BJ's 6A Preseason Rankings

In last season’s 6A preseason rankings, 21 of my 23 preseason-ranked teams made the playoffs. 14 of my 23 preseason-ranked teams finished within 3 spots of their preseason ranking. This year’s playoff format changed, so I will only be ranking my top 20 6A teams instead of top 23. Here is the new format for those who haven’t learned about it:

#1-4: byes into open quarterfinals

#5-12: face each other in first round; winners to open quarterfinals, losers to 6A quarterfinals

#13-20: play each other in 6A first round; winners face the 4 open first round losers in 6A quarterfinals, losers eliminated

Liberty

Rank: 1

Ceiling: 10-0

Floor: 8-2

‘24 record: 12-1, won open title

Number of players with D-I offers: 12

Off. Returning Production: 42.5%

Def. Returning Production: 59.4%

The back-to-back defending Open champions have lost one game to an Arizona opponent in the past 3 seasons, which was a Devon Dampier and Jason Mohns-led Saguaro team that beat them on a two-point conversion. Until someone beats the Lions again, they will be my #1 team.

‘26 QBs Brayden Stevens and Jayden Pico have been battling it out with ‘27 QB Kenny Raymond for the starting QB position. I have not heard official word on who has won the job, but Stevens is who I would predict to be out there in Thursday’s season opener against Mountain View.

The biggest returner for Liberty is ‘27 WR Braxton Huynh, who caught 65 passes for 1,094 yards and 11 TDs as a sophomore last season, which helped him pick up 6 D-I offers this offseason. 

‘26 Eastern Washington TE commit Kamden Seagall will also be a cornerstone of this Liberty offense after catching 37 passes for 525 yards and 6 TDs in just 8 games after transferring in from Saguaro last season.

‘26 WR Marley Chancey, who picked up a D-I offer from Northern Arizona this summer, will also be an important target for whoever is out there at QB.

At RB, it will likely be a three-headed monster. ‘26 Esteban Demby-lamas finished 2nd on the team with 664 yards and 7 TDs and ‘27 Jayden Sanchez rushed for 412 yards and 3 TDs. 3-star ‘26 Hawaii ATH commit TJ Fo’ilefutu has transferred in from Tonopah Valley, where he rushed for 1,184 yards and 19 TDs and caught 50 passes for 925 yards and 10 TDs as a junior last season.

Defensively, the Lions have an absolutely loaded returning group. 3-star ‘26 Arizona State DB commit Zeth Angel Thues, 3-star ‘26 Boise State DL commit Paz St. John, 3-star ‘26 Minnesota LB commit Hudson Dunn, 3-star ‘26 Washington State DE commit Tyler Burnstein, ‘26 Northern Arizona LB commit Cannon Garday, and ‘26 DBs Eli Rutermann and Ty’vel Calloway make up the top returning players in their stacked 2026 class in what will likely be the best defense in the state of Arizona.

In addition to all the seniors ‘27 DB Cannon Collins and ‘28 DB Kadin Young, who both picked up their first D-I offers from Northern Arizona this summer, are expected to have big roles in the team’s secondary as well.

The toughest games for the Lions this regular season will come against national #14-ranked Corner Canyon (UT), ALA Queen Creek, Centennial, Brophy, Pinnacle, Highland, and Thursday’s date with ‘24 6A runner-up Mountain View.

My prediction is that the Lions will run the table and three-peat as 13-0 Open Division champions. Corner Canyon, ALA Queen Creek, and Basha (in the playoffs) are the three most likely teams to ruin a potential perfect season.

Basha

Rank: 2

Ceiling: 10-0

Floor: 8-2

‘24 record: 11-2, lost in open title game

Number of players with D-I offers: 21

Off. Returning Production: 75.2%

Def. Returning Production: 90.7%

It is very rare to see a team play for an open division title with 90% of their defensive production and 75% of their offensive production coming from sophomores and juniors. 

And college coaches absolutely took note of how stacked their 2026 and 2027 classes are this offseason, as the tally of Basha players with D-I offers ballooned to 21 despite the program graduating Arizona WR Gio Richardson, Oregon State DE Bleu Dantzler, and New Mexico State OL Sam Garcia.

Returning on offense for the Bears is 3-star ‘26 North Texas QB commit Brodie Vehrs, 3-star ‘26 Colorado State WR commit Kash Brock, ‘26 RB Josh Gaines (holds 5 D-I offers), ‘26 OL Tevita Kale (Flight Club MVP this summer), 4-star ‘27 RB Noah Roberts, 3-star ‘27 WR Jaden Baldwin, 4-star ‘27 OL Jake Hildebrand, and 4-star ‘27 OL/DL DaJohn Yarborough has moved to AZ from Minnesota and enrolled at Basha if they weren’t already stacked enough on offense.

Defensively, the Bears return 3-star ‘26 Cal ATH commit Mason Lewis, ‘26 Idaho State DB commit Kaedyn Smith, ‘26 New Mexico DB commit Xavier Rivera-Rogers, ‘26 Air Force DB commit Kaleb Garcia, ‘26 DBs Trey Knox (5 D-I offers) and Kaden Williams (2 D-I offers), ‘26 DLs Dante Bruley (3 D-I offers) and To’omalatai Tuitele (Sac St offer), 3-star ‘27 ATH Talyan Patterson, 3-star ‘27 DE Caleb Jordan, ‘27 DL Anitoni Tahi (4 D-I offers, 3 P4 offers), and ‘28 TE/DE Landen Miguel Wade (7 D-I P4 offers).

After reading the essay of Basha players that college coaches badly want on their future rosters, I’m sure many of you are thinking: how is Liberty going to beat them? Liberty has had their number each of the last 3 times they have played extremely talented Basha teams, winning all 3 previous meetings by an average of 3 touchdowns.

