Final Tribune football rankings as of Oct. 27:
DIVISION I
1. Hamilton 8-2
2. Brophy 9-2
3. Mountain Pointe 9-1
4. Desert Ridge 9-1
5. Desert Vista 8-2
6. Basha 7-3
7. Red Mountain 8-2
8. Westview 8-2
9. Chandler 7-3
10. Desert Mountain 8-2
No movement in the top 5, as those teams have cemented themselves as the elite. Basha made quick work of Maryvale and moves up to No. 6 because Chandler dropped following a lackluster performance in a loss to Desert Vista. Red Mountain stays at No. 7, while Westview moves up a spot to No. 8. Chandler drops three spots to No. 9 while Desert Mountain rejoins the rankings with a win over O’Connor. Pinnacle drops out after losing to Brophy.
DIVISION II
1. Salpointe 10-1
2. Ironwood Ridge 9-1
3. Centennial 9-1
4. Marcos de Niza 9-1
5. Chaparral 7-3
6. Cesar Chavez 9-1
7. Apollo 9-1
8. Perry 7-3
9. Cienega 8-2
10. Horizon 8-2
Salpointe jumps to the top spot with a convincing win over Ironwood Ridge on Friday. The Nighthawks drop to No. 2, which forces Centennial down to No. 3. Marcos de Niza sticks at No. 4 with a win over Cesar Chavez, while Chaparral moves back into the top 5 by defeating Saguaro. Chavez drops a spot to No. 6, while Apollo stands pat at No. 7. Perry and Cienega each move up a spot because Notre Dame dropped from the rankings following a loss to Horizon. The Huskies are back in at No. 10 after the win.
DIVISION III
1. Sabino 10-0
2. Queen Creek 10-0
3. Desert Edge 10-0
4. Saguaro 7-3
5. Thunderbird 7-3
6. Liberty 9-1
7. Cactus 7-3
8. Williams Field 9-1
9. Paradise Valley 7-3
10. Sunrise Mountain 8-2
Saguaro couldn’t compete with Chaparral in its regular-season finale, which raises questions about a three-peat. The Sabercats drop to No. 4 because Sabino, Queen Creek and Desert Edge have all put together more impressive regular seasons. Thunderbird moves up to No. 5, followed By Liberty, which beat Cactus to leapfrog the Cobras in the rankings. Williams Field drops one spot to No. 8 after getting routed by Queen Creek, while Paradise Valley and Sunrise Mountain stand pat at Nos. 9 and 10.
DIVISION IV
1. Blue Ridge 11-0
2. Show Low 9-1
3. Seton Catholic 9-1
4. Snowflake 8-2
5. Coolidge 8-2
No changes here as everyone won out to conclude the regular season. Blue Ridge appears to have a pretty easy path to the semifinals, where the Yellow Jackets could meet Snowflake again. Blue Ridge won 50-0 earlier this season, but Snowflake is both better and healthier than it was in Week 3. Seeded No. 3 for the playoffs, Seton has an interesting road with either Mingus or Coolidge in the quarterfinals, followed by a rough semifinals matchup against No. 2 Show Low, but the Sentinels are on a roll lately, and that could be a slightly better semifinal matchup (if it happens) than having to face Blue Ridge again, as it did last year.
DIVISION V
1. Yuma Catholic 9-1
2. NW Christian 9-1
3. Tempe Prep 8-2
4. Scottsdale Christian 9-1
5. Morenci 10-0
A confusing shakeup here as Tempe Prep moves up to No. 3 after beating No. 1 NW Christian. The Crusaders fall from No. 1 to No. 2, even though they beat Yuma Catholic to begin the season, yet NWC stays ahead of Tempe Prep. Meanwhile the Knights, despite having one more loss on the season, move ahead of SCA with their big win over NWC, even though Scottsdale Christian beat Tempe Prep earlier this year. And the division's lone undefeated team stays at No. 5 as the rankings end in a mish-mash of parity.
