BJ's 5A Preseason Rankings

In last season’s 5A preseason rankings, 15 of my 17 preseason-ranked teams made the playoffs. 12 of my 17 preseason-ranked teams finished within 3 spots of my preseason rank for them. This year, my rankings will expand to 24 teams with the AIA expanding the 5A playoffs to 24 and the conference opting out of the open division. Here is the new playoff format for those that haven’t seen:

#1-8: first-round byes

#9-24: play each other in first round with seeds 9-16 getting home games

Desert Edge

Rank: 1

Ceiling: 10-0

Floor: 9-1

‘24 record: 10-4, won 5A title 

# of Players with D-I offers: 13

Off. Returning Production: 53.3%

Def. Returning Production: 33.9%

The defending 5A champions are absolutely loaded. Obviously they’ll miss a good chunk of their graduating seniors such as DB Jamar Beal-Goines, who is at Texas A&M, WR David Cabrera, who is at Eastern Washington, ATH Eli Sherbin-Fox, who is at Southern Utah to play defensive end, DE Jerry Washington, who is at UMass, and Joshua Hopphaus, who is at Western New Mexico.

But the Scorpions have a lot of young talent in their ‘27 and ‘28 classes that are going to dominate 5A the next 2-3 years in addition to a talented ‘26 senior class as well. 

12 different Scorpions have D-I offers. In their ‘26 class, OL Jalayne Miller is a 4-star Stanford commit, DB Camren Hamiel is a 4-star Texas A&M commit, DB Antonio Para holds offers from New Mexico and Portland State, and WR/DB Dayvon Standard holds an offer from Idaho.

In their ‘27 class, 4-star WR Zerek Sidney and 4-star DB Mikyal Davis both have 30+ D-I offers, 3-star QB Blake Roskopf has nearly two dozen D-I offers, and DL Yahzeen Zion has 5 D-I offers.

In their ‘28 class, the Scorpions have 3 of the top 4 ranked recruits in Arizona on 247Sports Composite. 5-star DE Jalanie George, who finished 2nd in BJ Media Freshman of the Year voting, is the 2nd-ranked recruit in the entire country. 4-star ATH Jaelyn Easterling-Flores is also ranked 124th in the country while 3-star DB Nekhi Lambeth is ranked #158. 

‘28 RB Byron Brandon Jr also has D-I offers from Idaho and Sacramento St after rushing for 425 yards and 3 TDs as a freshman and ‘28 WR/RB Jhaheem Brown, the younger brother of 3-star Hamilton ‘26 RB Jacob Brown, has transferred in from Centennial after a solid freshman varsity season as well.

There is no shortage of talent at Desert Edge, but the games still have to be played.

The Scorpions’ toughest games come on Thursday against Cactus Shadows and on September 19th and 26th against ALA Gilbert North and Mountain Pointe, respectively. I don’t see any scenario where the Scorpions lose more than 1 regular season game.

Although they easily have the most talent in 5A and are my favorites to repeat as 5A champions, the games have to be played, and there are multiple teams that are capable of knocking off the Scorpions in the playoffs if they do not play to their full potential.

Marana

Rank: 2

Ceiling: 10-0

Floor: 8-2

‘24 record: 10-1, lost in open quarterfinals 

# of Players with D-I offers: 0

Off. Returning Production: 70.7%

Def. Returning Production: 58.5%

As 2024 BJ Media Offensive Player of the Year and Gatorade Player of the Year Dezmen Roebuck graduates and heads to Washington, a lot of people are writing off Marana. 

The reality is one player does not make a team, and the returning production percentages being so high despite the state’s best player in 2024 graduating shows just that.

‘26 QB Colten Meyer should have a huge senior season after throwing for a whopping 3,687 yards, 30 TDs, and 7 INTs last season as a junior. ‘28 RB Jeffrey Smith III will pick up right where he left off after rushing for 666 yards and 15 TDs as a freshman, and he will now play both ways as he takes over as the starting middle linebacker for the Tigers as well.

Taking over the WR room for Dezmen Roebuck is ‘27s Sean Roebuck (Dezmen’s younger brother) and Jaxsun Sharp, who combined for 959 yards and 11 TDs as sophomores. ‘26 ATH Darian DeWitt will also be transitioning from more of RB role to being the team’s starting slot receiver after rushing for 187 yards and 4 TDs and catching 28 passes for 197 yards last season.

Defensively, the Tigers might have the best defensive line in the state as they return ‘26 OLB Greg Webb and ‘26 DE Hayden Utley, who combined for 154 tackles, 24 sacks, and 39 TFLs last season and terrorized Southern AZ QBs. ‘26 DL Justin Elder has also looked sharp this offseason and has received a lot of praise from the Southern AZ football community as he hopes to have a big senior season.

In the secondary, ‘26 DB Donnell Bridges will take over leadership of that group after Dermain Linen and Dezmen Roebuck graduate. 

The Tigers’ schedule is an interesting one. They open up on Friday at 6A Salpointe in their toughest game of the season. They also visit 5A newcomer Yuma Catholic in one of the toughest road environments in the state before getting into region play in a region where every single team made the playoffs last season. 