National #20 Orange Lutheran (CA) will be a great challenge for this group, but besides that game, the only teams that can beat Basha this season are themselves and Liberty. Looking forward to seeing if the Bears can get over that hurdle and beat Liberty and prevent their Open Division 3-peat.

ALA Queen Creek

Rank: 3

Ceiling: 10-0

Floor: 7-3

‘24 record: 10-2, lost in Open semifinals 

Number of players with D-I offers: 6

Off. Returning Production: 36.1%

Def. Returning Production: 11.8%

ALA Queen Creek is a team that may not pass the numbers and offers tests like Liberty and Basha, but the eye test absolutely works in their favor. The Patriots, who call themselves “not a 7s team” advanced into the semifinals or championship at 3 out of 4 major 7v7 tournaments this summer and won or finished up top 3 in all of the big man challenges. 

ALA Queen Creek just also has some of the most well-coached and well-ran practices I’ve seen, whether it be spring ball or summer workouts, or after the pads come on.

But don’t get twisted, the Patriots have a core group of guys, especially on offense, that are going to be nightmares for opposing coaching staffs this season.

‘26 QB Britton DeWitt, who has verbally committed to Idaho after serving a 2-year mission, is coming off of a 1,152 yard, 9 TDs, and just 1 INT junior season, which he did in only 5 games. 

‘26 RB Bobby Nesbit Jr, who split the backfield with senior Brandon Brown last season and rushed for 603 yards and 6 TDs (1 rec), picked up D-I offers from San Diego and UT Martin this summer and looks forward to the opportunity of being the primary RB.

‘26 New Mexico OL commit Braden Chick leads arguably the best offensive line in Arizona this season that is going to wreak havoc on several opposing defensive lines. ALA Queen Creek is used to having big, strong guys on their offensive line like Riggs Anderson, but until now they’ve never had the guys that were tall enough to meet the D-I measureables. Well now they do.

3-star ‘27 TE Talan Scott made a splash in his sophomore season with his blocking abilities that earned him D-I offers from San Diego State, New Mexico, and Utah, and now he gets a chance to showcase his pass-catching abilities.

‘26 WR Nash Proctor, who started in the slot last season, will also be huge for the Patriots this season, especially in the first five games.

The reason I bring up the first five games is because 3-star ‘26 Northern Arizona WR/DB commit Khalil Bender and 3-star ‘27 WR Braylon Kasper have transferred in from McClintock and ALA Queen Creek, respectively and will make this team even more dangerous in Week 6.

Defensively, pretty much everyone graduates, but likely always, they always have the next guy ready to step up and have a big season. The majority of last year’s top senior players did not get a ton of playing time as juniors and it will remain the same this season.

ALA’s front-end of the schedule has a lot of big challenges. In their first five games they’ll face Hamilton, Red Mountain, Chandler, #1 Liberty, and Salpointe Catholic. In the back half of the schedule, their toughest games will be against rival Queen Creek as well as Mountain View.

People from particular East Valley programs have told me they will start 1-4 or 0-5 without Kasper and Bender, but I don’t believe that one bit. This will be a team that likely wins 7-9 games and will likely be in the Open Division semifinals. Let’s not forget that this team was in the red zone and down 4 points at the end of the game last year against #2 Basha.

Hamilton

Rank: 4

Ceiling: 9-1

Floor: 6-4

‘24 record: 10-2, lost in open semifinals 

Number of players with D-I offers: 15

Off. Returning Production: 35.5%

Def. Returning Production: 52.6%

On paper, only Basha has more talent than this Hamilton team, and not by much. However, D-I offers and great individual players mean nothing if they don’t play well together as a group. 

Last season, the Huskies didn’t necessarily have the most difficult schedule. In the regular season, they played 5 teams that finished below .500 and only faced 2 teams that either made it to the Open or made it past the 6A quarterfinals. Those teams were Basha, who beat them 35-20, and Centennial, who they beat 17-10 before their transfer became eligible and turned their season around.

This year their schedule beefs up and this is going to be challenged and forced to play to their full potential.

The Huskies have a wealth of talent on both sides of the ball. 4-star ‘28 WR Roye Oliver has quickly emerged as the best offensive player in the entire Class of 2028 after catching 43 passes for 861 yards and 11 TDs as a freshman, the most by an Arizona freshman at the state’s highest level of football in the MaxPreps era.

‘28 QB Jax Sculley will be QB1 as he has fully recovered from a torn ACL he suffered early last season. 

3-star ‘26 RB Jacob Brown looks to pick up where he left off last season after rushing for 980 yards and 8 TDs and catching 25 passes for 198 yards and 1 TD.

HC Travis Dixon has also spoken highly of ‘27 RB Skyler Cole, who he expects to have a much bigger role in the offense as a junior.

‘28 RB Devante Roebuck will likely also get a lot of action this season after picking up 3 D-I offers this offseason.

Brown, Cole, and Roebuck will be looking for big running lanes behind 3-star ‘26 Nebraska OT commit Rex Waterman, ‘26 OL Logan Ray (Chandler transfer), and a stout Husky o-line.

Defensively, the Huskies might have even more talent, especially in the secondary. ‘26 LB and DB Beau and Niko Jandreau are identical twins who are both 3-star Oklahoma commits. 

3-star ‘26 Hawaii DB commit Marquis Richardson, ‘26 Northern Arizona DB commit Xavion Brazil, and 3-star ‘26 DB Kingston Spivey (younger brother of Arizona WR Tre Spivey) will be the leaders of an absolutely loaded secondary along with Niko Jandreau.

