How much longer can Scottsdale Saguaro football go before it shuts down the rest of the season after canceling a third game?
Saguaro (0-3) canceled this week's game with Phoenix Pinnacle (3-1), ranked No. 6 in The Arizona Republic's latest 6A rankings., after losing to Glendale Mountain Ridge last week. Eric Sorenson with Sports360AZ reported the news late Tuesday on social media platform X.
Pinnacle coach Dana Zupke confirmed with The Republic on Wednesday morning, Sept. 23, that Saguaro canceled the game.
BREAKING:
— Eric Sorenson (@EricSports360AZ) September 23, 2026
Saguaro has canceled their game at Pinnacle this Friday.
Due to roster limitations, #Sabercats have only played two games this season - lopsided losses to Desert Mountain and Mountain Ridge.@Sports360AZ
This time it wasn't about the
health of the team and injuries but academics.
Scottsdale Unified School District athletic director Stephen Cervantez forwarded a letter to the Saguaro football community on the cancellation of the Pinnacle game, citing academically ineligible players.
In part, the letter reads, "The decision to cancel this week’s game was made due to academic eligibility concerns within the Saguaro football program.
"While this is undoubtedly a difficult moment, it is also an important reminder of one of our most fundamental commitments: our students are students first. Academics must remain the foundation of the student-athlete experience, and meeting academic eligibility requirements is essential to participating in school athletics."
The message added: "We recognize that this news will be especially disappointing for the players who have invested their time, energy, and heart into this season. We also know how much our coaches, families, classmates, and Saguaro supporters have rallied around this team. Thank you for your continued support of our students, our coaches, and the Saguaro community."
After losing its season opener 62-0 to Scottsdale Desert Mountain, Saguaro, with a banged up and depleted roster, canceled its next two games.
Saguaro, a 6A team, was down to 18 players in spring ball when Butch Goncharoff took over the program. There weren't enough players to field a lower-level team, so the freshman and JV seasons were canceled. He started the season with 33 varsity players, many of them freshmen who were moved up.
After the Desert Mountain loss, injuries took a toll on the team, so with support from the Scottsdale Unified School District, the Sabercats canceled their game with rival Chaparral due to safety concerns. Chaparral, a 5A team, picked up Tempe as an opponent.
Saguaro wasn't able to get enough of the injured players back in time the following week and canceled against ALA Queen Creek. That game counted as a forfeit.
Goncharoff felt better about his team's effort in the 45-6 loss to Mountain Ridge last week, telling The Republic, "We like what our young guys are doing; they’ve gotten better from game one. Most of these guys haven’t played football before. From where we started, they’ve done a really good job."
Left on Saguaro's schedule are games against Gilbert Williams Field, Tucson Salpointe Catholic, Gilbert Higley, Phoenix Brophy Prep and Surprise Shadow Ridge. Salpointe is 2-2 entering this week's games, while the other four are 3-1.
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: Saguaro football cancels third game, this time due to academic issues
