Week three of the high school football season is over and it’s becoming clear which teams are separating themselves from the rest of the pack.
Thursday night rewind
The Fiesta Bowl high school football showdown on CW7 Arizona was a defensive battle between Sandra Day O’Connor and Red Mountain.
Kyle Enders and his Mountain Lions came out on top 14-7, thanks to a punt return touchdown in the first half by Tyreke Cornett.
Mascot selfies, highlights, & food service at the desk, the @Fiesta_Bowl high school football showdown on @CW7Arizona had it all last night.
Blessed to have fun and give these schools a great platform. pic.twitter.com/B0upCKek9k
— Jordan Spurgeon (@spurge_) September 13, 2025
The Mountain Lions are now 3-0, with three tough games against top teams in Arizona and Nevada. The defense is leading the charge, but the offense is preparing for a boost after week five when a transfer quarterback becomes eligible. Watch out for this squad.
Also on Thursday, Pinnacle shutdown Corona del Sol, 35-0. That’s three shutouts to open the season (La Cueva, NM and Mountain Ridge). Dana Zupke has this team in a great spot defensively and new quarterback Drew Versano seems to be filling the shoes Wyatt Horton left behind so far. This could be a dangerous team not many were talking about before the season began,
Horizon took down Cactus, 20-7. The 3-0 Huskies look to be on a mission to finish what they stared cast year in the Tyson Ditmore era.
Big Time Players I Saw
On Friday night, I traveled to two games.
The first stop was Chaparral where the Firebirds hosted the Arizona College Prep Knight.
Through the first quarter of play, it was a dominate performance from ACP who went up 14-0. The final score was 44-14.
The offense completed a 10+ play touchdown drive to open the game, then forced a fumble recovered for a score right after.
There are lots of players to watch out for on this Knights’ roster, but linebacker Cam Mitchell may be the best player on the field any Friday when they are playing. He flies to the ball sideline to sideline. Super fun to watch.
Also, Trace Carroll is doing everything right to rebuild hs lama mater at Chaparral. The coaching staff is elite and it is clear the players love playing there. Give it some time, the Firebirds have a chance to become a powerhouse once again in the next few years.
Stop number two for me was Notre Dame Prep, whose hosted Desert Edge. To my surprise, it was a 0-0 game when I arrived with about two minutes left of the first half.
That was until junior quarterback Blake Roskopf found freshman athlete Josiah Penn in the end zone with about 30 seconds left. In his first true varsity game, Penn made the most of his opportunity.
What an incredible play from @DEdgeFootball 2027 QB @roskopf_blake eludes pressure, rolls right and throws a dime to the corner of the end zone to Freshman Preston Brown. Great job getting his foot down in bounds. At the half – DE leads NDP 7-0 @AZcoachHenri pic.twitter.com/7s9tDfInUg
— Cody Cameron (@CodyTCameron) September 13, 2025
This ended up being a hard fought game, with the Scorpions holding on to win 27-14. Roskopf found a rhythm and executed the offense the way coach Henri and his staff wanted. Defensively, this team flies with athletes loaded at every position in all clasess. Sophomore defensive lineman Jalanaie George. I saw him in his first varsity game last year and was shocked at his size. He’s filled out even more since then and continues to develop his skills. It’s no wonder he’s the top 2028 player in Arizona…
Fellow sophomore Jaelyn Easterling-Flores, a defensive back, also stood out to me. It felt like he was in on any tackle past the line of scrimmage and was lock down in coverage. He’s one of many in the secondary that are impressive to watch.
How about the Wolves?
It’s Ty Wisdom’s first year as the Chandler head coach. Things feel different and the Wolves are making it clear they can compete with anybody in the state still.
On Friday they beat ALA Queen Creek, 49-29.
QB Will Mencl scores his 2nd rushing TD of the night walking in from about 5 yards out..
*Mencl has accounted for 7 TDs 5 passing 2 rushing
7:25 4thQ
Chandler 4️⃣9️⃣
ALA QC 2️⃣9️⃣ pic.twitter.com/1MMnoXXpJF— Just Chilly (@JUSTCHILLY) September 13, 2025
Will Mencl has looked impressive leading the offense, with seven total touchdowns on Friday night.
As for ALA Queen Creek, nobody expected a 0-3 start. However, don’t count them out in 6A. The past two 6A champions, Saguaro and Centennial, both got off to bad starts due to tough schedules and new players all over on defense. Then they figured it out and went on a run.
Don’t be surprised if this team heads down a similar path…
A 5A team to watch
I’m adding a team I need to go watch in person ASAP.
The Sunnyslope Vikings are still unbeaten, with a 51-21 victory over Apollo on Friday. Last week they beat Notre Dame Prep on a 53 yard field goal to end the game.
Replacing now Oregon quarterback Luke Moga was a big task, but Royce Vanacore is stepping up nicely.
4A top dawg goes down
The reigning 4A champion Mica Mountain is considered a heavy favorite to repeat this season, after not losing a game since 2023.
But new 4A team ALA West Foothills pulled off the upset with a 21-14 win. The Guardians bounce back from a 30-10 loss to Snowflake.
This shows that the 4A bracket is more wide open then many believed it to be early on. I expect to see lots of results with top teams beating each other. It’s safe to include ALA West Foothills as one of those top teams right beside Mica Mounatin.
Dobson first win
Congrats to Bobby Newcombe on his first win at Dobson. The final score over Trevor G. Browne was 49-21.
This team is facing a learning curve with a head coach and staff that are pushing them further than the previous regime, sparking a new love for football.
Micah Newcombe, Bobby’s son, is crushing it as a two-way player for this team as the leading tackler and rusher so far.
Other scores
Desert Ridge 6 – Centennial 71
Liberty 43 – Highland 3
Perry 27 – Brophy 45
Higley 25 – Mesa 13
Saguaro 31 – Salpointe Catholic 34
Hamilton 54 – Casteel 14
Campo Verde 38 – Sunnyside 12
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