‘28 DB/ATHs Keaton Fields and Kacey Allen have picked up a combined 7 D-I offers and ‘29 DB/WR Roman Oliver (younger brother of 4-star Roye Oliver with an offer from Southern Miss) will also play significant varsity snaps to make up the younger core of the Hamilton secondary.

The toughest tests for the Huskies this regular season will come against #2 Basha, #3 ALA Queen Creek, rival Chandler, Centennial, and Brophy. I see this team likely getting 8 or 9 wins, but if they revert back to any bad habits from last season, this schedule is tough enough for them to go 6-4 or 7-3.

Chandler

Rank: 5

Ceiling: 10-0

Floor: 6-4

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

Number of players with D-I offers: 9

Off. Returning Production: 40.6%

Def. Returning Production: 50.4%

2024 was Chandler’s worst football season in quite some time. The Wolves finished 5-6 after a 4-0 start and injuries and youth plagued their season, especially towards the end.

HC Rick Garretson decided to retire at the end of the season and the Wolves brought in Ty Wisdom, who once built up the Horizon program before moving to Nebraska to take over Millard South, as their new HC.

The culture has completely changed and it was very noticeable even back during spring ball when I stopped by Arizona Ave for the CUSD Showcase.

The Wolves also had a number of D-I coaches come in and offer their ‘26s and ‘27s throughout spring ball and summer 7s and big man challenges. 

Offensively, Chandler returns one of the best o-lines in Arizona, led by ‘26 Eastern Washington commit Blake Speer, ‘26 Noah Swope (holds Air Force offer), and ‘27 Sire Stewart (holds 5 D-I offers). 

The Wolves also return 3-star ‘27 QB Will Mencl, 3-star ‘27 WR Jai Jones, ‘27 WR Maxwell Sprott (holds 2 D-I offers), and ‘27 ATH Kaydon Gray (holds 5 D-I offers). 

Defensively, Chandler returns Gray, 3-star ‘26 Arizona DB commit Hamisi Juma, and 3-star ‘27 DL Jaxon Zembrycki. 

Cathedral Catholic (CA), #3 ALA Queen Creek, #4 Hamilton, and Centennial will be the Wolves’ toughest tests this season, and I think they answer the call and get back to being the Chandler program we’re used to with 7 or 8 wins and getting back to the Open Division playoffs.

Centennial

Rank: 6

Ceiling: 9-1

Floor: 7-3

‘24 record: 7-7, won 6A title 

Number of players with D-I offers: 9

Off. Returning Production: 35.4%

Def. Returning Production: 32.0%

For the second straight season, Centennial is going to look like a very different team. But after having arguably the best freshman class in the state for back to back years (Classes of ‘27 and ‘28), they have some young guys that are ready to go and will provide continuity the next couple years.

Offensively, the QB room just got very interesting. ‘26 Kainan Manna, who started for the Coyotes the last two seasons, suddenly transferred to Lincoln (CA) just a few weeks ago. 

That leaves the Coyotes with ‘26 QB Ethan Beltran, who threw for 576 yards, 5 TDs and 2 INTs as Manna’s backup last season and ‘28 QB Titus Hill (twin brother of Torrin), who played freshman football last season and picked up D-I offers from Sacramento State and Bethune-Cookman this offseason.

‘26 RB Owen Reynoso led the team with 822 yards and 10 TDs while catching 14 passes for 120 yards and 1 TD as a junior while ‘27 RB Derrion Bartholomew rushed for 388 yards and 7 TDs during his sophomore season after picking up D-I offers from Arizona State and Colorado State last summer.

On the offensive line, the Coyotes have absolute giants for these RBs to run behind. ‘26 New Mexico commit Ty Gates is 6'6" and 280 lbs, 3-star ‘27 Ben Lowther is 6’8” and 305 lbs, and ‘28 Karmello Calloway is 6’6” and 290 lbs and has double-digit D-I offers. 

3-star ‘28 TE Torrin Hill will also be a key piece after he caught 34 passes for 397 yards and 4 TDs as a freshman and 3-star ‘26 WR Sebastian Moreno will finally get back on the field after sitting out the entire 2024 season due to AIA transfer rules.

Defensively, the Coyote secondary is headlined by 3-star ‘27 DB Elijah Carothers and ‘27 DB Devin Taylor, who recorded 49 tackles and 3 PBUs as a sophomore.

On the defensive line, ‘27 DE Luke Franklin led the team with 11 sacks while adding 53 tackles, 3 TFLs, and 3 fumble forces as a sophomore. 

Centennial’s toughest games will come against #1 Liberty, #4 Hamilton, #5 Chandler, and Queen Creek. I expect the Coyotes to win at least one of these games to get themselves to 7-3 or better.

Queen Creek

Rank: 7

Ceiling: 9-1

Floor: 7-3

‘24 record: 10-3, lost in 6A semifinals

Number of players with D-I offers: 4

Off. Returning Production: 59.2%

Def. Returning Production: 33.5%

The Bulldogs were the most improved team in 6A last season, going from 3-8 in 2023 to 10-3 and the 6A semifinals and just missing out on the open in 2024.

Offensively, everything runs through 4-star ‘26 Clemson dual-threat QB commit Tait Reynolds, who threw for 2,238 yards, 22 TDs, and 5 INTs while rushing for 1,426 yards and 19 TDs as a junior.

3-star ‘26 Utah TE commit Bear Fisher will likely be one of his top targets as Reynolds’ top 4 receivers from last season all graduate. ‘26 RB David Rosson is also due for a breakout season after rushing for 440 yards and 2 TDs as a junior.

Defensively, ‘26 New Mexico ATH commit Jaron Liles will be the QB of the defense after finishing 2nd on the team with 132 tackles last season, only behind his older brother Jayshon, who is now at D-II Black Hills State.

