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Friday Night Notebook: Welcome back to the high school football season

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The 2025 high school football season is here.

This season has so many unique stories that were on full display in week one.

Thursday night flashbacks

The Thursday slate to open the season, is the best Thursday slate of games we’ve ever seen in Arizona.

The Fiesta Bowl High School Football Showdown on CW7 Arizona (with myself, Jody Jackson, Cody Cameron, and Lexi Lambert on the broadcast), presented so much talent on one field.

 

Basha easily handled Brophy Prep, 42-6, but it was clear both teams have the talent to make deep runs this season.

Basha’s two-man backfield of Noah Roberts and Josh Gaines is going to be difficult for any team to slow down, including California powerhouse Orange Lutheran next week.

And even though it’s only week one, I feel confident to say, that the Open Division championship game will once again feature Basha and Liberty. The Lions did what they always do in the regular season on Thursday night: win big.

A 37-0 win over reigning 6A runner-up Mesa Mountain View, is the type of win we’ve come to expect from coach Colin Thomas’ program.

Defense leads the charge always, Tyler Burnstein led the way up front for the Lions.

There is no reason to ever pick against Liberty this season…

The title of “third best team” in the state is up for grabs. Hamilton put their name in the hat with a 63-20 victory over ALA Queen Creek.

It’s year two under Travis Dixon and this program looks like it has its mojo back. Sophomore gunslinger Jax Sculley looks to be a name we need to watch out for, after throwing for 372 yards and five touchdowns on 20-25 passing. Sophomore standout wide receiver Roye Oliver III had seven catches for 146 yards and two touchdowns. That duo is going to leave a mark on the record books.

Desert Edge is the reigning 5A champion and the favorite to repeat this year. A lot was said leading up to a match up against Cactus Shadows. Ultimately the talent of Desert Edge is just too good, and they won 27-19.

The depth of talent in every class for the Scorpions is astounding. With 5A teams opting out of the Open Division, it’s looking like the rest of the conference is fighting for the opportunity to play them in the title game.

One more score from Thursday night stood out to me: McClintock 36 – Camelback 19.

I had a chance to meet new head coach Nick Offenberger in the spring, and I could see his vision for the Chargers program.  They have young players starting all over the field, so the potential is off the charts.

Arizona vs. Everybody

This is a yearly post at this point, but Arizona teams can and do compete with the best teams all over the country.

Red Mountain went to Nevada and beat Desert Pines 44-21.

Queen Creek also went to Nevada, winning 42-19 over Mojave.

Pinnacle traveled east to New Mexico and won 44-0 over La Cueva.

 

I’m from San Diego so I know this win is impressive: Casteel demolished Helix high school 51-14. The first win in the Joe Bushman era is very memorable.

Arizona continues to grow in the high school football scene…

Congrats to Maryvale

For the first time since 2016, Maryvale football is 1-0 following a 34-21 victory over Kofa.

There are so many layers here. Mark and Marcus Carter took over the reigns of the program this year. All offseason they kept saying how excited they were to be teaching these kids the fundamentals of football. That was obviously on display Friday night.

But what stands out more, is what they are doing for that community. Last week a fatal stabbing took place on campus, which shook the community and PXU schools to their core. 

The Carters are using football to help these kids come together and support each other on and off campus. That’s what is special.

The frequency of wins at the ‘Vale will continue to climb as the season(s) go on.

All they do is win

Ty Wisdom wins everywhere he goes. It should come as no surprise that in his first game as the Chandler head coach, the Wolves beat Centennial 24-17

Will Menci is a special quarterback for this program that makes plays when it matters most.

With the new Open Division format, don’t be surprised to see Chandler earn a top seed this year…

Another coach that wins anywhere is Jeremy Hathcock. Last year he took over the Verrado program and got them to the 5A semis.

Now he’s leading the Mesa Jackrabbits. A 34-14 win is a testament to how quickly he knows how to get programs in a good place. Sometimes, that means bringing back old traditions.

Other scores

Perry 34 – Boulder Creek 30 

Marana 18 – Salpointe Catholic 20

Desert Vista 44 – Cesar Chavez 19

Saguaro 21 – Desert Mountain 24

Dobson 18 – Skyline 36

Horizon 43 – Verrado 23

The post Friday Night Notebook: Welcome back to the high school football season first appeared on Sports360AZ.

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