Despite the tough schedule, I think Salpointe is the only team with a realistic chance of beating Marana before the playoffs begin. There is a very good chance we will see this Marana team at Sun Devil Stadium in December.

Mountain Pointe

Rank: 3

Ceiling: 10-0

Floor: 7-3

‘24 record: 6-5, lost in 6A round of 16 

# of Players with D-I offers: 5

Off. Returning Production: 3.9%

Def. Returning Production: 34.5%

After moving down from 6A, this Mountain Pointe roster is going to look completely different this season.

‘26 4-star Ohio State OL commit Aaron Thomas and 3-star ‘26 LB Jaylyn Colter are going to be the heart and soul of this team, but they have a lot of underclassman talent as well as multiple transfers that are going to have a big impact in Year 1 under HC Jon Roberts, who led Vista Grande to a program-record 8 wins last season.

In their ‘26 class, kicker Francisco Orduno might be the best kicker in Arizona. He has a ridiculous leg, with his longest field goal being from 54 yards last season. During spring ball, he even drilled a 63-yard in front of several college coaches before earning his first D-I offer from Northern Arizona during the summer.

‘26 DE Teylor Caldwell has also looked impressive all spring and summer and should have a big senior season after finishing second on the team with 4 sacks in addition to 38 tackles and 7 TFLs. 

‘26 OL/DL Tyrique Washington will get his first full season with the Pride after transferring in from Saguaro last season. He mostly played on the offensive line in 2024, but he is expected to start at nose guard this year as well. 

Their ‘27 class is also loaded. EDGE Marleigh Fely is probably one of the strongest players I’ve seen in 5A and has great quickness around the edge, which allowed him to lead the team with 4.5 sacks in addition to 27 total tackles and 6 TFLs as a sophomore. 

3-star TE/DE Mekhi Hodge is also going to be big for the Pride come Week 6 after transferring in from Cesar Chavez. 

Their ‘28 class is also expected to make a splash as sophomores, led by DB/WR LeGarrette Blount Jr, son of new OC and 2-time Super Bowl champion LeGarrette Blount. Blount Jr already has 4 D-I offers after having an excellent freshman football season at Hamilton last year. Unlike the other transfers, Blount Jr is expected to be eligible for Friday’s season opener against Maricopa.

WR Makai Nelson is also going to be big for the Pride starting Week 6 after transferring in from Chandler. Nelson has been the clear-cut WR1 for the Pride all offseason from spring through summer 7s and he really caught the eye of college coaches particularly at the ASU, NAU, and UofA 7v7 camps.

RB Jamier McKinney, who rushed for 77 yards and 1 TD in limited varsity snaps as a freshman last season, should have a big sophomore season as RB1 for the Pride. 

In addition to all of the returning talent and transfers, the Pride have a duo of incoming freshmen (‘29 class) that are expected to make an immediate varsity impact. RB Sonny Norwood will likely split carries with McKinney and DB AJ Anderson has been very impressive throughout summer 7v7s and camps and will likely be a starter after the Pride graduate all 4 starting DBs from last season.

The Pride will have two tough freedom games before their transfers are eligible against #1 Desert Edge and Desert Mountain, but after that I think Campo Verde and ALA Gilbert North are the only teams in their region that will give these guys a real challenge with their transfers eligible.

Cactus Shadows

Rank: 4

Ceiling: 10-0

Floor: 7-3

‘24 record: 7-5, lost in Round of 16

# of Players with D-I offers: 1

Off. Returning Production: 67.2%

Def. Returning Production: 31.0%

This is the year that Cactus Shadows has a future-defining season. They have a massive ‘26 senior class that is hungry for a state title and they have all the pieces to make a deep run in this year’s 5A bracket.

3-star ‘26 Northern Arizona QB commit Donivan Dixon, the 2024 BJ Media QB of the Year, is looking to leave his final legacy on this program in year four as QB1. As a junior, he threw for 2,634 yards, 24 TDs, and 7 INTs while rushing for 1,202 yards and 15 TDs to lead the Falcons to the playoffs for the first time since 2021.

‘26 TE Alex Dafnis is one of the best at his position in the state after catching 54 passes for 716 yards and 8 TDs as a junior. ‘26 WR Dillon Aspiras is also coming off a solid junior season. ‘26 WR Trey "Peck" Adams has also transferred in from Millennium and will have a big impact. 

Lastly, ‘28 WR Brock Cashin has shown a ton of growth this offseason as he looks to get in the mix and ‘29 WR/DB Colin Godfrey will probably be one of the best players in the state in his class when it’s all said and done.

On the offensive line, ‘26 CSU Pueblo commit Riley Baughman and ‘26 Payton Wales are all-state level lineman that will be buying Dixon a ton of time in the pocket and opening big holes for the running game.

Defensively, the Falcons graduate a ton of seniors, but ‘27 DB Aidan Chambers, ‘26 DB Ryker Krank, and ‘26 CSU Pueblo DL commit Dylan Malone should all have big seasons this year to fill some of those shoes.

Looking at the Cactus Shadows schedule, their toughest test obviously comes against #1 Desert Edge on Thursday, but they also have a freedom game against ALA Gilbert North and play in the toughest region in 5A that features Desert Mountain, Horizon, Notre Dame Prep, and Chaparral. 