‘26 LB RJ Jackson is also due for a big senior year after recording 99 tackles, 11 TFLs, and 3 sacks as a junior. ‘26 New Mexico DE commit Derek Worden should also have a big senior season.

The toughest games for Queen Creek this season will come against #2 Basha, rival #3 ALA Queen Creek, #6 Centennial, and Red Mountain. Another 8-win regular season is a reasonable expectation for the Bulldogs, and this time that will put them in that #5-12 range in that “Open play-in” round.

Williams Field

Rank: 8

Ceiling: 9-1

Floor: 7-3

‘24 record: 4-7, lost in 6A Round of 16

Number of players with D-I offers: 10

Off. Returning Production: 54.7%

Def. Returning Production: 28.2%

Williams Field is absolutely loaded with talent, especially on offense. 

The Black Hawks have arguably the best offensive line in the state, led by 4-star ‘26 Michigan State commit Collin Campbell, 4-star ‘26 Arizona commit Malachi Joyner, and 3-star ‘26 Idaho commit Omar Kaba.

Running behind that massive o-line is 3-star ‘26 San Jose State RB commit Courshawn Hill and ‘26 RB Q Skillings (holds D-I offers from Eastern Washington, Idaho St, & Illinois St), who combined for nearly 1,500 yards and 20 TDs last season. 

‘27 Dom Barjona will be taking over as QB1 this season after throwing for 932 yards, 5 TDs, and 6 INTs as a sophomore. Barjona has been very impressive this season, helping Williams Field’s “The Squad” 7v7 team collect 3 Gotta Believe 7s tournament titles during the winter and early spring as well as leading the Black Hawks to one of four ASU 7v7 camp titles in June.

3-star ‘27 WR Trey Smith should have a huge junior season alongside fellow ‘27 WR John “Buddha” Booker (D-I offer from Cornell) and ‘27 ATH Knolan Tyler (D-I offers from Bethune-Cookman and Georgia State). 

Defensively, 3-star ‘27 LB/ATH Almasi “MJ” Glenn Jr should have a big junior season after impressing multiple D-I coaches this offseason.

‘26 DB Sean Boyd also picked up his first D-I offer from Weber State this summer and will likely be a big piece of a Black Hawk secondary that graduated a ton of seniors from last season.

‘26 DE Joshua Campbell, who led the team with 7.5 sacks while also recording 40 tackles and 10.5 TFLs, will also be a key part of the new-look Williams Field defense.

Looking at the Black Hawks’ schedule, their toughest games will come against #2 Basha, #5 Chandler, Brophy, and Higley. I expect the Black Hawks to come out of that stretch somewhere between 1-3 and 3-1 while sweeping the rest of their schedule.

Brophy

Rank: 9

Ceiling: 8-2

Floor: 6-4

‘24 record: 10-3, lost in 6A semifinals 

Number of players with D-I offers: 16

Off. Returning Production: 84.1%

Def. Returning Production: 42.9%

The Broncos are absolutely loaded this season in the skills positions, especially at WR and DB. 

However, Brophy graduates their entire offensive line and will need to find new inexperienced guys to protect 3-star ‘26 Air Force QB Case Vanden Bosch and provide gaps for ‘26 RB Harrison Chambers, who led the team with 688 yards and 6 TDs last season.

In their loaded WR room, the Broncos have 3-star ‘26 Notre Dame WR commit Devin Fitzgerald, 3-star ‘26 Stanford WR commit Daylen Sharper, and 3-star ‘27 WR Donovan McNabb Jr. 3-star ‘27 ATH Ryder Noche and ‘28 DB/ATH Julian Ferrari also have plenty of WR experience as well in case one of those 3 guys go down or need a breather.

On top of their WRs, the Broncos also have 3-star ‘27 TE Jaylen Fitzgerald (Devin’s cousin) and ‘28 TE Brady Powell (younger brother of Wisconsin OL Logan Powell with 5 D-I offers) as additional passing targets and run blockers.

In their brand new starting offensive line, 3-star ‘27 OL Shane Reiersgaard, the only lineman in the program to play significant snaps behind last season’s 5 seniors, will be the leader and centerpiece of their offensive trenches. ‘29 OT Yuen Taufete’e is also expected to either start or play significant snaps as a freshman after picking up a D-I offer from Arizona this summer.

Defensively, Brophy has an absolutely loaded secondary, featuring ‘26 Montana State commit Deshawn Krein, ‘26 James Pike (D-I offers from Northern Arizona, Drake, & Fordham), 3-star ‘27 ATH Ryder Noche, and ‘28 ATHs Julian Ferrari (Sac St offer) and Xavier Sandhu (3 D-I offers). 

To round other key returners on defense, the Broncos return 3-star ‘26 LB Bastian Vanden Bosch and ‘26 DL Joshua Finch-Logan (D-I offer from Robert Morris).

Brophy has a pretty brutal schedule, featuring #1 Liberty, #2 Basha, #4 Hamilton, #8 Williams Field, Red Mountain, Higley, and Perry. With their strength of schedule, 6+ wins should be enough to give them a chance to play into the Open Quarterfinals.

Mountain View

Rank: 10

Ceiling: 8-2

Floor: 6-4

‘24 record: 12-2, lost in 6A championship 

Number of players with D-I offers: 2

Off. Returning Production: 63.2%

Def. Returning Production: 43.6%

The Toros return a pretty healthy percentage of their skills position production on both offense and defense this season. However, they are going to have to replace 4 starters on their offensive line that graduated.

Offensively, 3-star ‘26 Utah State QB commit Brady Goodman is due for a big senior season after throwing for 3,087 yards, 43 TDs, and just 4 INTs while rushing for 435 yards and 11 TDs. 

