Two of Arizona's premier programs will get the chance to shine on the national stage in a rematch of the 2025 Arizona Open Division Championship.
Reigning champion Basha will host Chandler in both teams
season-opener on August 29 in a game that will be nationally televised, Chandler Unified School District Athletic Director Shawn Rustad announced on Wednesday, July 29.
Adam Beadle of ArizonaVarsity.com reports the game will be aired on ESPN.
The game is set to kick off at 7 p.m. MST.
Basha finished last season as the No. 17 team in the final 2025 Super 25 poll after dismantling Chandler in the championship game 34-7. Both teams sit in this year's preseason Super 25 rankings.
Basha enters the year as the No. 8 team with Chandler sitting at No. 22 in the initial rankings.
Should ESPN pick up the showdown, it will add to an already loaded slate for the network. The other matchups include Gainesville (GA) at Buford (GA) on August 22, Battle Ground Academy (TN) at St. Michael Catholic (AL) on August 22 and St. Joseph Regional (NJ) at Mount Carmel (IL) on August 28.
Basha finished its 2025 season with a record of 12-1. The Bears are led by a litany of future Power Four players, including Arizona State offensive tackle commit Jake Hildebrand, Purdue edge commit T.K. Cunningham, Texas running back commit Noah Roberts, California offensive line commit DaJohn Yarborough and 2028 five-star edge Landen Wade.
Chandler is not lacking with its own number of future Power Four players either.
The Wolves are led by Oregon quarterback commit Will Mencl, the state's top player according to 247Sports. Their roster also includes Utah offensive tackle commit Sire Stewart and four-star Wisconsin wide receiver pledge Jai Jones.
Since 2022, Basha has gotten the best of the Wolves winning the last six meetings between the schools by an average of 11.5 points.
Follow Sports Reporter Joe Spears on X at @joe_spears7 or via email: JSpears@usatodayco.com. For additional high school sports coverage, be sure to follow @usatodayhss on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Preseason Super 25 teams Basha and Chandler to meet on ESPN in Arizona showdown
