Scottsdale Saguaro, after falling to Desert Mountain 62-0 in its season opener, has canceled its football game this week against rival Scottsdale Chaparral.
Scottsdale Unified School District athletic director Stephen Cervantez, Saguaro athletic director David Abrams and Chaparral coach Trace Carroll all confirmed reports that Saguaro had to cancel due to safety concerns.
Carroll told The Republic that he is looking for a new opponent after his team opened the 2026 season last week with a 61-0 win over Avondale West Point.
Saguaro had only 14 players by the time coach Butch Goncharoff took over the program in the spring. He was able to get 33 players out, but Saguaro had to cancel freshman and JV football due to the limited numbers. There are several
freshmen playing varsity.
Abrams said the idea is to use this week to heal up and try to get back going again Sept. 10 at home against ALA Queen Creek.
Chaparral and Saguaro were supposed to play on Friday, Sept. 4, at Chaparral. Carroll said the Arizona Interscholastic Association is working with Chaparral to find a new opponent.
BREAKING: The Saguaro-Chaparral rivalry game this Friday at Chap has been canceled due to safety concerns regarding the Sabercats’ roster.
— Eric Sorenson (@EricSports360AZ) August 31, 2026
Have been told, as of now, no future #Saguaro games have been canceled. @Sports360AZ
"Saguaro does have some kids out right now, and we're concerned about health and not having enough numbers, but we fully plan on continuing the season and getting past this week," Cervantez said. "No plan to cancel the season whatsoever. Coach Goncharoff and his training staff, they just need some time to get some kids back."
Saguaro had 35 players transfer out since the end of last season, after Darius Kelly was let go, and during the long transition of finding a new coach. The Sabercats had to go through the hiring process twice, with Jason Ronquillo stepping down in March.
It put Goncharoff, an 11-time Washington state championship high school coach, in the tough position to try to rebuild a Saguaro program that has won 14 state titles.
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 Chaparral game due to safety concerns