‘26 WR Talan Arnett, who led the Toros with 58 receptions for 1,230 yards and 24 TDs as a junior, is looking to prove to college coaches that he put up similar or even better numbers as a senior.

‘26 RB/WR Zachary Galaviz will also have a bigger role as the second option in the passing game after catching 35 passes for 458 yards and 6 TDs as the third leading receiver last season.

‘26 RB/DB Steve Metto will likely get a lot more carries this season after 1,500-yard back Reese Bodily graduated. 

The biggest returner from the offensive line will be ‘27 Tye Kennedy, who picked up D-I offers from Arizona, Northern Arizona, and Idaho this offseason. 

Defensively, ‘26 LB Reign Curiel, who led the team with 88 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, and 2 INTs last season, will lead a solid returning core from last season.

‘26 DBs Myron Christensen and Brody Andersen, who combined for 137 tackles, 7 TFLs, 4 INTs, and 9 PBUs last season, will be key returners in the secondary as the Toros will need more defensive stops against tougher regular season opponents. 

Mountain View’s schedule includes dates with #1 Liberty, #2 Basha, #3 ALA Queen Creek, Red Mountain, Highland, Higley, rival Mesa, and a LONG road trip to 5A #10 Buena.

Pinnacle

Rank: 11

Ceiling: 7-3

Floor: 5-5

‘24 record: 8-4, lost in 6A quarterfinals

Number of players with D-I offers: 3

Off. Returning Production: 25.3%

Def. Returning Production: 37.1%

The Pioneers will have a new starting QB for the first time since the 2021 season. And they have 4 viable suitors to take that QB1 job, making the situation extremely difficult for the coaching staff to navigate. 

The incumbent QB room includes ‘26 Drew Varsano, who was now Idaho State QB Wyatt Horton’s backup last season, and ‘28 Grayson Bull, who had a dominant season at the freshman level in 2024. 

These two have been competing for the Week 1 job this entire offseason and have been neck and neck, but sources inside the program have told me Varsano will likely start Friday’s season opener at La Cueva (NM). However, Bull is expected to get some playing time, especially in the first 5 weeks.

In Week 6 is when two more QBs will enter the mix, Cactus ‘26 transfer Antonio Casias and O’Connor ‘27 transfer Jackson Reader. Casias threw for 3,001 yards, 29 TDs, and 9 INTs while rushing for 375 yards and 3 TDs last season while Reader threw for 683 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT and rushed for 523 yards and 4 TDs as a sophomore.

I would imagine that if either Varsano or Bull gets rolling in Weeks 1-5, the Pioneers will stick with them. But if both struggle and the Pioneers aren’t at least 3-2, Casias and/or Reader could get onto the field as well come Week 6.

The rest of Pinnacle’s offense also has a ton of talent. ‘26 RB/ATH Alex Lugo was big in the passing game last season, catching 36 passes for 626 yards and 8 TDs. ‘26 WR Josh Pinder also caught 18 passes for 347 yards and 4 TDs last season and ‘26 WR Deuce Postell is expected to have a bigger role this season as well. 

In addition to the 3 seniors, ‘28 WR Maxwell Libman (younger brother of Stanford WR Myles Libman) should see significant snaps and ‘27 WR Quvohn Lewis should be huge for the Pioneers starting in Week 6 after catching 36 passes for 629 yards and 7 TDs as a sophomore at O’Connor last season.

Defensively, 3-star ‘26 Sacramento State DB commit Jai Ewing, ‘27 DB Xavier Thomas (holds D-I offer from Northern Arizona), and ‘26 DB Brayden Fricke, who led the team with 3 INTs as well as 66 tackles and 6 TFLs, will be the centerpieces of the Pinnacle secondary. 

The Pioneers have a lot of seniors to replace at LB and on the defensive line and ‘26 DL Haydon Franklin, who picked up a D-I offer from San Diego this summer, should be one of the guys to fill some seniors’ shoes.

Like every 6A team, Pinnacle has numerous tough tests, including La Cueva (NM), #1 Liberty, #4 Hamilton, #5 Chandler, Salpointe Catholic, and Higley. Another 7-3 regular season for the Pioneers would comfortably put them into that open play-in group (seeds 5-12).

Salpointe Catholic

Rank: 12

Ceiling: 8-2

Floor: 5-5

‘24 record: 8-3, lost in 6A quarterfinals 

Number of players with D-I offers: 3

Off. Returning Production: 59.9%

Def. Returning Production: 30.8%

Salpointe looked like they were rolling into the playoffs last season after giving Liberty a scare and blowing out Brophy in the last 3 weeks of the regular season, but then the Lancers just had a very flat game in the 6A quarterfinals as they lost to Mountain View 41-10 to end the season.

I think the Mountain View game and even moreso the season-opening loss to Southern AZ rival Marana left a sour taste in the Lancers mouth and left them hungry and motivated for more as they enter their 4th season as a 6A team from a school with a 4A enrollment.

Unlike previous Salpointe Catholic teams that typically are favored in almost every game and roll over 4A and 5A teams week-to-week, this year’s Salpointe team seems to have a chip on their shoulder and more of an underdog mentality.

They brushed off questions about Marana (3:20:00) and Tucson (5:36:21) during the podcast session at Southern AZ Media Day after seeing the shade and smack talk those two rivals directed towards them during their sessions.

But don’t get it twisted, like previous Salpointe teams, they are still loaded with top level talent. 

3-star ‘27 WR/DB RJ Gory has seen his recruitment blow up after catching 43 passes for 513 yards and 5 TDs as a sophomore last season. ‘27 QB Matthew Avelar picked up his first D-I offer from Sacramento State during the winter after throwing for 917 yards, 6 TDs, and 4 INTs while rushing for 292 yards and 5 TDs.

