Happy Bracket Day, one and all. The AIA released their playoff brackets on Saturday morning for Divisions 2A-6A. I took a look at the each bracket and share a few thoughts on what jumped out early at first glance.
For full breakdowns of each bracket, keep it to Sports360AZ this week on AZ Audibles and the #FridayNight360AZ Preview Show.
6A
The bracket:
6A First Round Games pic.twitter.com/vXhlBdAtBn
— ArizonaVarsity.com 🔥PREPS🔥 (@AZHSFB) October 27, 2018
What jumps out at first glance:
Queen Creek could play spoiler. Yes, they are without Devin Larsen the rest of the way and dropped their last two games of the season, but they return quite a few players from injury including wide receiver Ryan Dobbs. They now also have a new wrinkle in their playbook with Trey Reynolds and the Bulldogs’ read-option. They get a home game against Red Mountain, and should both top seeds advance, they would face Pinnacle in the second round in the battle of the backup quarterbacks.
It would be a tall task for the Bulldogs to upset Pinnacle. Even with Spencer Rattler out, junior quarterback J.D. Johnson is an incredible talent. I asked someone close to the Pinnacle program if Johnson would be the starter on 80% of the high school teams in the state. Their response was “closer to 90%.” There’s a reason Pinnacle is the #2 seed.
But if both advance, I’m very intrigued at the elusiveness of Pinnacle against the physicality of Queen Creek and could see either team walking away with a win.
5A
The bracket:
5A First Round Games pic.twitter.com/c6fZTePZF0
— ArizonaVarsity.com 🔥PREPS🔥 (@AZHSFB) October 27, 2018
What jumps out at first glance:
How about the 5A San Tan region? All six teams make the playoffs with three of the top five seeds coming from that region in Williams Field, Casteel and Higley. If the Colts and the Knights win in the first round, they will have a rematch where Casteel was able to notch their first 5A marquee win earlier this year.
Also, how many points will Centennial give up this postseason? The Coyotes didn’t give up a single point in October and have given up 48 ON THE SEASON. 39.6% of those points (19) came in the season-opener against Casteel. It’s really hard to win playoff games if you don’t score.
4A
The bracket:
4A First Round Games pic.twitter.com/AMmOATmBom
— ArizonaVarsity.com 🔥PREPS🔥 (@AZHSFB) October 27, 2018
What jumps out at first glance:
The move Cactus made from Week 9 to Week 10. The Cobras lost by seven points to a 9-1 Peoria team and they drop from #4 to #7. Rather than potentially facing a top-four seed in the semifinals, they would take on the winner of #2 Saguaro and #15 Estrella Foothills in the second round if they beat #10 Canyon del Oro.
3A
The bracket:
3A First Round Games pic.twitter.com/dDFJ3pE4xC
— ArizonaVarsity.com 🔥PREPS🔥 (@AZHSFB) October 27, 2018
What jumps out at first glance:
What Valley Christian can do with this matchup. They sit at #5, and their only three losses came mid-season in three straight weeks. Two of those losses came to #4 Page and #1 Northwest Christian, the two teams Valley Christian could see in rounds two and three if things go right for the Trojans.
2A
The bracket:
2A First Round Games pic.twitter.com/VjtJB7P7o7
— ArizonaVarsity.com 🔥PREPS🔥 (@AZHSFB) October 27, 2018
What jumps out at first glance:
How Thatcher continues to be the standard in 2A. With a new head coach and a continually reloaded roster each year, Thatcher continues to be atop the 2A bracket.
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Jordan Hamm
Mixing his passions for sports and storytelling, Jordan comes to Sports360az as a multimedia reporter/producer looking to share the best stories Arizona has to offer. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @JordyHamm