Mason & BJ's 5A Preseason Flag Rankings
- Mason Byers
- Sep 15
- 20 min read
In 5A, some obvious top teams will separate themselves early on. However, teams ranked lower could surprise a lot of people and maybe could go on runs in order to be competitive in the playoffs.
Please note that first-year programs are not eligible for our rankings as we do not have any data or film on them.
Here are Mason & Brandon’s 5A flag football rankings.
Campo Verde
Mason’s Rank: 1
BJ’s Rank: 1
Mason’s Ceiling: 12-0
BJ’s Ceiling: 12-0
Mason’s Floor: 11-1
BJ’s Floor: 10-2
‘24 season: 14-6, lost in semifinals.
Off. Production Returning: 68.3%
Def. Production Returning: 69%
Mason: The Campo Verde Coyotes have made their name a household one in the flag football space with the early success they have had.
In the inaugural 2023 season, they won the 5A championship, and last season they lost in the quarterfinals to the later champs in Canyon View.
This season should prove to be the same, as I think they are the easy favorite to win the 5A title once again. The team is loaded, to say the least.
Campo Verde has the pleasure of having two elite starting quarterbacks on their roster in 2026 Izzy Pap, and 2027 Amaya Moreno. Pap holds records in the state of Arizona and helped lead her team to the 2023 title win. Moreno is a transfer from Mountain Pointe, who is the best dual-threat quarterback in Arizona and possibly the country.
They also got the transfer 2028 wide receiver from Basha in Claire McMahon this season as well. McMahon, as a freshman, had 1700 receiving yards and 23 touchdown catches.
Campo Verde will also be bringing back a stout defense and, overall, a really solid team throughout.
Their toughest opponent this season will be their season opener when they go against the 6A Highland Hawks.
The Campo Verde Coyotes are my favorite to win 5A, with the coaching and talent they have on the roster; this should be the expectation for them.
BJ: Campo Verde looked like an immovable object this summer, with all their losses across tournaments being against 6A teams. The Coyotes also went the distance and won it all at the UofA tournament.
‘28 WR/DB Claire McMahon has transferred in from Basha after terrorizing 6A last season with 1,700 receiving yards and 23 TDs as well as 18 INTs, 10 PBUs, and 34 flag pulls on defense.
‘27 QB/ATH Amaya Moreno, the ‘24 BJ Media Offensive Underclassman of the Year, has transferred in from Mountain Pointe.
Moreno showed her ability to play more than just QB throughout the summer, which will allow both her and returning ‘26 QB Izzy Pap to get QB reps without her leaving the field once she is eligible.
Pap threw for 4,393 yards, 41 TDs, and 19 INTs last season and has looked even better so far this offseason. Last season she wasn’t a big threat to break away from rushers with her legs, but this offseason she has gotten significantly faster and that could be a new weapon unlocked in her game this season in addition to her doing a better job of limiting turnovers.
Other key returners for the Coyotes will be ‘26 RB/LB Myla Robertson, ‘26 ATH Serena De Rosa, ‘26 DB/WR Katie McCann, ‘28 LB Kayla Dayton, and ‘28 WR/DBs Ella Mutters and Oakley Dobratz-Blevins.
To be completely honest, barring major injuries, I would be extremely shocked if anyone besides Highland or Mission Viejo (CA) beats Campo Verde this regular season and I think Casa Grande is the only 5A team with a remote chance of stopping the Coyotes from winning their 2nd 5A title in 3 years.
Casa Grande
Mason’s Rank: 2
BJ’s Rank: 2
Mason’s Ceiling: 12-0
BJ’s Ceiling: 12-0
Mason’s Floor: 11-1
BJ’s Floor: 12-0
‘24 season: 13-3, lost in semifinals.
Off. Production Returning: 99%
Def. Production Returning: 95%
Mason: The Casa Grande Cougars are running back a loaded roster they had in the 2024 season. Casa Grande had a very impressive 2024 season, and they made it to the final four in the 5A conference. However, this year they are returning an almost identical roster and will be in contention for the title.