‘26 OL Joshua Meisner also received a D-I offer from New Mexico this summer as he and his fellow Lancer linemen hope to set the tone for this offense this season.

‘27 RB Charles Chaney is also a candidate for a breakout season this year after rushing for 240 yards and 1 TD in his sophomore season behind a pair of seniors.

Defensively, ‘26 DT Noah Bahnie is a vocal leader for the Lancers and had a solid junior season in 2024 with 41 tackles, 7.5 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, and 1 INT. 

In the secondary, the Lancers will lean on ‘26s Nas Pedrego, Van Birchak, and Axel Martinez. The linebacker room, however, will have a lot of new faces.

Salpointe’s toughest games this season will come against #2 Basha, #3 ALA Queen Creek, 5A #2 Marana, #11 Pinnacle, and Red Mountain. I do think the Lancers will come out of this schedule with 7 or 8 wins.

Red Mountain

Rank: 13

Ceiling: 8-2

Floor: 4-6

‘24 record: 7-4, lost in 6A Round of 16 

Number of players with D-I offers: 1

Off. Returning Production: 15.8%

Def. Returning Production: 43.9%

The Mountain Lions graduate a sizable senior class from last season, but it’s not anything that they aren’t used to. 

Red Mountain seems to have a big senior class every season and the following year they come in with another big senior class that may not have played a ton of snaps as juniors and they don’t skip a beat.

Offensively, a lot of the Mountain Lions’ success will be centered around ‘26 Augustana QB commit Dominic Carmigiano, who transferred in from Chandler this offseason and will have to sit for the first five games.

‘26 RB/DB Kai Jackson should also get a lot more carries this season after rushing for 361 yards and 3 TDs as a junior. ‘27 WR Airreon Wisdom should also get a lot more targets this season after the top 3 Red Mountain pass catchers from last season graduated.

‘26 OL/DL Yos Aunese is among key returners on your typical strong and gritty Red Mountain offensive line.

Defensively, the Mountain Lions will have a lot more continuity. Leading tackler ‘26 LB Jameson Wade picked up D-I offers from Cornell and Portland State this summer after recording 97 tackles, 6 TFLs, and 3 sacks as a junior. ‘26 LB Cole Edmonds should also have a big year after recording 71 tackles and 4 TFLs last season.

‘26 OLB Kaid Godaire, '26 DB/WR Tyreke Cornett, ‘26 DB Chayton Gennicks, and '26 SS Jackson White are all expected to have bigger roles this season as well.

The Mountain Lions will have to figure out who their QB will be for the first five games against Desert Pines (NV), #3 ALA Queen Creek, O’Connor, Salpointe, and #9 Brophy. After Carmigiano is eligible, they’ll face #7 Queen Creek, #10 Mountain View, and Highland as their toughest games down the stretch. 

If Red Mountain can come out of those first 5 games with 2, 3 or more wins, they can make a run into the Open Division. Finishing the back end of the regular season has been the achilles heel for them the last two seasons after starting 5-0 and 7-0, respectively, but I think this season will actually be the opposite. This will be a dangerous team in the postseason like always. 

Highland

Rank: 14

Ceiling: 9-1

Floor: 5-5

‘24 record: 7-4, lost in 6A Round of 16

Number of players with D-I offers: 1

Off. Returning Production: 34.6%

Def. Returning Production: 25.7%

Highland is going to look a lot different this season and it remains TBD whether it will be for better or for worse. 2024 did not go as planned for the Hawks as they went 7-3 and blew a 24-0 lead in an overtime 6A Round of 16 loss to Casteel after two 6A titles and an open semifinal appearance in the previous three seasons.

On offense, there will be a combination of familiarity and new key players emerging. ‘27 RB Kruz Cullimore will be a key part of this offense after leading the team 607 rushing yards and 7 TDs while catching 22 passes for 362 yards and 2 TDs as a sophomore.

‘26 WR Max Brown and ‘26 WR/DB Anthony Martin will also be important for the Highland passing attack after combining for 613 yards and 8 TDs as juniors.

The Hawks coaching staff is also excited about ‘27 WR/DE Gage Scheurn, a 6’5” track star who runs a 11.15 100M and 21.70 200M, in his first year of varsity football.

At QB, the Hawks have had a 3-player battle for the starting position all offseason between ‘26 Rylan Reyes and ‘27s Paiden Cash Dalhaug and Luke Young. I have heard mixed emotions about who is expected to start on Thursday night at Higley.

Defensively, ‘26 DBs Grady Crandall and Anthony Martin enter year three as varsity starters and will be the leaders of this defense that will have a lot of new starters.

We will quickly find out how good this Highland team is as they begin the season at Higley, then in Anna, TX against Anna HS, then they’ll face #1 Liberty in their home opener before going back on the road to face Perry. And if that wasn’t enough, they’ll close out the year against #10 Mountain View and #13 Red Mountain.

Perry

Rank: 15

Ceiling: 8-2

Floor: 4-6

‘24 record: 6-6, lost in 6A quarterfinals

Number of players with D-I offers: 2

Off. Returning Production: 55.5%

Def. Returning Production: 28.2%

Outside of getting the first two wins over Chandler in school history, last season was a bit of a letdown for Perry. After an 8-4 season in 2023, the Pumas went 6-6 and didn’t make it any deeper in the 6A playoffs than the previous year.

However, the Pumas have a nice young core that got to learn from last year’s shortcomings and figure out what they needed to get better at this offseason.

Offensively, 3-star ‘27 QB Kael Snyder absolutely blew up during spring ball and is up to 20+ D-I offers now and is having more P4 programs calling his line, including Arizona State. 

