The Chandler Basha football team was ranked No. 1 in Arizona and No. 11 nationally by USA TODAY in the preseason.
But after three games, the Bears, now No. 6 in The Republic's latest 6A rankings, are facing what feels like a must-win game on Friday, Sept. 18, at home against No. 2 Peoria Liberty.
A loss would drop Basha to 1-3, giving them three consecutive losses for the first time since 2019, when they dropped their last seven to finish 4-7.
Basha coach Chris McDonald said his team was without eight starters in the 40-7 Sept. 11 loss at Phoenix Pinnacle.
On Monday, Sept. 14, senior running back Noah Roberts led a players-only meeting, McDonald said.
Injuries started to stack up on Sept. 4 in a 23-17 loss at Orange Lutheran in southern California,
a week after an impressive 37-26 win over Chandler.
"For sure, it's humbling," McDonald said. "We played a real good team at O-Lu. We're just extremely banged up right now. We've got other guys we have to count on.
"I think we were up to eight starters out last week. We didn't play our best football, either. Nothing to take away from Pinnacle. We're just extremely beat up right now. We have to move forward. Nobody is feeling sorry for us."
Basha is the defending Open Division state champion, led by 14 seniors who have committed to Division I colleges.
There was talk before the season began that this Basha team might go down as the best in state history. That's out the window. The season is by no means a wash. But the Bears need to get healthy and get back on track with a tough five-game stretch that also includes Mesa Red Mountain on Sept. 25.
Against Pinnacle, Basha had two blocked punts that were turned into touchdowns, a muffed kick return, an interception returned for a touchdown and another interception thrown in the end zone.
"We're in the midst of a storm and we're trying to weather it," McDonald said.
A win over Liberty would put the Bears back in the state championship conversation.
McDonald couldn't say how many of the players will be back for Liberty (3-0).
"As of right now, we're taking precautionary measures with (the injured players), because we know we still have a long season ahead of us," McDonald said. "My job is to make sure to keep our headspace good, keep their eye on the prize.
"We just have to get healthy. We have to get better. And we have to get healthy."
Liberty is playing with great confidence since the 38-24 win over Utah powerhouse Corner Canyon two weeks ago.
Sophomore quarterback Jason Haines has 866 yards and 10 touchdowns with one interception passing in the first three games. Last year, these teams met in the Open state semifinals with Basha holding on for a 19-16 win.
"They've got revenge on their mind," McDonald said.
Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. Catch the best high school sports coverage in the state. Sign up for Azcentral Preps Now. And be sure to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you don't miss a thing. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @azc_obert
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Injuries take toll as Basha football prepares for No. 2 Liberty
