Varsity Xtra football rankings as of Sept. 1:
1. Brophy (2-0)
2. Desert Vista (1-0)
3. Mountain Pointe (2-0)
4. Chandler (2-0)
5. Red Mountain (2-0)
6. Desert Ridge (2-0)
7. Basha (2-0)
8. Hamilton (0-2)
9. Pinnacle (2-0)
10. Westview (1-1)
Hamilton has gone from No. 2 (preseason) to No. 4 (Week 1) to No. 8 after losing to a good Notre Dame (Calif.) squad in Ireland. The Huskies offense is kind of a mess these days. Everyone else won out, which again means Desert Mountain and Highland are stuck on the outside for now.
1. Centennial (2-0)
2. Marcos de Niza (2-0)
3. Salpointe (2-1)
4. Ironwood Ridge (2-0)
5. Cesar Chavez (2-0)
6. Perry (2-0)
7. Chaparral (0-2)
8. Notre Dame (1-1)
9. Horizon (2-0)
10. Apollo (2-0)
Chaparral continues to fall, though not (yet) drastically, having lost to top-notch Salpointe and now Marcos de Niza in consecutive weeks. The Firebirds schedule gets easier from here with a couple exceptions. Willow Canyon was No. 8 but falls out of the rankings after getting handled by Valley Vista. Apollo sneaks in at No. 10, but for how long with Ironwood and Centennial the next two weeks?
1. Cactus (1-1)
2. Sabino (2-0)
3. Saguaro (1-1)
4. Queen Creek (2-0)
5. Paradise Valley (2-0)
6. Williams Field (2-0)
7. Liberty (2-0)
8. Desert Edge (2-0)
9. Arcadia (2-0)
10. Campo Verde (2-0)
Not much changed here either. Cactus played in Bakersfield, Calif., on Saturday night, while Saguaro barely kept its place in beating Phoenix Thunderbird in the game's final minute. The Sabercats have health and defensive issues, while Paradise Valley pulled off another win in the final seconds, this time against Coconino. Tempe obviously deserves consideration to enter the rankings after beating Poston Butte, but in the early stages of the season it's difficult dropping out a team that also is undefeated.
1. Blue Ridge 2-0
2. Show Low 3-0
3. Seton Catholic 2-0
4. Snowflake 2-0
5. Coolidge 2-0
No changes to Division IV at the top as everyone won out fairly easily. Florence got hammered by Show Low to fall out of No. 5, and while 3-4 teams could have taken the spot, the nod for now goes to Coolidge after a 52-32 win against Wickenburg.
1. NW Christian 2-0
2. Yuma Catholic 1-1
3. Scottsdale Christian 2-0
4. Tempe Prep 2-0
5. St. Johns 1-1
NW Christian takes over at No. 1 after a narrow victory against former No. 1 Yuma Catholic last Saturday night at the NAU Skydome in Flagstaff, a game every bit as close as last year's state championship matchup. Everyone else went chalk to keep their spots, while San Tan Foothills remains the next one in should a ranked team stumble. Next week's big matchup is NW Christian at Scottsdale Christian, as the Eagles just beat up Fountain Hills.
1. Joseph City 2-0
2. Pima 2-0
3. Scottsdale Prep 2-0
4. Joy Christian 2-0
5. Mogollon 2-0
No changes here, as everyone won out.
Phoenix College will be a QB quad on Friday night as No. 1 Brophy tangles with surging Red Mountain. Brophy’s Tyler Bruggman hasn’t put up huge numbers, but the Washington State-commit remains one of the best in the state, and Red Mountain’s Mason Thorman set a couple career passing records last week. He’s off to a hot start as well. The Broncos went 2-1 during their stretch of three games in 10 days, while Red Mountain’s passing game has yet to be defended. Lest we forget a couple of physical defenses will have to somehow contain one another’s multitude of offensive weapons.
Whether’s it’s No. 1, 1A or 1B to Brophy-Red Mountain, the Ahwatukee Bowl between Desert Vista and Mountain Pointe could be historically good this year. Both schools are undefeated and loaded with talent. An already big-time rivalry game might get bigger. Get to Desert Vista really early on Friday. This could be epic.
Highland will learn a lot about itself and this fast start to the season when the Hawks deal with Desert Ridge’s prolific offense, led by Tarek Morrison and JJ Husar. ... Higley and Poston Butte will try and bounce back from tough losses. ... Tempe is a feel-good story to start the season, can the Buffaloes continue this by slowing down Saguaro? ... Seton Catholic and Tempe Prep will tussle, and Northwest Christian and Scottsdale Christian meet in a matchup of top-5 teams in Division V.
For complete high school coverage, visit the East Valley Tribune's Varsity Xtra.