3-star ‘28 WR Amos Augustine also has 7 D-I offers himself after catching 28 passes for 289 yards and 2 TDs as a freshman on varsity last season.

‘27 RB/LB Talen Frazier was known more for his offensive abilities before last season, but got thrown in at linebacker as well and excelled at that as well last season. Frazier recorded 46 tackles while rushing for 244 yards and 3 TDs and catching 13 passes for 101 yards and 1 TD last season.

‘26 WR Max Wendelschafer is a player I’m expecting to have a breakout season after the Pumas graduated 3 of their top 4 receivers from last season. Wendelschafer showed off his speed and deep ball playmaking ability throughout summer 7s.

Defensively, ‘26 LB/RB Ricky Stewart will be another key returner in the linebacker room after recording 51 tackles and 6 TFLs last season. 

‘26 DB Devin Sarpy should also have a big senior year after leading the team with 8 PBUs, 1 INT, and 42 tackles.

The Pumas toughest games this season will come against #2 Basha, #5 Chandler, #9 Brophy, #12 Salpointe, #14 Highland, and Granite Hills (CA). These 6 games will truly define the Pumas’ season and I think they’ll find at least 2 wins out of this stretch.

Higley

Rank: 16 

Ceiling: 7-3

Floor: 4-6

‘24 record: 7-4, lost in Open quarterfinals 

Number of players with D-I offers: 3

Off. Returning Production: 30.7%

Def. Returning Production: 32.0%

The Knights are the only newcomer to the 6A conference after winning 2 5A titles and appearing in the Open Division playoffs in the past 3 seasons at the 5A level.

Higley graduates a lot of key players from last year’s team, but they have a good mixture of key returners as well as guys that are ready to fill in the shoes of some of the key seniors from the 2024 season.

Offensively, the biggest returner will be 3-star ‘26 QB Gunner Fagrell, who threw for a combined 4,370 yards, 44 TDs, and 11 INTs while rushing for 573 yards and 7 TDs in the past two seasons while sharing the QB1 job with now-Arizona QB Luke Huago.

Fagrell is excited to finally not be splitting reps this season, but during spring ball he told me and Adam Beadle that he’s always competing with himself, so being named a starter early in the offseason doesn’t change that mindset.

Fagrell will have a completely different set of weapons offense this season. The Knights’ top 4 receivers and starting running back all graduated, but they have multiple guys ready to step up and shine.

At receiver, ‘26 John Asaro, who caught 17 passes for 236 yards as a junior, has had an impressive offseason during spring ball and summer 7s and is ready to show college coaches what he can do after patiently waiting for his turn to shine. 

‘27 Keegan Pederson, who is coming off of a torn ACL injury, should have a breakout season for the Knights as well. 

‘26 Daniel Zubey, son of HC Eddy Zubey, will be another one of Gunner’s top 3 targets this season as he looks to also get some good senior film like Asaro.

At RB, ‘27 Jaxon Watkins should likely be the main ball carrier for Higley after rushing for 228 yards and 3 TDs as a sophomore.

Defensively, ‘26 DE Jayden Rhodes will be huge for the Knights after leading the team with 85 tackles, 11 TFLs, and 6 sacks last season. 3-star ‘26 BYU DB commit Justice Brathwaite, 3-star ‘27 DB Nasim Eason, and ‘26 DB Brock Bascom, who recorded 73 tackles, 1 TFL, 6 PBUs, and 2 INTs last season, will be the key returners.

Teams that are moving up or down divisions are always the tougher ones to make preseason predictions for. I do think 6A is going to pose tough challenges for this team, but they are much better than their 2-8 team in 2021.

Higley’s toughest games will come against #6 Centennial, rival #8 Williams Field, #9 Brophy, #10 Mountain View, #11 Pinnacle, and #14 Highland. If they can win at least one of these games, they should be in pretty good shape for a home game in the 6A first round. I don’t think this team will make it back to the open, but they are very capable of making a run in the 6A bracket.

Mesa

Rank: 17

Ceiling: 8-2

Floor: 3-7

‘24 record: 4-6, missed playoffs 

Number of players with D-I offers: 6

Off. Returning Production: 27.2%

Def. Returning Production: 62.2%

The Jackrabbits do not have a ton of offensive skill position players returning, but they return the majority of their defense and return a very young trenches core. 

During NAU mega camp, the Jackrabbits had a whopping SIX players head home to Mesa with D-I offers from the Lumberjacks: ‘27 OLB Joe Haynie, ‘27 ATH Kameron Williams, ‘27 OL/DL Lafaele Folaumoeloa, ‘28 DE Sione Taueli, ‘28 DE/TE Motuhifonua Ngaue-Stephenson, and ‘29 OL Alani Folaumoeloa. Taueli also holds an Arizona offer.

In addition to the players that had the NAU staff filled with joy at mega camp, ‘26 LBs Ezekiel Eastep and Gabriel Vick, who led the team with 86 and 79 tackles, respectively, will also be key returners for the Jackrabbit defense. 

Offensively, Mesa will have a lot of new faces to join ‘27 RB Rio Arnett, who rushed for 608 yards and 7 TDs while catching 10 passes for 159 yards as a sophomore.

Looking at their schedule, the Jackrabbits have a lot of games that could go either way. Notable games will be against #2 Basha, #10 rival Mountain View, #12 Salpointe, #15 Perry, #16 Higley, Cesar Chavez, rival Westwood, and Casteel. I think a 3-5 or 4-4 record in these 8 crucial games to get to 5-5 or 6-4 overall is a reasonable expectation for Mesa.