Superstar 2027 athlete Kayla Tacker is making her return for her third season with Casa Grande. Tacker is coming off a season in which she led the team with 18 interceptions and was also the top pass catcher with 1436 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns. Tacker is easily one of the best players in the state and should replicate, if not have a better season, in 2025.
Casa Grande will also have their 2027 quarterback, Sarah Mountz. Mountz had a very solid season, completing over 65% of her passes and had 38 passing touchdowns to go along with it. 2024 was Mountz’s first year as the full-time starter, so there still could be another jump from her in 2025.
The Cougars will go against teams like Arizona College Prep and Buena, but they should realistically go undefeated this season if they play to their strengths.
Casa Grande has gotten better every season, and it would not surprise me if they are holding the championship trophy in November.
BJ: Casa Grande’s core group of ‘27s might be the best core in the state. After losing in the first round as freshmen in ‘23, the Cougars bounced back with a 5A semifinal appearance in their sophomore year in ‘24.
Now as juniors, is when I expect this group to take that next step and play for a 5A state championship game against Campo Verde.
‘27 WR/DB Kayla Tacker is the 2-time reigning BJ Media Defensive Player of the Year. In her first two years of her HS career, she has totaled 31 INTs, 61 PBUs, 126 flag pulls, 1,617 receiving yards, 21 TDs, 712 rushing yards, and 11 TDs.
‘27 ATH Lynisee Armstrong has also been extremely dangerous. In her first two seasons, she has totaled 1,287 rushing yards, 7 TDs, 1,287 receiving yards, 14 TDs, 15 INTs, 49 PBUs, and 94 flag pulls.
‘27 QB Sarah Mountz has thrown for 3,715 yards, 42 TDs, and 18 INTs while rushing for 282 yards and 5 TDs in her first two seasons.
The Cougar supporting cast has also continued to improve over the last two seasons as they try to make a run at a 5A title. I don’t see a single team on their regular season schedule that can beat them.
Verrado
Mason’s Rank: 3
BJ’s Rank: 3
Mason’s Ceiling: 11-1
BJ’s Ceiling: 12-0
Mason’s Floor: 10-2
BJ’s Floor: 10-2
‘24 season: 12-5, lost in quarterfinals.
Off. Production Returning: 77.9%
Def. Production Returning: 32.6%
Mason: Number 3 on the list is the Verrado Vipers. The Vipers had a very strong 2024 season, but it ended during the quarterfinals, where they lost to Casa Grande.
In 2025, I think they are going to finish as a top 3 team because of their offense and ability to get better. There was a big jump from 2023 to 2024, and that can be attributed to the freshmen they got that made an impact right away.
While the percentages may show most of their production isn’t coming back, they have key players who are going to lead this team to a great season.
2028 quarterback Mia Williams had a stellar freshman season with 3573 passing yards and an outstanding 52 passing touchdowns. She helped make Verrado the fourth seed last season, and I expect an even better season in year two for her.
On the defensive side, they have 2026 safety Allison Rospierski. Rospierski was the lead defensive back for Verrado with nine interceptions on the year in 2024. She is going to have the responsibility to make the defense great again, as a lot of their production in 2024 came from senior players.
Verrado will face teams like Sandra Day O’Connor and Canyon View, who will prove to be challengers; however, the rest of their schedule will be favorable if they play to their standards.
With some of the best players in Arizona leading the way for Verrado, I think they will make it to the semifinals for sure and even have a strong chance to win the 5A title.
BJ: ‘28 QB Mia Williams will almost certainly be the best returning QB in her class in 5A this season. The ‘24 BJ Media Freshman of the Year finalist threw for over 3,500 yards and 52 TDs with just 12 INTs last season.
Along with Williams, another ‘28 will likely be WR1 for the Vipers this season: Sanaa Holliday. She caught 47 passes for 637 yards and 11 TDs as a freshman while ‘26 Gisele Wilkinson caught 38 passes for 603 yards and 12 TDs.
