After many teams faced out-of-state competition last week, it's time to turn the attention on challenges inside of Arizona. There are some big clashes with teams out to prove they are among the elite.
Vote in our poll below for the most intriguing matchup of the week from our list. Print readers can find the poll with this story online at azcentral.com/sports/high-schools. The poll closes at 7 p.m. on Sept. 10.
Here are The Arizona Republic's top 10 most intriguing games for Sept. 10-11. All games are 7 p.m., unless noted.
1. Mesa Mountain View (2-0) at Peoria Centennial (2-0), Sept. 11
These teams met for the 6A title two seasons ago with Centennial beating Mountain View 31-21. Last year, in the Open state playoffs, Centennial lost to Mountain View 22-14.
Centennial fell back into the 6A playoffs, and got to the final, before losing to Casteel. This appears to be the start of a strong cross-Valley rivalry. Centennial is playing lights-out defense and featuring a strong offense, behind quarterback Titus Hill and his twin brother Torrin, a tight end. Mountain View has been driven with a strong ground game, led by Coy Bodily.
2. Gilbert Perry (2-0) at Chandler Hamilton (2-0), Sept. 11
This is a chance for Perry quarterback Kael Snyder (only one incompletion in the first two games) and the rejuvenated offense under coach Jeremy Hathcock to see how far they have come against the top-ranked Huskies and one of the top defenses in the state.
3. Scottsdale Notre Dame (2-0) at Goodyear Desert Edge (2-0), Sept. 10
Notre Dame had to hold off Sunnyslope last week, 30-29, thanks to a blocked field goal by Sam Jenkins in the final minute. That should jump-start the Saints against the 5A top-ranked Scorpions, who feature a potent offense and lock-down defense. QB Blake Roskopf has passed for 716 yards and seven touchdowns, completing 33 of 45 passes, in the first two games for Desert Edge. Scorpions' edge rusher Jalanie George is a beast, getting to quarterbacks in a hurry.
4. Scottsdale Chaparral (2-0) at Chandler Arizona College Prep (1-1), Sept. 10
This should be Chaparral's first challenge after rolling over Avondale West Point and Tempe. How good are sophomore quarterback Ryan Trocki and running back Jayce Wilson? They will find out against a tougher defense. This ACP team lost its first game last week to second-ranked (5A) Scottsdale Desert Mountain, 42-14.
5. Glendale Cactus (1-1) at Phoenix Horizon (2-0), Sept. 10
Cactus is coming off a loss to Goodyear Millennium. Horizon keeps feeding the ball to sophomore sensation Dylan Brush, who has run for eight touchdowns in the first two games. The Huskies' defense is pretty good, too. This is a big 5A game for both schools.
6. Sierra Vista Buena (2-0) at ALA Gilbert North (2-0), Sept. 11
This won't be a picnic for ALA Gilbert North against a team that is coming off a 59-7 rout of Mesa Skyline. ALA Gilbert North is coming off a quality 44-20 win over Cave Creek Cactus Shadows, as quarterback Ben Livingston ran for 119 yards and three touchowns on 10 carries.
7. Scottsdale Christian (2-0) at Coolidge (2-1), Sept. 11
This is a makeup game for Scottsdale Christian, which lost out on the Tonopah Valley game earlier after Tonopah canceled its season. Coolidge is a solid 3A team, so this won't be easy for the three-time defending 2A champions, who hope they weren't lulled into a false sense of security after a 78-0 win over Phoenix Bourgade Catholic.
8. Gilbert Williams Field (2-0) at Tempe Corona del Sol (2-0), Sept. 11
Is this Corona del Sol team for real after winning its first two games by 58-0 and 50-0 scores over Valley Vista and North Las Vegas Mojave, respectively? If the Aztecs do that against a rock-solid Williams Field defense, then, yes, this team is a legit contender. Luke Farrell has thrown for 264 yards and eight touchdowns without an interception in the first two games for Corona.
9. Queen Creek Casteel (0-2) at Gilbert Higley (1-1), Sept. 11
Don't gloss over Casteel's record. The Colts were in both of those loses against quality opponents, losing a season-opening heartbreaker to Mesa Red Mountain, 35-34. They traveled to Oregon last week, losing to strong Lake Oswego, 27-20. Now comes a Higley team feeling better after traveling to Littleton, Colorado, and beating Dakota Ridge, 54-13, with QB Cayden Schlueter completing 7 of 9 passes for 122 yards and three touchdowns.
10. Gilbert Highland (1-1) at Peoria Liberty (2-0), Sept. 11
Highland lost at Inglewood (California) 28-16 last week and gets no cushion coming back to Arizona to face Liberty, which last week beat Draper (Utah) Corner Canyon 38-28, behind sophomore quarterback Jason Haines' four touchdowns (three passing).
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: Vote. Top 10 Arizona high school football games, Sept. 10-11