Despite the tough schedule, I do think the Falcons will come out with 8 or 9 wins.

Desert Mountain

Rank: 5

Ceiling: 10-0

Floor: 7-3

‘24 record: 8-3, lost in open quarterfinals 

# of Players with D-I offers: 2

Off. Returning Production: 25.5%

Def. Returning Production: 33.0%

The Wolves graduated a big senior class that did great things, including 2 Open Division appearances, but they also have some young studs ready to go, especially in their ‘27 class that has mostly played together since their youth football days on the Scottsdale Outlaws.

Offensively, ‘27 QB Grant Garduno will take over as QB1 for Bryce Herges, who is now at Northern Arizona. Garduno appeared in 3 games last season, where he threw 281 yards and 2 TDs. 

‘27 RB Ryan Cratty and ‘28 RB/LB Easton Conner will take over the RB room as the Wolves hope to develop more of a running game this season.

‘27 WRs Evan Dowd and Isaiah Justice will both likely have big junior seasons and have been impressive throughout spring ball and summer 7s. ‘28 WR Kai Tschen should also have a bigger role after appearing in 6 varsity games as a freshman. 

Defensively, ‘26 Georgetown ATH commit Ryan McDonough is due for a big senior season after recording 44 tackles, 5 TFLs, 2 INTs, and 8 PBUs last season. ‘27 DB Hassan Smith picked up his first D-I offer from Northern Arizona this offseason and will get his first full season of film after transferring in from Camelback last year. 

‘27 DB Braylon Wilkerson should have a big year after battling through some injury issues last season but still recording 3 INTs and 7 PBUs. 

Looking at the Desert Mountain schedule, their toughest games come against #3 Mountain Pointe, #4 Cactus Shadows, and Horizon. If they handle business in their other 7 games, they should comfortably clinch a first-round bye. If they win 1 or 2 of these games to get to 8 or 9 wins like I predict they will, they likely will be hosting a 5A quarterfinal game.

ALA Gilbert North

Rank: 6

Ceiling: 7-3

Floor: 5-5

‘24 record: 9-4, lost in semifinals

# of Players with D-I offers: 1

Off. Returning Production: 32.9%

Def. Returning Production: 52.6%

The Eagles return a solid core group after making it to the 5A semifinals last season in year one under HC Ty Detmer.

‘27 WR Isaac Massey returns after catching 75 passes for 1,039 yards and 9 TDs as a sophomore. ‘27 RB/LB Weston Powell will also be a key piece after rushing for 495 yards and 6 TDs and recording 70 tackles, 2 TFLs, and 6 PBUs on defense. 

Defensively, ‘26 DT Porter Keime, who led the team with 11 sacks, also returns. ‘26 DB Garrett Baker, who led the team with 11 PBUs and 4 INTs, also returns for the Eagles. 

Looking at their schedule, their toughest games come against #1 Desert Edge, #3 Mountain Pointe, and #4 Cactus Shadows as well as matchups with Buena and Campo Verde. 7 or more wins should put ALA Gilbert North in a pretty good position to earn a top 8 seed and a bye.

Horizon

Rank: 7

Ceiling: 8-2

Floor: 7-3

‘24 record: 8-3, lost in open quarterfinals 

# of Players with D-I offers: 2

Off. Returning Production: 30.0%

Def. Returning Production: 44.3%

The Huskies had a season to remember in 2024, making the open division and winning 8 games out of arguably the hardest schedule in the state.

They also return a decent amount of talent. The offense will lean on ‘26 RBs Bodie Zamarano and Johnny Issitt, who combined for nearly 1,200 yards and 11 TDs last season. 

The offense will also have some new faces as ‘26 QB Carter Puma takes over as the starter, and ‘26 WR Jake Giraud, who picked up a D-I offer from Drake this summer, and ‘27 WR/TE James Klopfenstein, younger brother of Baylor TE Matthew Klopfenstein, are expected to carve out bigger roles in the passing game.

Defensively, seniors Jayden Ridley and Jackson Murray are going to be difficult to replace as they graduate, but ‘26 LB Gage Lee and ‘26 DB Colten Becker should have big senior seasons as two of the leaders on the Husky defense.

The Huskies don’t have a ton of road bumps before region play begins, but they will have to go through #4 Cactus Shadows, #5 Desert Mountain, Notre Dame Prep, and Chaparral with a date against 6A Highland sandwiched in between. Assuming Horizon is 5-0 heading into that stretch, if they can go 3-2 or even 2-3 down the stretch, they should be in good position for a first-round bye.

Campo Verde

Rank: 8

Ceiling: 9-1

Floor: 7-3

‘24 record: 8-4, lost in quarterfinals

# of Players with D-I offers: 2

Off. Returning Production: 33.2%

Def. Returning Production: 49.3%

The Coyotes should have another big season this year after making the quarterfinals last season. 

Offensively, ‘26 ATH Wyatt Rauch, who led the team with 27 receptions for 405 yards and 4 TDs and also led the team with 11 PBUs and 3 INTs on defense last season, is one of three starting WRs that will be back. ‘27s Easton Bakutis and Scott Aholelei will both also be back.