The Agua Fria District has 3 top 5A flag football programs, with Canyon View being the best and second best team in 5A the last two seasons. But with Canyon View graduating star QB Katelyn Jewell and a massive senior class, Verrado has a chance to take over this year as the top program in the district. The Vipers’ first chance to prove that will be on October 4th at home against Canyon View.
Canyon View
Mason’s Rank: 4
BJ’s Rank: 4
Mason’s Ceiling: 10-2
BJ’s Ceiling: 10-2
Mason’s Floor: 8-4
BJ’s Floor: 9-3
‘24 season: 15-1, won 5A title.
Off. Production Returning: 30.7%
Def. Production Returning: 48.7%
Mason: The Canyon View Jaguars are coming off a title win in 2024; however, people may think they will have a down year.
While I don’t think they will have as dominant a year as they did in 2024, they still have a lot of pieces to make for a very good season.
They still have players like 2026 athlete Arri Richardson, who had 5 interceptions on defense and on offense had 1077 receiving yards and 12 touchdown receptions. With the wide receiver one role open for her this season, she should have a productive season.
2026 wide receiver and defensive back Kaylani Tucker will be back for Canyon View, too. She led the team last season with 12 interceptions and was also a solid wide receiver in a very deep wide receiver room in 2024.
While they may not have Katelyn Jewell this season, they still have a lot of talent and some young talent coming for them to still be a top team in 5A.
Their schedule is rough, though, as they play 6A champions Hamilton, Mountain Ridge, and Verrado. I think they can surprise some of these teams, though, and get wins against them.
Canyon View will surprise many people this season and have a very good year, becoming one of the top seeds in 5A.
BJ: With star QB Katelyn Jewell, WR Makenzie Pope, and several other key players graduating, this Canyon View team is going to look very different. However, to say that this team still won’t be a top team in 5A would be foolish.
Key returners for the Jaguars will be ‘26 WR Arri Richardson (sister of Arizona WR Gio Richardson) and ‘26 ATH Kaylani Tucker.
The toughest games on the Canyon View schedule will be against 6A Hamilton and Mountain Ridge, #3 Verrado, and Buena. Outside of those 4, every game is very winnable. If the Jaguars can win at least one of those 4 games, they should be in good shape to host a quarterfinal game.
Buena
Mason’s Rank: 5
BJ’s Rank: 6
Mason’s Ceiling: 11-1
BJ’s Ceiling: 10-2
Mason’s Floor: 9-3
BJ’s Floor: 8-4
‘24 season: 12-4, lost in quarterfinals.
Off. Production Returning: 41%
Def. Production Returning: 80%
Mason: Buena cracks into the top 5 in my 5A preseason rankings for the 2025 season.
A main challenge Buena will face this season is having to replace the offensive production they lost coming into the season. Although a majority of their defense will be coming back, which will be needed if they want to rank high again this season.
3 of their four losses last season came from Casa Grande and Canyon View, and they went 11-1 in the rest of their season. They can beat the teams they are supposed to and play competitively against top teams in 5A.
They also get back their standout player 2028 linebacker Storm Ryan, who had a staggering 23 sacks in just her freshman season. She will be one of the key pieces on a solid Buena defense in 2025.
They have a few tough opponents as they play Casa Grande and Canyon View again this year, but they might be able to get over the hump this season and beat one of them.
I don’t think they will be a sure-fire championship contender, but I do think they will be another top seed like they were in 2024 and make it to the quarterfinals at the bare minimum.
BJ: Buena had a solid debut season last year, finishing 12-4 and advancing to the quarterfinals of the 5A playoffs. The Colts will likely see similar success this season.
‘28 LB Storm Ryan was one of the best defensive players in all of 5A as a freshman, recording 23 sacks for a Buena defense with an overall returning production rate of 80%.
Offensively, the Colts will have a bit of a reset.
