Week 4 in Arizona high school football had a little of everything: No. 1 fell, a few power programs kept rolling, and several top-10 teams took hits. By the time the dust settled, Hamilton had moved to the top of the High School On SI Arizona rankings, Centennial climbed to No. 2, and Liberty slid to No. 3 after Basha handed the Lions their first loss.
Basha’s 30-22 win over previously unbeaten Liberty was the headline result of the week, and it pushed the Bears right back into the Open Division conversation as October gets closer. The Bears had just absorbed a rough loss to Pinnacle, but they answered with one of the biggest wins of the season.
Hamilton takes over No. 1 after staying perfect with a 44-25 win over Casteel. Running back Devante Roebuck powered the Huskies with 146 rushing yards and three touchdowns in another high-end offensive showing.
Hamilton has stacked up an impressive first month, already beating ranked Brophy College Prep and Perry, along with Casteel, which entered last week ranked. The Huskies head to No.
14 Williams Field on Sept. 25 at 7 p.m.
Centennial keeps proving that perfection matters. The Coyotes moved up two spots after a 20-7 win over Mesa, with running back Derrion Bartholomew rushing for 133 yards and a touchdown and receiver Torrin Hill catching six passes for 184 yards and a score.
Centennial’s defense has been the real separator, holding every opponent to 14 points or fewer and outscoring the field 93-34 through four games. Next up is a trip to No.
25 Casteel on Sept. 25 at 7 p.m.
Liberty, which looked unstoppable through three weeks, ran into trouble on Val Vista Drive. Turnovers slowed the offense, and the defense gave up a season-high 30 points in the loss to Basha.
The Lions will try to rebound on the road against No. 18 ALA-Queen Creek on Sept. 25 at 7 p.m.
Chandler also kept building momentum. The Wolves followed their Week 1 loss to Basha with a third straight win, beating ALA-Queen Creek 37-21.
Oregon quarterback commit Will Mencl threw for three touchdowns and ran for another score despite two interceptions, finishing with 1,398 passing yards and 14 touchdowns on the season. Chandler heads to No.
9 Brophy College Prep on Sept. 24 at 7 p.m.
Basha’s own rise came with some adversity. The Bears beat then-No.
1 Liberty 30-22 even while dealing with a lengthy injury list and missing seven players. Princeton quarterback commit Jake Rogers and Texas running back commit Noah Roberts helped snap the two-game losing streak, and Rogers, with his shoulder wrapped, led an eight-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to open the second half.
Basha will look to keep it going at No. 12 Red Mountain on Sept. 25 at 7 p.m.
Pinnacle carried its Week 3 upset of Basha into another strong performance, rolling past Queen Creek 28-7. Quarterback Braxton Lowe threw for 100 yards and ran for another 100 while accounting for two touchdowns.
The Pioneers’ Week 5 game against Saguaro has already been forfeited by the Sabercats, and they are set to face Valley Vista in Week 6 before a Week 7 matchup with No. 1 Hamilton.
Desert Mountain kept cruising, blanking Mountain Pointe 54-0 to move to 4-0. The Wolves have outscored their last two opponents 119-0 and will try to stay unbeaten when they meet Kellis on Sept. 25 at 7 p.m.
Perry added another eye-catching result, rolling Boulder Creek 49-0 after hanging tough with Hamilton in Week 3. Boise State quarterback commit Kael Snyder threw five touchdown passes and finished with 238 yards passing. The Pumas now face Valley Vista on Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. before a tougher stretch that includes Salpointe Catholic, Mesa and Basha.
Brophy College Prep also turned in one of the week’s best finishes, edging then-No. 10 Mountain View 31-28 behind quarterback Noah Stewart’s three-touchdown effort.
After opening with a 25-6 loss to Hamilton, the Broncos have scored at least 30 points in each of their last three games. They’ll try to make it four in a row when they host No.
4 Chandler on Sept. 24 at 7 p.m.
Horizon stayed perfect at 4-0 with a 55-36 win over Sunnyslope, as its offense kept firing. Running back Dylan Brush has scored at least four touchdowns in three games this season, including six against Sunnyslope, and Horizon has topped 50 points in three of its first four wins.
Last week, the Huskies beat then-No. 11 Williams Field, 31-28.
The latest rankings also note last week’s win by another team over then-No. 17 Salpointe Catholic, 36-7.
In Other News...
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For Fifita, the conversation is as much about decision-making as it is about production, with Seth Doege stressing the need to cut down on the unnecessary hits that can stall drives and put an offense behind schedule. Arizona has shown it can respond when things go sideways, but this game offers a different kind of test, one that asks whether the Wildcats can clean up enough of the self-inflicted mistakes to make the road trip feel like more than just a return to old conference ground. [Read more 🡒]
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Arizona Gets A Big Road Test Despite Growing Doubts
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Washington States role as a home underdog has not been a simple one, which makes this matchup especially interesting for anyone watching Arizona closely. The Wildcats do have the edge on paper, but the spread reflects a team that has not rewarded backers this season, and their recent track record in even years has only sharpened the skepticism heading into another conference road trip. [Read more 🡒]