Joining the WR trio will be ‘27 QB Jonah Lubno, who transferred in from Hamilton and is expected to be eligible in Week 1.

Defensively, three-star ‘26 Washington State DE commit Jake Jones and ‘26 LB/RB Drew Pollard lead a very solid returning core after the two had outstanding junior campaigns.

The toughest games on the Campo Verde schedule will be against Capistrano Valley (CA), #3 Mountain Pointe, and #6 ALA Gilbert North. If the Coyotes can win any of those 3 games, they will be in prime position for a first-round bye and top 8 seed.

Yuma Catholic

Rank: 9

Ceiling: 9-1

Floor: 7-3

‘24 record: 11-2, lost in 4A semifinals 

# of Players with D-I offers: 1

Off. Returning Production: 56.8%

Def. Returning Production: 54.2%

The Shamrocks were dominant in every season they spent in 4A and were two insanely stacked Southern AZ opponents (‘23 CDO and ‘24 Mica Mountain) away from back to back state titles. 

The biggest returner for Yuma Catholic will be ‘26 QB Nash Ott, who threw for 2,728 yards, 35 TDs, and 10 INTs as a junior last season. ‘27 RB Benton Beck should also have a big year after leading the team with 781 yards and 3 TDs while catching 17 passes for 216 yards and 2 TDs as a sophomore. ‘26 OL Colten Pouquette, who picked up his first D-I offer from San Diego this summer, leads a solid returning offensive line group as well.

Defensively, ‘26 OLB Shaun Carter will be in the running for 5A Defensive Player of the Year after recording a whopping 167 tackles, 13 TFLs, and 3 sacks last season. 

With Yuma Catholic being THE place for HS football in Yuma, I would not be surprised to see some new names burst onto the scene this season as well.

The Shamrocks have some tough tests against Holtville (CA), #2 Marana, as well as Cactus, Verrado, and Notre Dame Prep, but I think this team will come out of this schedule at 8-2. It will probably take a 9-1 record for Yuma Catholic to clinch a bye due to some of the higher-ranked teams having tougher schedules.

Buena

Rank: 10

Ceiling: 8-2

Floor: 6-4

‘24 record: 9-3, lost in quarterfinals

# of Players with D-I offers: 0

Off. Returning Production: 63.1%

Def. Returning Production: 52.5%

The Colts made program history last season, winning a playoff game for the first time since 1983 as they dominated Casa Grande to advance to the 5A quarterfinals against Verrado. This year’s team is also going to be very, very good. 

At the start of the offseason, the QB position was the biggest question for this team after Nash Moore graduated. But in late May, Walden Grove ‘26 QB Kaleb Layton’s family had to relocate to Sierra Vista and he transferred to Buena for his senior year, which now allows ‘26 ATH TJ Walker, who was expected to be QB1, to go back to playing his natural positions of WR and OLB.

Offensively, the Colts are going to run the ball a lot with ‘26 RB Michael Lujan, who finished second on the team with 935 rushing yards and 15 TDs as a junior last season. They are also happy to have their top two receivers, Walker and ‘26 WR/DB Jayden Thomas, back this season as well after the two combined for over 1,600 yards and 24 TDs last season. 

Buena also will have one of the better offensive lines in 5A, led by ‘26s Zac Barrett and Tyler Gjerde as well as ‘26 TE/DE Trenton Williams, who is more of a blocking tight end.

Defensively, ‘26 LB Cooper Kraus has emerged as one of the top linebackers in the state after recording a team-leading 93 tackles and 2 TFLs as a junior. Walker also was stout on defense with 77 tackles, 5 TFLs, 4 INTs (2 for TDs), and 4 PBUs. 

Williams and Barrett are also their two best returners on the opposite side of the trenches as they combined for 111 tackles, 8 TFLs, and 8.5 sacks last season on the defensive line.

The Colts’ toughest tests will come against 6A Mountain View Mesa, #2 Marana, #6 ALA Gilbert North, and Tucson. I think they likely come out of this stretch with 1 or 2 wins to get them to 8-2 or 7-3.

With such a big and strong ‘26 class, it is do or die this season for Buena and they absolutely have the talent to make a deep run in these 5A playoffs and shock a lot of people in the valley.

Cactus

Rank: 11

Ceiling: 9-1

Floor: 8-2

‘24 record: 10-4, lost in championship 

# of Players with D-I offers: 0

Off. Returning Production: 16.7%

Def. Returning Production: 45.8%

After an up and down regular season, the Cobras shocked the state and made it all the way to the 5A state championship in Sun Devil Stadium in 2024.

A big reason for that was the stellar play of ‘26 QB Antonio Casias, who shockingly transferred to Pinnacle this offseason.

While Cactus will have questions to answer at QB as ‘28s Myron Lee and Kasen Ponder battle it out, the Cobras have a lot of talent in other positions that will make this team a threat regardless of who is the QB.

Offensively, I think ‘26 RB/LB Tevin Marrufo, who already had a great year defensively with 69 tackles and 3 TFLs, will have a big year at RB after star Tayejion Player graduated. 