Arizona College Prep
Mason’s Rank: 6
BJ’s Rank: 5
Mason’s Ceiling: 10-2
BJ’s Ceiling: 10-2
Mason’s Floor: 8-4
BJ’s Floor: 8-4
‘24 season: 9-6, lost in quarterfinals
Mason: Arizona College Prep finished as the 6th seed last year and won a playoff game as well. They are well-coached and always find talent in multiple players every season.
The only games they lost last season were from 6A teams, Mountain Pointe, which was the 5A runner-up, and Campo Verde three times. Arizona College Prep will always play competitively and be able to beat the teams ranked lower than them.
This season, they face teams such as Casa Grande, Mountain Pointe, and Campo Verde, who will be difficult opponents, but for the rest of their schedule, they should take care of business.
I think Arizona College Prep will host another playoff game this season, as they only had five graduating seniors last season and will always be in every game this year.
BJ: The Knights went 9-6 last season with all of their losses coming to 6A opponents or top 3 5A teams. This season will likely be more of the same, as their toughest games will come against #1 Campo Verde, #2 Casa Grande, Mountain Pointe, and Desert Edge.
Desert Edge
Mason’s Rank: 7
BJ’s Rank: 9
Mason’s Ceiling: 10-2
BJ’s Ceiling: 9-3
Mason’s Floor: 7-5
BJ’s Floor: 8-4
‘24 season: 8-5, lost in first round.
Off. Production Returning: 99.5%
Def. Production Returning: 70.3%
Mason: I think this is the year that the Desert Edge Scorpions break through and have a very good year.
They are coming off two back-to-back winning seasons and had a playoff berth last year as well. They are returning a good amount of starters on defense and basically everyone on offense.
They are returning 2026 pass rusher Dezirae Torrez, who led the Scorpions in sacks last season. Their defense had some seniors who graduated, but Torrez should be able to lead the Desert Edge defense against some of the top offenses in 5A.
Besides a few teams like Campo Verde, Canyon View, and Arizona College Prep, Desert Edge has a schedule where they should stack enough wins to be able to host a playoff game this season.
I think this will be the best season Desert Edge has had yet due to the consistency of their roster and production, which has gotten better every year.
BJ: The Scorpions have a solid returning core and one of the better returning production rates in 5A. However, their schedule does not get any easier this season.
Desert Edge will face #1 Campo Verde, #3 Verrado, #4 Canyon View, #5 ACP, and Lake Havasu this season as their toughest games. The Scorpions likely need to win 1 if not 2 of those for a home playoff game.
Mountain Pointe
Mason’s Rank: 8
BJ’s Rank: 8
Mason’s Ceiling: 10-2
BJ’s Ceiling: 10-2
Mason’s Floor: 8-4
BJ’s Floor: 8-4
‘24 season: 17-2, lost in 5A title game.
Off. Production Returning: 11%
Def. Production Returning: 63.3%
Mason: Mountain Pointe is an interesting team to gauge this year due to some of its best players transferring to other programs. Amaya Moreno transferred to Campo Verde, and their elite two-way superstar Moriah Green went to Hamilton.
Although I still think they have the pieces to be a competitive team in 5A, and should be able to stack wins as they don’t have a super tough schedule compared to other teams in their conference.
At the end of the day, they are going to have good coaching and will make the most out of their roster, no matter who left or stayed.
They will face teams like Arizona College Prep and Campo Verde, but other than those two teams, I see them winning a majority of the rest of their schedule.
I think they should still be one of the top 8 teams in 5A and should have a good chance to host a playoff game despite all of their losses.
BJ: Mountain Pointe will have a lot of questions to answer with ‘27 QB Amaya Moreno transferring to Campo Verde, ‘26 WR/DB Moriah Green transferring to Hamilton, and DC Joe Griffin taking the head coaching job at Corona Del Sol.
