Previewing 6A regions Desert Valley, Southwest

6A Desert Valley Region

The teams: Anthem Boulder Creek, Scottsdale Chaparral, Peoria Liberty, Glendale Mountain Ridge, Phoenix Pinnacle, Phoenix Sandra Day O'Connor.

The favorite: Pinnacle. No drop-off in the post-Spencer Rattler era with J.D. Johnson at the wheel of the offense.

The challenger: Liberty. If games are won in trenches, the Lions are in great shape.

The sleeper: Chaparral. A couple of key skill players left, but the the lines have improved and there are still more than enough skill players to surprise.

The star: Chaparral senior QB Jack Miller. The Ohio State commit is hyped after a lost summer dealing with an injury.

The date: Aug. 23, Pinnacle opens at Perry, a rematch of last year's 6A semifinal won by Perry.

6A Southwest Region

The teams: Glendale Copper Canyon, Avondale La Joya Community, Surprise Shadow Ridge, Tolleson, Surprise Valley Vista, Avondale Westview.

The favorite: Westview. The team is athletic and fast across the board.

The challenger: Tolleson. Coach Roy Lopez comes in to try to take program to another level after Wolverines went 6-4 in 2018.

The sleeper: La Joya. New coach Devin Dourisseau takes over team that went 7-3 in 2018 and returns QB Miguel Valdovinos, who threw 29 TD passes.

The star: Westview senior QB/RB Nico Vasko. Now 5-10, 192 pounds, he's ready to break out big as a dangerous dual threat.

The date: Oct. 25, Westview plays at La Joya for what could end up big for 6A playoff power points.

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on Twitter @azc_obert.

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