‘26s Julian Moncivaiz and Robert Bell Jr as well as ‘27 Donta Sutton and ‘28 Daylen Moore should all have big years at WR after star Juju Stubblefield graduated. 

Defensively, leading tackler ‘26 OLB Jayson Burkhard returns after recording 102 tackles, 5 TFLs, and 3 INTs as a junior. ‘28 WR/DB Daylen Moore also should have a big year defensively as well after leading the team with 7 PBUs in addition to 2 INTs and 43 tackles.

Cactus’ schedule is rather light this season. #7 Horizon and #9 Yuma Catholic will be their toughest games and Millennium, Peoria, and Sunnyslope are the only other teams that I see giving them any kind of problems.

The Cobras should likely head into the postseason at 8-2 or 9-1, but a relatively weak strength of schedule will probably hurt their potential seeding.

Tucson

Rank: 12

Ceiling: 7-3

Floor: 5-5

‘24 record: 9-3, lost in quarterfinals 

# of Players with D-I offers: 0

Off. Returning Production: 79.1%

Def. Returning Production: 68.4%

The Badgers made history last season with their first 8-win regular season and first playoff win since the 1970s. This year, they’re looking to do more and it is going to be a tall task.

Tucson returns the majority of their key players, including ‘26 QB Derek Mesa, ‘26 ATH Noah Chanez, ‘26 LB Dominic Drow, ‘26 DL Taysean Romero, and ‘28 DB Ezra Spivey, who all had incredibly productive seasons in 2024 and all led the team in at least one stat category.

But the biggest challenge for the Badgers is going to be arguably 5A’s most difficult schedule. Every single team on Tucson’s schedule made the playoffs last season with 6A Salpointe, #2 Marana, #4 Cactus Shadows, #10 Buena, and 4A #3 Walden Grove being their toughest opponents. 

If they can come out of this schedule above .500, they should comfortably be looking at a home opening round playoff game. If they can somehow pull off 7 or 8 wins again, they will be in the conversation for a first round bye.

Canyon View

Rank: 13

Ceiling: 8-2

Floor: 7-3

‘24 record: 3-7, missed playoffs 

# of Players with D-I offers: 3

Off. Returning Production: 64.5%

Def. Returning Production: 60.7%

After seeing this team all summer during 7v7 tournaments and big man challenges, I am struggling to figure out why they lost so many games last season because they have looked very sharp. 

In their first offseason with new HC JR Alcantar, the Jags won the 3rd NAU 7v7 tournament at the end of June over some very good teams such as Brophy, Buena, and more. 

And this team has a lot of returning talent. Pretty much their entire starting offense is back, but their defense has some dudes that are going to give a lot of opposing OCs some nightmares.

‘26 DE Jackson McCarthy, who led the team with 7 sacks and also recorded 77 tackles and 14 TFLs as a junior, picked up his first D-I offer from Drake this summer and will be looking for more throughout his senior season.

His younger brother, ‘27 DB Keegan McCarthy, led the team with 6 INTs and 5 PBUs and added 67 tackles and 2 TFLs as a sophomore. 

‘27 DL Andy Fierros has also been impressive this offseason, dominating the ASU and NAU Mega Camps and earning his first D-I offer from Northern Arizona in June. He should also have a big junior season.

Lastly, ‘27 WR Amr Hassan picked up his first D-I offer from New Mexico this summer before transferring from neighboring ALA West Foothills to Canyon View and will be a huge boost for the Jaguar offense that already has a solid returning core.

The Jaguars’ toughest games will come against #1 Desert Edge and #2 Marana, but I think every other game on their schedule will be winnable for them and an 8-2 record should comfortably land them a home playoff game.

McClintock

Rank: 14

Ceiling: 9-1

Floor: 5-5

‘24 record: 9-2, lost in Round of 16

# of Players with D-I offers: 5

Off. Returning Production: 8.9%

Def. Returning Production: 15.5%

What McClintock did offensively last season with QB Jaxson Knutson and his THREE 1,000 yard receivers (Kemon Jackson, AJ Scroggins, & Khalil Bender) was absolutely incredible. But not a single one of those guys will be back this season and neither will about 90% of their 2024 varsity roster. 

New HC Nick Offenberger had to hit the hard reset button on the program when he took the job this offseason with a massive senior class to replace on top of ‘26s Khalil Bender and Jayshaun Flakes transferring out. 

The Chargers have arguably the best ‘29 class in the state coming in and ready to play varsity football right away, led by QB Kaiden Ikaika Agbunag, ATH Tanoah Kauh, and OL Michael Rivera, who all have a combined 9 D-I offers before even starting their HS football careers. ‘28 OL Diego Gonzalez also holds a D-I offer from Sacramento State as well.

But the Chargers also had about a dozen transfers as well, led by 3-star ‘27 ATH Aidan Whitaker and ‘26 RB/DB CP Parsons. 

McClintock’s schedule isn’t super crazy but they will have tough matchups against 6A Westwood, #7 Horizon, Sunnyslope, Ironwood, and Camelback. If the Chargers can pull off 8 or 9 wins, they should be in prime position for a home playoff game.

