How the AIA football playoffs shape up among the big schools
There were no major surprises among among the big-school conferences Saturday when the AIA released the football playoff brackets.
As expected, in the eight-team Open (for all three big conferences), Chandler Hamilton was seeded first and Chandler second after Friday night’s classic 21-14 win in the Battle for Arizona Avenue that ended the Wolves’ 45-game winning streak.
Some may have wondered why Chandler Basha wasn’t second, instead of third, after going 10-0.
Here’s the answer: Basha didn’t play either Hamilton or Chandler in putting together the school’s first undefeated season.
These playoffs start in two weeks, giving each team a chance to recover.
It won’t be surprising if Chandler and Hamilton meet against on Dec. 11 for the state championship.
I don’t really see any other challengers to them.
But a great quarterfinal game should be played between No. 4 Glendale Cactus and No. 5 Scottsdale Saguaro. Joseph Ortiz has quickly built his 4A team into a powerhouse that went undefeated for the first time since 2005 in the regular season. Don’t count out Cactus with its incredible speed and physicality on defense. Saguaro has been banged up this year, and at times, cruised through weak competition that wouldn’t help it against anybody in the Open. But Saguaro’s been there, done that, so who knows? It may be a tossup game.
American Leadership Queen Creek, another 4A school, locked up the No. 8 seed and will have to play top-seed Chandler Hamilton. What Ty Detmer and Max Hall have combined to do at ALA QC has been magic. But this Hamilton defense is going to be quick and physical for QB Logan Hubler to escape, no matter how fast and competitive he is.
In the 6A Division, expect a rematch of last year’s final between Gilbert Highland and Scottsdale Chaparral. They’re seeded 1 and 2.
Williams Field is my wild card. Coach Steve Campbell knows how to win playoff games. And he’s got the athletes to get deep in the playoff.
You might also watch out for Phoenix Sandra Day O’Connor as a 7 seed, Mesa Mountain View as a 6 seed, and Mesa Red Mountain as a 4 seed. All dangerous, well-coached teams.
Phoenix Horizon probably stayed in the 5A bracket after losing to Scottsdale Notre Dame on Friday. That still gives it the No. 1 seed. But this division appears a little more wide open. I count seven legit teams who have a chance at holding up the gold ball in the end.
If I had to pick a winner now, I’d go with No. 3 Desert Edge and QB Adryan Lara, who passed the 10,000-yard passing mark in his career.
How Northwest Christian got into the 4A playoffs with a 3-7 mark, I don’t know. But that resounding 42-20 regular-season finale win over Phoenix Greenway on Thursday night certainly helped. The Crusaders open at No. 1 Poston Butte, which is fast, physical, big and well-coached by Dain Thompson and his staff. David Inness is a magician winning playoff games his team isn’t supposed to in his Northwest Christian career.
The 4A bracket could spring some upsets, but I figure to see No. 2 seed Casa Grande with a veteran savvy QB in Angel Flores, who is ready to make a deep run to the title.
St. Mary’s opens at Buckeye as a lower seed, but the Knights have quarterback Nick Martinez back after suffering a broken collar bone in the season opener. The Knights could pull the upset of Buckeye, but then would run into Casa Grande in the quarterfinals.
Two-time defending 4A champion Gilbert Mesquite is the 3 seed but could slide into the semifinals. At that point, anything can happen for this team that wants to show it can win a title in the post-Ty Thompson era.