Westwood

Rank: 18

Ceiling: 8-2

Floor: 5-5

‘24 record: 5-5, missed playoffs

Number of players with D-I offers: 1

Off. Returning Production: 78.5%

Def. Returning Production: 61.4%

The Warriors improved a lot last season, getting back to .500 after back-to-back losing seasons in 2022 and 2023. The next step for the Warriors will be getting back to the playoffs for the first time since 2014, and I think they have the team to do it.

Westwood returns almost all of their key players from last season. 3-star ‘26 Arizona State DE commit Sinei Tengei is going to be key for the Warriors defensively alongside ‘26 DL Preston Atwood, who led the team with 8 sacks to go with 53 tackles and 14 TFLs as a junior. 

Offensively, ‘27 RB Keshawn Barkus rushed for over 1,100 yards and 9 TDs as a sophomore and will only get better this season. 

‘26 dual-threat QB Elliot Reed is going to give defenses nightmares as well after throwing for 1,341 yards, 13 TDs, and 3 INTs while rushing for 601 yards and 6 TDs as a junior.

The Warriors schedule isn’t too bad. They’ll face #2 Basha, #12 Salpointe, #15 Perry, #17 rival Mesa, and 5A #15 McClintock. I think this team will come out with a 7-3 or 6-4 record this season and break that 11-year playoff drought.

Cesar Chavez

Rank: 19

Ceiling: 7-3

Floor: 5-5

‘24 record: 7-4, lost in 6A Round of 16

Number of players with D-I offers: 1

Off. Returning Production: 47.3%

Def. Returning Production: 64.1%

HC Chandler Hovik’s first season back at his alma mater was a tremendous success in 2024. The Champions won 7 games and got back to the playoffs after a brutal 2023 season.

The Champions also have a very good ‘27 class to be excited about the next two years. 

Offensively, ‘27 QB Mason Penrod, who threw for 1,347 yards, 13 TDs, and 7 INTs while rushing for 240 yards and 6 TDs as sophomore, will be back for a big junior season.

‘27 RB Pharis Jenkins, a finalist for the 2024 BJ Media Offensive Underclassman of the Year award, returns after rushing for 891 yards and 6 TDs as a sophomore.

At receiver, the Champions will need some guys to step up after graduating 3 senior wideouts and ‘27 TE Mekhi Hodge transferred to Mountain Pointe.

The Champions also return a solid offensive line, led by ‘26 Josiah Gandy. 

Defensively, ‘26 New Mexico State DL commit Amare Bell is a key piece after recording 54 tackles, 7 TFLs, and 7.5 sacks as a junior. 

‘26 LB Tyes Graves, who led the team with 112 tackles, 10 TFLs, and 4.5 sacks, will also be a key piece and leader on the Chavez defense.

In the secondary, ‘27 DB Tyvous Spencer and ‘27 DB Elias Tiah, who transferred in from Betty Fairfax, will be key to filling the holes that graduating seniors like MJ Woodberry and Marcus Newman leave.

The Champions’ toughest games this season will come against #4 Hamilton, #5 Chandler, #7 Queen Creek, #11 Pinnacle, and #17 Mesa. The Champions will probably need to win 1 or 2 of those games to have a home playoff game in the 6A opening round.

Casteel

Rank: 20

Ceiling: 6-4

Floor: 3-7

‘24 record: 6-6, lost in 6A quarterfinals

Number of players with D-I offers: 1

Off. Returning Production: 4.6%

Def. Returning Production: 28.9%

The early offseason was very eventful for this Casteel program. It started at the end of the regular season when former HC Bobby Newcombe was suspended for unspecified conduct during a practice just days for their 24-point comeback playoff win over Highland. 

And then after the season, the school parted ways with Newcombe and hired new HC Joe Bushman, who has put together a great staff and had this team looking a lot better at Camp Tontozona in July than when I had previously seen them at the CUSD showcase in May.

But on top of the coaching changes, Casteel graduated a massive senior class and 3-star ‘26 Cal ATH commit Mason Lewis transferred to Basha, leaving the Colts with just 4.6% of their offensive production and 28.9% of their defensive production from last season still in the program.

Offensively, there will be a new QB, new RBs, new WRs, a new TE, and 3 or 4 new OLs.

‘26 Northern Arizona OT commit Bryce Greer will be the most important returner and he has taken full advantage of Coach Bushman asking him to be more of a leader.

Of the new faces on offense, ‘27 QB Tee Smith is expected to take over as QB1 in Week 6 after transferring from Hamilton. 

‘26 ATH Fritzgerald Niclasse has shown a lot of promise throughout the summer, ‘26 WR Eric “EJ” Avila will likely be a starter, and ‘26 TE Riley Hunt has been impressive this summer and has several college coaches looking forward to his early-season game tape after sitting behind Air Force TE Merrik Kubacki last season.

The Colts will also have numerous first-year starters on the offensive line, but that group has looked like it will actually be the strength of this team this season despite that.

Defensively, the Colts have more continuity, but ‘27 DB Troy Jaregui, who recorded 67 tackles, 2 TFLs, and 7 PBUs as a sophomore, and ‘26 DE Jaxon Hamilton, who recorded 48 tackles, 8 TFLs, and 3.5 sacks last season, are the only two underclassmen that got a ton of playing time last season.

‘26 DB Kobe Olivares, ‘26 DE Brady Casper, and ‘26 ATH Fritzgerald Niclasse have had good summers and should all have bigger roles this season after having solid junior seasons. 

Final Thoughts

Biggest risers from end of last season: Chandler (+12 spots), Centennial (+7 spots), Williams Field (+6 spots), Mesa (+3 spots), Westwood (+3 spots)

Biggest sinkers from end of last season: Salpointe (-7 spots), Red Mountain (-4 spots), Highland (-4 spots), Casteel (-3 spots)