ACP

Rank: 15 

Ceiling: 7-3

Floor: 5-5

‘24 record: 12-2, lost in 4A championship

# of Players with D-I offers: 0

Off. Returning Production: 74.7%

Def. Returning Production: 53.8%

The Knights had an incredible season in 2024, going undefeated in the regular season against Arizona opponents, making it all the way to the 4A title game before having a rough outing against Mica Mountain at Sun Devil Stadium.

ACP returns a very talented offensive skills group, led by ‘26 QB Evan Heinrich, who threw for 2,410 yards with a whopping 30-1 TD-INT ratio and ‘26 WR Ashton Sanchez, who caught 39 passes for 796 yards and 11 TDs.

‘26 RB Max Sasso also had a stellar junior season with 811 yards and 9 TDs on 8.2 yards per carry and ‘26 TE Austin Spendlove caught 19 passes for 304 yards and 4 TDs while making great blocks to open up the run game.

Defensively, ‘26 LBs Cam Mitchell, Wyatt Ells, and Cody Tibbott were arguably the best trio in 4A last season and will be one of the best ones again in 5A.

But where my concern for ACP is comes in the trenches. Defensively, the Knights do not have a single returner that recorded more than 2 sacks last season. Offensively, the Knights lack size in the trenches and it showed in the state championship as Heinrich couldn’t get time in the pocket and Sasso didn’t have a ton of holes to run through to get anything going offensive against Mica Mountain.

I worry that it is going to be more of the same if the Knights haven’t improved on the offensive and defensive line as they move up to 5A as they will go up against a lot of tough teams with strong O-lines and D-lines that could give them as many or even more problems than Mica Mountain did.

ACP’s toughest games on the schedule come against #3 Mountain Pointe, #5 Desert Mountain, #6 ALA Gilbert North, and #8 Campo Verde. The Knights have the skill players to be a contender in 5A, but the o-line can’t protect Heinrich and the d-line can’t generate pressure, they’re not going to be able to beat any of these top dogs. I’m very interested to see how ACP adjusts to 5A, but right now I have them winning 5 or 6 games, which will still comfortably get them into the playoffs and probably a first-round win as well.

Desert View

Rank: 16

Ceiling: 10-0

Floor: 7-3

‘24 record: 3-7, missed playoffs

# of Players with D-I offers: 0

Because they didn’t record any stats from last season, I really don’t have much data to prove how good this Desert View team has the potential to be. However, I did take a look through their roster and it showed that they only had 8 seniors on the entire roster, opposed to a whopping 16 freshmen and 24 sophomores. 

Last year’s Jaguar team was so young that “Coach I don’t have a ride to practice” seems like a legitimate excuse with probably more than 2/3 of the team not even being old enough to drive.

I’ve been told by multiple 5A coaches from various top 10 teams, some in the valley and some in Southern AZ, that this was one of the toughest teams that they faced in 7v7s and big man challenges this summer. Some of my Southern AZ media colleagues also said they were absolutely dominant in their scrimmage against #12 Tucson last week as well.

The Jaguars were the beneficiary for region realignment as the AIA stacked all of the 5A Southern AZ 2024 playoff teams except for Mountain View Marana and Cienega all into the 5A Southern region, leaving the Sonoran region with 6 out of 8 teams that missed the playoffs last season. 

Desert View’s toughest games will come against Camelback, Mountain View Marana, CDO, and Cienega, which are all winnable games. I don’t see this team losing more than 3 games, and honestly I wouldn’t be shocked if they ran the table.

If you haven’t been warned about the potential surge of Desert View football this season, now you have been warned.

Notre Dame Prep

Rank: 17

Ceiling: 6-4

Floor: 2-8

‘24 record: 5-6, lost in Round of 16 

# of Players with D-I offers: 1

Off. Returning Production: 22.5%

Def. Returning Production: 44.6%

Notre Dame Prep has been one of the best programs in 5A over the last decade or so, but the last couple seasons just haven’t been very good as the Saints have gotten beaten up in the toughest region in 5A, going a combined 10-13 in the past two seasons. 

While it has been good enough to get them to the playoffs, simply making the playoffs doesn’t cut it at Notre Dame Prep, a program that is used to competing for state titles.

Unfortunately, I think this season might be pretty similar to the last one.

Defensively, the Saints should be excited about ‘27s Gunnar Perry, Mason Pavone, and Nathan Jones, who each had 70+ tackles and Jones recorded 18.3 TFLs, 13.3 sacks, and 5 PBUs which helped him pick up a Northern Arizona offer this offseason.

But offensively, Oregon WR Cooper Perry was so much of what they did. When QB Dylan Rarden went down, Cooper Perry played a ton of wildcat QB due to some of the struggles of the other QBs on the roster. The Saints also graduate leading rusher Jason Samis. 

There are going to be a lot of new faces on offense along with ‘27 LB/RB Gunnar Perry in the first season under new OC Chad Degrenier, who stepped down as the Mesa HC this offseason.

But looking forward to their once-again brutal schedule, the Saints face off against #1 Desert Edge, #4 Cactus Shadows, #5 Desert Mountain, #7 Horizon, #8 Campo Verde, #9 Yuma Catholic, #15 ACP, as well as Sunnyslope and Chaparral. If NDP can’t pull off some upsets, they are staring down a 3-7 record, which in all likelihood still gets them into the new 24-team playoffs.