The Pride still have the pieces to be a solidified playoff team behind ‘26 ATH Arianna Acosta, ‘26 WR/DB Amillia Mambru, ‘27 WR/DB Vanity Robles, ‘27 LB Grace Berrera, ‘27 R Naeema Lendsey, and several others.
However, I don’t think the Pride will be the 5A title contender they were last season. The toughest games for Mountain Pointe will come against #1 Campo Verde, 6A Corona Del Sol, #5 ACP, and 6A Desert Vista.
Nogales
Mason’s Rank: 9
BJ’s Rank: 7
Mason’s Ceiling: 9-3
BJ’s Ceiling: 10-2
Mason’s Floor: 7-5
BJ’s Floor: 8-4
‘24 season: 10-4, lost in quarterfinals.
Off. Production Returning: 23.4%
Def. Production Returning: 17.9%
Mason: Nogales is coming off a season in which they had double-digit wins and even had a playoff win against Desert Edge.
Nogales will face more difficulties this season, though, as they are missing a lot of their production from last season and will have to find it elsewhere.
They are going to be missing Johanna Simpson, who was their main contributor on offense and defense. However, players like 2028 quarterback and defensive back Zendy Peralta will see the field more. She had 4 passing touchdowns and was the second leader in passing yards with 502. She also tacked on two interceptions on the defensive side.
They play Casa Grande and Buena this season, but besides that, they have a somewhat favorable schedule.
Due to their schedule and being an overall good program, I still think they will be in the playoffs pretty easily. I am most excited to see who steps up for them this season and how they fare.
BJ: Nogales had a very successful first season as a program in 2024, winning 10 games and making it to the 5A quarterfinals. The Apaches graduate a ton of key players on both sides of the ball, but I still believe they have what it takes to comfortably get back to the playoffs and possibly host the opening round.
The toughest games for Nogales will come against #2 Casa Grande, #6 Buena (twice), 6A Sunnyside, and Mountain View Marana. 2 wins in this stretch and handling business elsewhere should be enough to get the Apaches a home playoff game.
North
Mason’s Rank: 10
BJ’s Rank: 10
Mason’s Ceiling: 9-3
BJ’s Ceiling: 12-0
Mason’s Floor: 7-5
BJ’s Floor: 9-3
‘24 season: 8-5, lost in round one.
Off. Production Returning: 80.2%
Def. Production Returning: 84.9%
Mason: North was a first-time program in 2024, and they had a hot start to their season, going 4-0. They also only had four seniors in their roster in 2024, so they will have a lot of their production coming back.
They had a disappointing playoff game, losing 49-0 to Verrado, but in the regular season, they played very well.
Their 2027 running back, Jizzelle Escoffery, should have an even better year than she did last season. She led the team with rushing yards with 485 and touchdowns with 10. Their offense could be predicated on her production this season, making North an above .500 team again.
Two tough games they will have are Alhambra and Lake Havasu, but besides that, they go against other teams in 5A, and they should have little trouble beating them.
North is an interesting team to gauge because their statistics don’t jump out at you, but they always can find a way to win.
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BJ: The Mustangs have a very healthy returning production rate, which should propel them to a higher seed in the playoffs and possibly a playoff win.
North’s schedule is rather light, with Alhambra, Lake Havasu, and McClintock being the only opponents that made last year’s playoffs. This team is very capable of running the table in the regular season.
McClintock
Mason’s Rank: 11
BJ’s Rank: 13
Mason’s Ceiling: 8-4
BJ’s Ceiling: 9-3
Mason’s Floor: 6-6
BJ’s Floor: 5-7
‘24 season: 5-9, lost in round one
Off. Production Returning: 56%
Def. Production Returning: 57.2%
Mason: In 2024, McClintock found their groove in the second half of the season. They started their last season 0-6 and went 5-3 after that slow start.
They also only lost 14-7 to a very talented Casa Grande team in the first round of the playoffs, which gives me hope they will finish above or around .500 this upcoming season.
