaits the winner. Sabino finally got in the win column last week over Dysart with a 41-28 win after losing its first two games by one score each.

4A

Somerton (0-2) at Amphitheater (0-2)

Location: 125 W. Yavapai Road

Notable: Amphi’s only win last year that did not come via forfeit was a 15-7 victory at Somerton, just south of Yuma. The Toros are in just their second-ever season of varsity football competition and are still on the hunt for the program’s first victory. The Panthers have found the end zone once in each of their games, both losses.

No. 11 Waddell ALA - West Foothills (1-1) at No. 2 Mica Mountain (2-0)

Location: 10800 E. Valencia Road

Notable: ALA - West Foothills snapped Mica Mountain’s 16-game winning streak fresh off the program’s first 4A State Championship in 2024, beating the Thunderbolts 21-14 in Waddell in Week 3 of last season. Mica lost the following week again to Sunnyside and has not lost since, winning 12 straight. The Bolts have also not surrendered a touchdown in two weeks, outscoring Poston Butte and Canyon del Oro 59-0.

No. 24 Sahuaro (1-1) at No. 7 Peoria (2-0)

Location: 11200 N. 83rd Ave, Peoria

Notable: Sahuaro sits in an interesting position on the Southern Arizona football totem pole entering Week 3. The Cougars beat a crosstown 4A foe in Empire 13-0 in Week 1 but could not keep up with powerful 5A Desert View last week, falling 42-0. Peoria is a strong 4A squad, having already beaten a comparable foe in Deer Valley in Week 1 and a rebuilding 5A Kellis squad in Week 2.

Cholla (1-1) at No. 15 San Tan Combs (2-0)

Location: 2505 E. Germann Road, San Tan Valley

Notable: Combs enters 2026 after back-to-back 4A playoff appearances, including a bye in the 2025 playoffs. The Chargers have not reached the playoffs since 2005, five years before Combs held its inaugural football season.

No. 17 Phoenix St. Mary’s (2-0) at Empire (0-2)

Location: 10701 E. Mary Ann Cleveland Way

Notable: St. Mary’s made a statement in Week 2, beating 4A quarterfinalist Coconino 21-19 in an early-season playoff preview. Comparatively, Empire is yet to find the end zone this season, allowing 70 unanswered points to Sahuaro and Maricopa.

4A/5A

Nogales (2-0) at Sahuarita (1-1)

Location: 350 W. Sahuarita Road

Notable: Nogales paced both Amphitheater and Rio Rico through the first two weeks, but faces its toughest test yet at Sahuarita against head coach Jake Allen’s Mustangs. Sahuarita bounced back after a loss in Week 1’s rivalry game against Walden Grove, torching Maricopa Desert Sunrise, a playoff team last year, 43-0.

5A

No. 19 Sierra Vista Buena at No. 3 ALA - Gilbert North

Location: 1070 S. Higley Road, Gilbert

Notable: Coached by 1990 Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer, the Eagles are an absolute powerhouse of a 5A team this season. ALAGN beat former Buena head coach Joe Thomas, now in charge of Casa Grande, 73-0 to open the season. Buena handled both Cienega and Mesa Skyline over the first two weeks, but the Eagles pose a next-level threat.

No. 14 Desert View (2-0) at Phoenix Camelback (0-2)

Location: 4612 N. 28th St., Phoenix

Notable: The Jaguars have outscored their opponents 84-10 in two games this season, scoring 42 points in both contests. Junior quarterback Andrew Godoy has completed 33 of his 42 passes for 479 yards and four touchdowns. Camelback lost to a 5A playoff team from last season in McClintock to open the season, as well as last year’s 4A runner-up, Arcadia.

Phoenix North (0-2) at Flowing Wells (1-1)

Location: 3725 N. Flowing Wells Road

Notable: The Caballeros split their opening two games with a loss to Douglas and a rebound win against Amphitheater. On the other side, the Mustangs have lost both of their first two games by a combined score of 89-0.

No. 23 Sunnyside (1-1) at No. 10 Gilbert Campo Verde (1-1)

Location: 3870 S. Quartz St., Gilbert

Notable: These two teams have met three times in the past, with Campo Verde winning all three meetings dominantly. It’s the first time the two teams have scheduled each other since the initial block of two games in 2018 and 2019.

Ironwood Ridge (1-1) at Cienega (0-2)

Location: 12775 E. Mary Ann Cleveland Way

Notable: Both of these teams are looking to get back in the win column after big losses to superior opponents. No. 10 Gilbert Campo Verde beat Ironwood Ridge 27-0 in Week 2, while Cienega lost out to No. 2 Goodyear Desert Edge 52-0.

No. 11 Yuma Catholic (1-1) at No. 8 Marana (0-2)

Location: 12000 W. Emigh Road

Notable: These two sides last in the second round of the 5A playoffs last season, in which both teams scored to trade the lead in the final minute. Marana had the last laugh with a game-winner by current Tigers’ senior receiver Jaxsun Sharp, advancing by a score of 34-27.

6A

No. 4 Chandler (1-1) at No. 12 Salpointe Catholic (2-0)

Location: 1545 E. Copper St.

Notable: Chandler is the first of two monumentally challenging games on Salpointe’s schedule. The Wolves were a Top 25 team nationally in the preseason, but fell in the rankings after a Week 1 loss to one of Arizona’s other top-ranked national powers, Chandler Basha. Chandler senior quarterback Will Mencl is a four-star prospect committed to Oregon and is the No. 1 signal-caller in the state according to multiple recruiting services.