Casa Grande

Rank: 18

Ceiling: 7-3

Floor: 4-6

‘24 record: 6-5, lost in Round of 16 

# of Players with D-I offers: 1

Off. Returning Production: 70.7%

Def. Returning Production: 35.7%

Casa Grande is one of the more intriguing teams this season. The Cougars looked solid throughout summer 7s this offseason after not having the season they had hoped for in 2024.

Offensively, the Cougars return a ton of talent. 3-star ‘26 UNC TE/DE commit Aveon Williams, who won the BJ Media TE of the Year award after catching 36 passes for 771 yards and 11 TDs, will be the biggest returner. 

The Cougars also return ‘26 QB Luke Keeton, who threw for 2,755 yards, 28 TDs, and 7 INTs as a junior as well as ‘26 RB/DB Cameron Armstrong, who led the team with 724 rushing yards and 6 TDs in addition to 25 receptions for 337 yards and 2 TDs last season.

The only big losses for the Cougars on offense will be 1,000-yard WR Kendale Cade and 4-year starting offensive lineman Lelend Cevedia.

Defensively is where the Cougars are going to have to improve. Casa Grande’s defense allowed 31 PPG, including 47.4 PPG in losses last season.

The Cougars will be leaning on Williams and Armstrong as well as ‘27 DB Izayah Gant as they hope to get enough stops to be able to win more games in an incredibly difficult region.

In freedom games, the Casa Grande schedule is very manageable, with #6 ALA Gilbert North being the only playoff opponent. But the Cougars’ region schedule features 6 ‘24 playoff opponents, including #2 Marana, #10 Buena, and #12 Tucson. 

The Cougars have the talent to pull off at least one upset to get to 7+ wins, but if their defense is giving up 40+ points to these teams, it’s going to be an uphill climb.

Canyon Del Oro

Rank: 19

Ceiling: 7-3

Floor: 3-7

‘24 record: 6-5, lost in 4A Round of 16

# of Players with D-I offers: 0

Off. Returning Production: 56.1%

Def. Returning Production: 51.8%

The Dorados graduated a massive senior class from their 2023 4A state title team and last season showed the growing pains with the younger in their first year under HC Scott McKee.

Last season was a bit of a struggle, especially offensively and now the Dorados face the task of moving up to 5A mainly due to their enrollment.

‘26 WR/DB Cash Dickey is going to be the centerpiece of the team on both sides of the ball after leading the team with 15 receptions for 347 yards and 4 TDs while also leading the team with 46 tackles, 7 PBUs, and 2 INTs as a junior.

The toughest games on their schedule include 4A #1 Mica Mountain, #2 Marana, #10 Buena, #12 Tucson, #16 Desert View, and #18 Casa Grande. I’m not really sure how this team is going to adjust to 5A football in a brutal Southern region, which is why I have such a big gap between their 7-3 ceiling and 3-7 floor.

Sunnyslope

Rank: 20

Ceiling: 9-1

Floor: 5-5

‘24 record: 4-6, missed playoffs 

# of Players with D-I offers: 1

Off. Returning Production: 55.3%

Def. Returning Production: 55.7%

Offensively, the Vikings are going to have a lot of new starters around ‘27 QB Royce Vanacore, who picked up D-I offers from Georgia St and Kennesaw St this offseason after throwing for 1,729 yards, 14 TDs, and 9 INTs while rushing for 454 yards and 5 TDs as a sophomore.

Defensively, the Vikings return over half their starters, led by a strong secondary featuring ‘26s Tommy Reeve, Joseph Lee, and Patrick Ross, who combined for 160 tackles, 4 TFLs, and 3 INTs.

Sunnyslope’s toughest games will come against #7 Horizon, #11 Cactus, #14 McClintock, #17 Notre Dame Prep, and Ironwood. If Vanacore and the Viking offense play like they have all summer during 7s, Sunnyslope can rail off a lot of upsets and be a big-time sleeper in 5A.

Ironwood

Rank: 21

Ceiling: 10-0

Floor: 7-3

‘24 record: 5-5, missed playoffs

# of Players with D-I offers: 0

Off. Returning Production: 88.8%

Def. Returning Production: 50.6%

The Eagles have improved in each season under HC Tony Stillings and 2025 is the time for them to really make some noise.

‘26 QB/ATH Khavontae “KP” Paul is one of the most dynamic players in all of 5A and will be in the running for that 5A player of the year award. KP rushed for 1,635 yards and 17 TDs on 7.8 yards per carry in just 10 games last season while also throwing for 865 yards, 8 TDs, and 5 INTs. Throughout spring ball, KP has shown a ton of improvement with his arm and accuracy as a passer even though that won’t be the position he plays at the next level.

A couple more key returners on offense will be ‘27 WR/DB Ramsey, who is every bit of 6’3” and can go get almost any 50-50 ball, and ‘27 RB Nick Morrow, who should have a much more efficient junior season behind an improved offensive line led by ‘26 OT Christian Mejia, who has garnered a ton of interest from D-II and D-III college football coaches.