One player that I am excited to see this season is 2028 quarterback Nora Fincher. Fincher had a solid touchdown-to-interception ratio for the statistics that were put into MaxPreps, and heading into her second season, she should only improve.
They face teams like Campo Verde and Mountain Pointe again this season; however, their schedule this year compared to last is much easier.
I think McClintock will build off their strong end to last season into 2025 and shock a lot of people with how well they can do.
BJ: McClintock got much better as the season went on in 2024. If the Chargers can carry that momentum from the second half of last season, they should be a solidified playoff team. If they revert back to last year’s early struggles, they could be on the playoff bubble.
The toughest games for McClintock will come against #1 Campo Verde, #5 ACP, 6A Desert Vista, #8 Mountain Pointe, #10 North, and #11 Desert Mountain. I expect this team to linger right around .500.
Desert Mountain
Mason’s Rank: 12
BJ’s Rank: 11
Mason’s Ceiling: 8-4
BJ’s Ceiling: 9-3
Mason’s Floor: 5-7
BJ’s Floor: 6-6
‘24 season: 7-10, lost in round one.
Off. Production Returning: 98.3%
Def. Production Returning: 42.7%
Mason: Desert Mountain has a lot of similarities to McClintock. Desert Mountain, just like McClintock, started very slowly as they went 1-5 to begin the year in their first six games.
Their offense committed a lot of turnovers last year, but because they are returning a majority of their offensive players, I think that number will go down due to continuity.
2027 linebacker Matilda Lister is someone to look out for this season to have a breakout year, as she showed flashes of solid play last season. She had the second-most flag pulls on her team with 54, and I expect that number to go up, along with her sack and interception numbers.
They do play Campo Verde, Mountain Pointe, and Arizona College Prep, so they do have some tough teams they will have to face; however, it is nothing like their schedule from 2024.
I expect Desert Mountain to get off to a better start in 2025 and at least finish above or be around .500 this season and get back into the playoffs.
BJ: Last year’s schedule was pretty brutal for Desert Mountain as a first-year program, but this year’s schedule will ease up a little bit. The Wolves have almost their entire offense returning in addition to a decent amount of defensive returning production.
The toughest games for Desert Mountain will come against #1 Campo Verde, #5 ACP, #8 Mountain Pointe, #13 McClintock, and 4A #8 Arcadia. I expect this team to be above .500 this year and comfortably get into the playoffs.
Lake Havasu
Mason’s Rank: 13
BJ’s Rank: 12
Mason’s Ceiling: 8-4
BJ’s Ceiling: 11-1
Mason’s Floor: 6-6
BJ’s Floor: 8-4
‘24 season: 8-5, lost in round one.
Off. Production Returning: 51.3%
Def. Production Returning: 62.6%
Mason: The next team on the list is Lake Havasu, which has around half of its production returning from last season.
One thing I like about this Lake Havasu team is their ability to use multiple players. They go deep into their bench and substitute in and out a lot of players during games. That is credited to a majority of their players who can handle their own on the varsity level.
They will also have 2028 defensive back Bryn Farshler coming back, who was their lead defensive player with seven interceptions in her freshman season. I expect her to have another solid season and perhaps even a jump from her sophomore season.
Another thing I like about Lake Havasu this season is that their schedule is favorable for them. They face Desert Edge, Alhambra, and Verrado. But for the most part, they should be favored in half of the games they will play.
I think Lake Havasu should have another positive season and make it into the playoffs. They have an opportunity to surprise people this season, depending on who steps up on the offensive end.
BJ: Lake Havasu had a solid 8-5 debut season in 2024 and I expect them to be well above .500 again after getting another favorable schedule. The Knights return a decent amount of production from last season as well.
The toughest games for Lake Havasu will be against #3 Verrado, #9 Desert Edge, #10 North, and Alhambra. I expect the Knights to win at least 1 if not 2 or 3 of these games to finish with anywhere between 9 and 11 wins.
