Eric Sorenson
Sometimes the best ideas are spawned when the camera stops rolling.
Shortly after myself, Zach Alvira, and Jordan Spurgeon wrapped up our weekly AZ Audibles segment on Monday, our usual AZHS football small talk turned into a rather eye-opening reality of the unmatched depth and potency of next month’s 6A playoff bracket.
Sure, each year the field is filled with deserving teams ready to make that magical run to said division’s Arizona State Championship Game, a throne Highland has held the past 700 or so days, but this season just hits a little different.
6A rankings with Open teams taken out
1. Pinnacle
2. Brophy
3. Salpointe
4. Saguaro
5. Perry
6. Mountain View
7. Williams Field
8. Red Mountain
9. Mountain Pointe
10. Casteel
11. O’Connor
12. Boulder Creek
13. Queen Creek
14. Corona
15. Desert Ridge
16. Mesa— Zach Alvira (@ZachAlvira) October 24, 2023
As I write this, Highland is currently ranked sixth in the latest Open Division brackets.
So, it got me thinking, maybe it’s time for Zach and I to dig a little deeper into this fall’s 6A bracket death pool.
Open-Ended Discussion
Will it be a little strange not seeing Saguaro in the Open for the first time since its existence?
It sure will.
With that being said, the firepower, and overall depth, of the current 16-field show yield “competitive balance,” a term AIA Executive Director David Hines has used as his baseline mission statement following not only the birth of The Open in 2019, but the AIA’s annual re-shuffling of teams and regions in hopes of evening the playing field – as much as possible.
Does adding #SagU, Pinnacle, and Salpointe, all teams who have made The Open in the past, sweeten the pot of this showcase bracket?
“I believe it does,” Alvira said to the “Zone Read.” It opens the door for a more competitive 6A Conference and, in my opinion, makes that championship worthwhile again. It’s no secret The Open takes away the lust of conference championships. I mean, why wouldn’t it? It’s the true state championship bracket.
“But adding teams like Saguaro, Pinnacle, Salpointe and potentially a couple of those teams in the Open now but are on the bubble, it adds parody and shows the championship is truly up for grabs this year and any team could win it.”
Football State (of Mind)
If you’re even a somewhat consistent consumer of this column, you’re aware “Zone Read” is a big believer that State 48’s high school footprint is growing faster than teenage feet.
What was once considered a national recruiting base with “a handful of prospects” has evolved into a must-stop along the talent trail for the bluest of blue bloods across the nation.
The eight teams currently pegged to compete for the AIA’s new-look championship trophy have, to this point, distinguished themselves as the elite guests at the head table but 2023’s local big school talent pool is loaded with, what appears to this point, an usually high-level of balanced teams in the the 6A field.
“With teams moving up in the last few years the 6A Conference has become extremely competitive,” Alvira explained. “Not to mention, you have teams such as Liberty and Centennial re-surging with players choosing those schools over other destinations across the Valley in hopes of shifting the power from the East Valley elsewhere.
@LibertyFBLions QB @navibruzon
Video Game NUmbers…
What a game last night!! pic.twitter.com/z6LtU7TsQa— YurView Arizona (@YurView_AZ) October 21, 2023
“Arizona has exploded with talent and while some years it is mostly on the same two or three teams, we’ve seen it more spread out this season than any other that I can remember in my six years covering for The [East Valley] Tribune. Overall, it’s great for the state but still begs the question of whether or not The Open is necessary anymore.”
The future of The Open is fodder for another column.
For now, let’s dig a little deeper into the bracket.
Beasts of the East (Valley)
If you’re looking for a big picture trend to the 16-team field it’s the high number of East Valley schools, 12 to be exact, littered up and down the current list.
I’ve seen the two current teams at the top, Pinnacle and Brophy, this fall. Both are well-coached and skilled in key position groups. Both have losses to current Open Division teams but have taken care of business, in a mostly convincing fashion, against the rest of their schedules with two games remaining.
I asked Zach to dive a little deeper into a few of the East Valley teams he’s familiar with and decide if one the lower seeds could possibly make a run to Mountain America Stadium in early December.
5th-seed Perry: “I look [at a team] like Perry, which has been extremely competitive this season. The Pumas lost by a few scores to Hamilton, but were in it up until the fourth quarter. They beat Casteel and now have a chance to shock both Chandler and Basha – or at the very least be competitive again.
Relentless and scrappy!!! That’s what it took to win tonight! 7-1 with this group that believes in each other. Tonight was about playing for others for Cancer awareness. So proud! Oh and our wedding present to Coach Roman! pic.twitter.com/2UZ9MBzMnl
— Joseph Ortiz (@JosephO24) October 21, 2023
“This team is dangerous.”
9th-seed Mountain Pointe: “I still believe teams like Mountain Pointe have a chance to catch some teams overlooking them. On paper, there’s talent everywhere on the Pride roster. You have two D-1 running backs, a D-1 linebacker, a D-1 offensive and defensive lineman, a D-1 safety and potentially a few corners.
“The problem for the Pride has been inconsistency. They look great against some teams but completely fall apart against others. If they bring it all together they can be dangerous.”
15th-seed Desert Ridge: “In my opinion, [my sleeper] would have to be Desert Ridge. Major Wooten has been the starting QB for 2-3 years now, so experience is there. They have a massive offensive line led by Greg Bienvenue and four players who have all rushed for 200-plus yards this season. On defense, Sammy Johns is great in the secondary and Logan Rogers leads a good linebacking group.
“Coach Roy Lopez is one of the best and he has great assistant coaches around him, too.”
The Field: “Others I like to potentially make a run: Queen Creek, Red Mountain, Williams Field and Mountain View. All have talent at key positions and are capable of winning big games thanks to veteran coaches.”
Final Thoughts
Lying below the surface of this sweet 16 is the chess match in schemes to be devised by several established, successful head coaches in this group.
Here are some – Dana Zupke (Pinnacle), Eric Rogers (Salpointe), Joseph Ortiz (Perry), Steve Campbell (Williams Field), Travis Schureman (Queen Creek), Jake Barro (Corona del Sol), Roy Lopez (Mountain Ridge), Chad DeGrenier (Mesa).
All have state championships or deep playoff runs on their resumes.
“I’m really excited for the 6A bracket,” Alvira noted. “As mentioned before, I don’t think there is a clear favorite there. Sure, you could say Pinnacle or Brophy could be the favorites, or even Salpointe at No. 3 if playoffs started this week. But all of those teams have also struggled at times.
“The Open, of course, will get the most attention, as it likely should. But the 6A playoffs, and even the 5A playoffs, are looking like they are going to give us some incredible matchups.”
Buckle up.
November football is coming.