Starting ‘26 SF Cayden Whetsel from the basketball team has decided to play football as well for his senior season and will be a starter at LB while also playing a lot of TE as well. 

Defensively, ‘26 DB Chase Tafoya should have a big year after switching from safety to corner this offseason coming off an 8 PBU and 2 INT junior season.

Looking at the Eagle schedule, their toughest games will come against #14 McClintock and #20 Sunnyslope as well as Verrado. I am pretty confident that Ironwood can win 8 or 9 games with this schedule. However, their strength of schedule is not going to do them any favors with playoff seeding.

Vista Grande

Rank: 22

Ceiling: 7-3

Floor: 4-6

‘24 record: 8-3, lost in 4A Round of 16

# of Players with D-I offers: 0

Off. Returning Production: 12.8%

Def. Returning Production: 14.2%

The Spartans won a school-record 8 games last season, making their first playoff appearance in quite some time. They were then rewarded with immediately moving up to 5A. 

In addition to having a massive senior class graduate, the Spartans also lost HC Jon Roberts to Mountain Pointe and brought in former ALA Ironwood HC Loren Dawson to replace him, which will make the 2025 Vista Grande completely different. 

Among those changes will be ‘27 WR Leewai Tavares transitioning to QB1 to replace seniors Eltorna Gant and Brendan Hunt. My assumption with that move is that the Spartans will be running the ball a ton behind one of the better o-lines in 5A led by ‘27s Brayden Mendoza and Blaze Ferguson, who will both be entering year three as varsity starters.

The Spartans will have a brutal schedule in their first year in the 5A Southern region. They’ll open up with 3 very winnable freedom games before playing 7 consecutive 2024 playoff teams, including 4A #3 Walden Grove, #2 Marana, #10 Buena, #12 Tucson, rival #18 Casa Grande, and #19 CDO. Region play will be what defines the Vista Grande season after they likely start off 3-0.

Camelback

Rank: 23

Ceiling: 8-2

Floor: 5-5

‘24 record: 6-4, missed playoffs

# of Players with D-I offers: 0

Off. Returning Production: 46.1%

Def. Returning Production: 37.4%

Year one under HC Dante Foster was a success at Camelback as they swept region play and finished about .500. The Spartans recognized that because of their region alignment that it was going to take scheduling tough freedom games and winning at least some of them to make the playoffs.

The Spartans return a good group of talent, led by ‘26 QB Angel Neria, who threw for 1,880 yards, 15 TDs, and 10 INTs while rushing for 639 yards and 3 TDs as a junior. 

‘26 DB/WR Cezair Yates had a big junior season defensively, but they’re going to utilize him a lot more on offense this season with all of their starting WRs and starting TE graduating. ‘26 DL Sifita Kakau, who led the team with 5.5 sacks, should also have a big senior season. 

In addition to the returns, ‘28 DB Devion Jones, who started all 9 games as a freshman at Central last season, has transferred in. 

Camelback will likely sweep all their 5A Metro region games for a second straight season, but their freedom schedule poses a lot of challenges as well. They’ll face #4 Cactus Shadows, #13 Canyon View, #14 McClintock, #16 Desert View, and 4A #6 Arcadia. 

If the Spartans win one of those freedom games, they should comfortably be in the playoffs, but if they lose all 5 they will be right on that playoff bubble in the new 24-team format.

Verrado

Rank: 24

Ceiling: 7-3

Floor: 5-5

‘24 record: 10-3, lost in semifinals 

# of Players with D-I offers: 0

Off. Returning Production: 18.1%

Def. Returning Production: 40.3%

The Vipers had a magical season in their one year under HC Jeremy Hathcock, making it all the way to the 5A semifinals before falling to eventual state champion Desert Edge.

It took two board votes, but Verrado brought in Brett Davis as their new HC this offseason after quite a few outstanding seasons at 2A Tonopah Valley.

Davis inherits a roster that will have a ton of players with little to no varsity experience, but he does have a couple players that made big contributions last season. 

Offensively, it’s ‘26 QB Malachi Wilt, who ironically transferred in from Tonopah Valley last season and threw for 1,039 yards, 11 TDs (1 rush), and 2 INTs while splitting reps for 8 games. Wilt threw for 4,407 yards, 49 TDs, and 12 INTs in Davis’ air-raid offense as a sophomore at Tonopah Valley in 2023.

Defensively, the top returner is ‘26 LB Zach Kovach, who led the team with 121 tackles while also recording 3.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks.

Verrado’s toughest games will come against #1 Desert Edge, #7 Horizon, #9 Yuma Catholic, #13 Canyon View, and #21 Ironwood.

This Viper team could very well end up winning 6 or 7 games and finishing a lot higher in my final Week 10 rankings, but I have them as my last team in the playoffs due to their lack of varsity experience as a group.

Final Thoughts

Biggest risers from end of last season: Desert View (+13 spots), Canyon View (+11 spots), Desert Edge (+9 spots), Ironwood (+6 spots), Campo Verde (+4 spots), Tucson (+3 spots)

Biggest sinkers from end of last season: Verrado (-16 spots), Notre Dame Prep (-8 spots), Horizon (-5 spots)