This week sees the activation of the three highest-ranked Southern Arizona high school football teams at the 4A and 5A level, as 4A No. 2 Mica Mountain and No. 6 Walden Grove, as well as 5A No. 6 Desert View, welcome Phoenix-area teams to start their playoff campaigns after a first-round bye.

No. 19 Salpointe Catholic managed to sneak into the 6A bracket despite a 3-7 season, earning at least one more opportunity to strap up the helmets and take to the gridiron.

No. 5 Pusch Ridge travels up to Show Low for a key 3A clash with the Cougars and a spot in the semifinals up for grabs.

6A

FIRST ROUND

No. 19 Salpointe Catholic (3-7) at No. 14 Mesa Red Mountain (6-4)

Location: 7301 E. Brown Road, Mesa

Notable: Salpointe was one of several teams at the center of great controversy when the 6A bracket was released last weekend. The Arizona Interscholastic Association elected to use the MaxPreps ranking formula for the 2026 football season, a different tactic than its own metric in the past. A 3-7 Salpointe team and a 2-8 Boulder Creek team were determined to have a stronger rating based on factors like cumulative strength of schedule. Mesa Westwood (5-5) and 7-3 Tempe Corona del Sol missed the playoffs due to having a poorer rating.

Nevertheless, the Lancers gear up at least one more time for a first-round game at No. 14 Mesa Red Mountain. The two teams have four common opponents. Both teams lost to Chandler Basha and Phoenix Sandra Day O’Connor, but Red Mountain was victorious against Mesa Westwood and Gilbert Highland, two teams Salpointe lost to. Scottsdale Saguaro remains the only 6A team Salpointe has beaten.

5A

SECOND ROUND

No. 16 Marana (8-3) at No. 1 Scottsdale Desert Mountain (8-1)

Location: 12575 E. Vía Linda, Scottsdale

Notable: Marana looked dominant in its first-round playoff game against No. 17 Sunnyslope, manufacturing 475 yards of total offense while recording four takeaways on defense. The Tigers now move on to face the No. 1 5A team, Scottsdale Desert Mountain. However, the Tigers are in full playoff rhythm, while the Wolves have been waiting in the wings since Oct. 23, after their regular-season finale against No. 3 Scottsdale Notre Dame Prep was canceled due to weather, followed by their first-round bye.

No. 11 Glendale Cactus (9-2) at No. 6 Desert View (10-0)

Location: 4101 E. Valencia Road

Notable: Desert View begins its 2026 playoff campaign at home after yet another perfect regular season. The Jaguars went 10-0 in 2025, received a first-round bye, beat Mountain Pointe in the second round, then fell to eventual 5A runner-up Canyon View in the quarterfinals. The No. 11 Cobras won the 5A Northwest Region over two other playoff teams, No. 15 Yuma Catholic and No. 20 Sunrise Mountain, so Cactus is certainly no slouch. The winner of Friday’s game plays the winner of No. 3 Notre Dame Prep and No. 19 Tempe McClintock.

4A

SECOND ROUND

No. 15 Phoenix Thunderbird (7-4) at No. 2 Mica Mountain (9-1)

Location: 10800 E. Valencia Road

Notable: Mica Mountain’s first taste of playoff football in 2026 pits the Thunderbolts against an equally electric player leading its opponent — Phoenix Thunderbird junior athlete Daryl Little. Originally a receiver last season, Little stepped up to play quarterback in 2026 after the Titans’ 2025 starter graduated. Little has thrown for 1,172 yards and run for 1,387, and is responsible for 35 of Thunderbird’s 53 touchdowns. Mica Mountain has not surrendered a point to an opponent since the Oct. 9 home loss to Walden Grove, and the Thunderbolts are determined to three-peat.

No. 11 Mesa Eastmark (7-4) at No. 6 Walden Grove (8-2)

Location: 15510 S. Sahuarita Park Road

Notable: On Sept. 4, Walden Grove suffered one of its worst losses of the season to Eastmark, falling to the Firebirds 26-23 after a season-opening win over Sahuarita. Since then, the Red Wolves have rattled off a 7-1 record, including the upset of the season over then-No. 1 Mica Mountain. The two sides meet again in Sahuarita on Friday in the second round of the 4A Playoffs, this time with the season on the line. Eastmark took down No. 22 Marcos de Niza in the first round, while Walden Grove received a first-round bye.

3A

QUARTERFINALS

No. 5 Pusch Ridge (9-2) at No. 4 Show Low (10-1)

Location: 1201 N. Cougar Lane, Show Low

Notable: No. 5 Pusch Ridge hits the road for the quarterfinals of the 3A Playoffs, traveling northeast to No. 4 Show Low in a battle of teams that are both a bit unhappy with their postseason ranking. Despite a 9-1 season for Show Low and a Pusch Ridge win over Thatcher, the Eagles are ranked higher than both teams, resulting in the two squads being slated against each other in the quarters. Show Low junior Corbin Wood is an absolute force, leading the team in rushing yards, touchdowns and tackles. The Lions throw the ball much more than the Cougars, but both teams are good for roughly 350 offensive yards per game on average.

2A

QUARTERFINALS

No. 6 Benson (9-2) at No. 3 Willcox (11-0)

Location: 240 N. Bisbee Ave., Willcox

Notable: Willcox and Benson collide yet again nearly a month after their first clash back on Oct. 16 in Benson. The Cowboys took down the Bobcats 23-3, but it was the lowest-scoring game of the season for Willcox. The 2A bracket has been a strange one for Willcox, as the Cowboys played Benson and Tanque Verde in the final two games of the regular season, and now play Benson again after a rematch with Tanque Verde to open the playoffs. Four games against the same two opponents.