4A football 1st-round playoff preview
The 4A Arizona high school football playoffs get underway Friday, with all eight first-round games kicking off at 7 p.m. The reigning state champion, Casa Grande, is now in 5A, making the region fairly open this year.
Here are the matchups:
No. 16 Arizona College Prep at No. 1 ALA-Gilbert North
The last time these two teams met, it was No. 1 vs. No. 2 in 4A. ALA-Gilbert North won that one, 47-7, sending each team’s season in wildly different directions. The Eagles rolled to three more wins, while Arizona College Prep dropped its last three to nearly fall out of the postseason entirely. Few teams this year have had an answer for ALA-Gilbert North’s duo of quarterback Adam Damante and receiver Brandon Phelps. This one should be no different.
Prediction: ALA-Gilbert North 45, Arizona College Prep 14
No. 9 Northwest Christian at No. 8 Bradshaw Mountain
Northwest Christian might be the most underseeded team in the whole tournament. The Crusaders haven’t lost since Week 3 and have two wins over playoff teams in the last three weeks. The key for them will be controlling Bradshaw Mountain running back Gabriel Ricketts, who has 1,385 yards on the ground this year. If they can do that, they should advance.
Prediction: Northwest Christian 31, Bradshaw Mountain 21
No. 12 Buckeye Union at No. 5 Yuma Catholic
What Yuma Catholic has done this year is a real testament to its head coach, Rhett Stallworth. After making the 3A state championship two years in a row, the Shamrocks have adapted to 4A seamlessly. Their only loss against 4A opponents was an overtime thriller to Northwest Christian. Quarterback Richard Stallworth gives them state championship upside. Buckeye Union isn’t a pushover, though. Watch out for running back Vili Tongotea (1683 yards) and receiver Darius Haskin (936 yards).
Prediction: Yuma Catholic 35, Buckeye Union 32
No. 13 Lake Havasu at No. 4 Poston Butte
Poston Butte isn’t quite as good as last year’s team that reached the state championship — after all, it’s nearly impossible to replace a 2,000-yard running back like Octavius Joe, and this year’s passing attack isn’t as dangerous. But despite their 6-4 record, the Broncos still are a contender, as they showed last weekend in a one-possession loss to ALA-Gilbert North. It’s tough to see Lake Havasu knocking them off.
Prediction: Poston Butte 28, Lake
Havasu 14
No. 14 Thunderbird at No. 3 Marcos de Niza
If you’re looking for a game that could go completely haywire, this might be it. Among 4A playoff teams, it’s difficult to gauge how they’ll actually perform in the postseason. The difference could be Marcos de Niza’s explosive passing attack, led by junior quarterback Braesen Leon.
Prediction: Marcos de Niza 38, Thunderbird 24
No. 11 St. Mary’s at No. 6 Canyon del Oro
The last time these two teams met, back on Sept. 30, Canyon Del Oro won, 24-8. St. Mary’s is an excellent team and could make a run if they get past the first round, but the problem is they’re heavily reliant on the run game. Canyon del
Oro matches up well against that threat with an experienced and talented defensive front. In the regular season matchup, St. Mary’s ran for just 4.4 yards per carry — a yard shy of its season-long mark.
Prediction: Canyon del Oro 21, St.
Mary’s 14
No. 10 Prescott at No. 7 Apache Junction
This could be fun. Both teams know how to score the football, but have proven defensively vulnerable in their losses. The difference could be Apache Junction quarterback Gavin Limongello, who has been on this stage before and makes the Prospectors a bit more multi-faceted than the Badgers.
Prediction: Apache Junction 48, Prescott 45
No. 15 Arcadia at No. 2 Snowflake Like Yuma Catholic — which it beat in the past two 3A title games — Snowflake has had no problems adapting to 4A. The Lobos embrace their defensefirst, ground-and-pound mentality, even against schools with significantly bigger enrollments and more depth. They could become the first team to win consecutive state titles while going up a level since Centennial did it in the old Division II and Division I in 2014 and 2015.
Prediction: Snowflake 38, Arcadia