Alhambra
Mason’s Rank: 14
BJ’s Rank: 15
Mason’s Ceiling: 9-3
BJ’s Ceiling: 12-0
Mason’s Floor: 6-6
BJ’s Floor: 10-2
‘24 season: 8-5, lost in round one.
Mason: Alhambra made a statement in their first season as a program in 2024 with an eight-win season and made the playoffs.
They also had a really solid defense last year, as they held five teams to zero points last season.
One thing they will need is to find more offensive production, as they themselves got shut out three times last season and will need to be more consistent if they want a better record in 2025.
I do have them having a higher ceiling than some of the teams ahead of them because of their schedule, but they will not be able to take any game lightly this year. They face Lake Havasu and North, but other than that, they should be able to win a majority of their games.
I think Alhambra will have a nearly similar season to the one they had in 2024 and be able to make it to the playoffs. They will compete with North and Lake Havasu for their region this year, too.
BJ: Alhambra’s strength of schedule, just like North, is not going to do them any favors. The Lions only face two teams that made last year’s playoffs in #10 North and #12 Lake Havasu. Anything short of 10 wins and the Lions will be unlikely to make the playoffs.
Mountain View Marana
Mason’s Rank: 15
BJ’s Rank: 14
Mason’s Ceiling: 7-5
BJ’s Ceiling: 9-3
Mason’s Floor: 5-7
BJ’s Floor: 6-6
‘24 season: 5-9, lost in round one.
Off. Production Returning: 46.7%
Def. Production Returning: 52.5%
Mason: Mountain View Marana will look to have a bounce-back season after only winning five games last year. They went 9-3 in 2023 and will need to have some of that same magic this season.
One positive for them is that they are returning their lead player, 2028 Emma Gibbons, who had 455 yards on the ground and three rushing touchdowns. She plays quarterback and should have an even bigger role this season.
The reason I couldn’t rank them higher is how brutal their schedule is going to be. They play Marana, Nogales, Casa Grande, and Buena, to name a few. Although they have at least half of the games on their schedule in which they should be competitive or win.
I think Mountain View Marana can get back to the winning record mark, but they will need to find out what their identity is early in the season.
BJ: After going 9-3 in 2023, the 2024 season was rough sledding for the Mountain Lions as they went 5-9 and got bounced in the first round of playoffs. They’ll hope to get back to their 2023 winning ways.
With around half of their production returning and a decent schedule, that should certainly be attainable.
I don’t think their schedule is as brutal as Mason thinks, with 6A Marana, #2 Casa Grande, #5 Buena, #7 Nogales, and 6A Sunnyside being their toughest games. I think the Mountain Lions will handle the remaining 7 opponents and possibly steal one or two of these games to get back into the playoffs.
Chaparal
Mason’s Rank: 16
BJ’s Rank: NR
Mason’s Ceiling: 7-5
Mason’s Floor: 4-8
‘24 season: 3-8, missed playoffs.
Mason: Chaparral, I think, is going to break through in 2025 and make the playoffs this season.
They have the lowest floor on the list because they could be around the same team they were in 2024, but something tells me they won’t be.
They were a first-year program last year and put up quality games for me to believe that they could make it into the playoffs last year. For reference, three teams with a losing record made the playoffs last year in 5A.
They were two games away from making the playoffs, and I think they will get there this year.
Chaparral will play Arizona College Prep, Campo Verde, and Arcadia, but looking at the rest of their schedule, I can realistically see them going 6-6.
After last season, Chaparral will take a .500 season and sneak into the playoffs, which I think they will do.
Desert View
BJ’s Rank: 16
Mason’s Rank: NR
BJ’s Ceiling: 8-4
BJ’s Floor: 5-7
‘24 Season: 5-7, lost in Round of 16
BJ: Like a lot of teams at the bottom of these rankings, all of the Jaguars' losses came to 6A teams and top 8 teams in 5A.
Although stats aren’t available from last season, the Jaguars return 17 out of 20 players from last year’s roster, including several sophomores and two freshman QBs.
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