Arizona 4A quarterfinals playoff preview
Somehow, it’s already the last week of November. In Arizona high school football, that means the Open Division is upon us, but it also means the 4A-6A playoffs march on into the quarterfinals.
In 4A, the quarterfinals have a fresh look to them. Thanks in part to reclassification, none of the eight remaining teams were in last year’s semifinals. Only No. 6 Canyon del Oro and No. 10 Prescott even reached this stage a year ago.
Let’s break down the matchups, which are all set for 7 p.m. on Friday:
No. 8 Bradshaw Mountain at No. 1 ALA-Gilbert North
The Sept. 30 loss to ALA-Queen Creek seems to have lit a fire under ALA-Gilbert North. Since then, the Eagles are 6-0 despite a battle-filled schedule. Friday was just the latest example of the offensive explosiveness that has marked this stretch. Quarterback Adam Damante threw for 296 yards and five touchdowns. As usual, much of that (110 yards and two touchdowns) went to junior Brandon Phelps, who will be playing Power Five football in two years. But junior Boston Morris stepped up in a big way too, going for a career-high 149 receiving yards.
In its win over Northwest Christian, Bradshaw Mountain showed the type of pass defense that can stymie a team like ALA-Gilbert North. The Bears forced Northwest Christian quarterback Ashton Kamp — who entered with just three interceptions on the season — into four picks as he completed under 50% of his passes. As a result, Bradshaw Mountain was able to grind out a 23-13 win. There’s no doubt this defense — which hasn’t allowed 20 points since Sept. 23 — can post Damante some of those same problems. The question is whether they can pose him enough problems to pull off what would be a stunning upset.
Prediction: ALA Gilbert North 28, Bradshaw Mountain 17
No. 13 Lake Havasu at No. 5 Yuma Catholic
The magic of playoff high school football. On Friday night, Lake Havasu traveled four hours across the state to take on No. 4 Poston Butte. This is a school with a
large enrollment, but one that struggles to get players to come out for football. Their last playoff win was in 2015. Their opponent, meanwhile, made the state championship game last year. But on Friday, Lake Havasu ignored the travel and the history to come out and stun Poston Butte, 42-24. They did so with a defense that produced two scoreless quarters and a heavy run attack. That’s a good formula for upsets.
Yuma Catholic, though, may prove too difficult a test. The Shamrocks continued their penchant for playing in high-scoring affairs with a 56-42 win over Buckeye. The 14-point margin of victory doesn’t fully reflect their dominance. They put up 42 points in the first quarter alone. Quarterback Richard Stallworth showed why he can lead this team to a state championship, throwing for 518 yards and seven touchdowns. He could be too much to handle.
Prediction: Yuma Catholic 49, Lake Havasu 34
No. 14 Thunderbird at No. 6 Canyon del Oro
What a performance from Thunderbird, which went on the road to No. 3
Marcos de Niza and grinded out a 17-14 win. That game was always going to be weird — the schools had the two worst strengths of schedule among 4A playoff teams — but a No. 14 seed pulling off the upset is always an impressive feat. The Titans did so primarily on the back of their defense, but they also got a really nice game from quarterback Carter Squires, who completed 63.6% of his passes for over 200 yards without throwing an interception.
Similarly, Canyon del Oro advanced in a 13-6 defensive battle. That game might have been even uglier — the Dorados passed for just 32 yards. They haven’t allowed 20 points in a game in two months, but that’s still a difficult way to win in the playoffs. There’s a lot on the line, too. If seeds hold in 4A-6A this week, Canyon del Oro will be the only team still alive from Tucson.
Prediction: Thunderbird 13, Canyon del Oro 10
No. 10 Prescott at No. 2 Snowflake In one sense, these 4A playoffs are new blood, as discussed above. In another sense, they’re a familiar refrain taking place at a different level. After all, Snowflake
won the last two 3A titles before moving up this year. The fact that they’ve been able to replicate that success at 4A is incredibly impressive, given the widely perceived big school/small school gap between the two levels. Just take last week. The Lobos (enrollment: 878) hosted Arcadia (enrollment: 1,675) and shut them out in a 19-0 win.
What coach Kay Solomon has done at Snowflake over the past few years is nothing short of remarkable. The problem for Snowflake is that its offense isn’t nearly as explosive as last year’s unit, which was led by senior quarterback Caden Cantrell. So if you can score the ball on these guys, you have a chance. That’s easier said than done — they’re averaging just 11.6 allowed per game — but Prescott has the weapons. Most notably, they get 252.1 yards per game on the ground. Anything close to that figure could spell trouble for Snowflake.
Prediction: Snowflake 21, Prescott 17