It’s the middle of October, which means the Arizona high school football regular season is fully ramped up.
Which also means the playoffs are right around the corner, and clarity on playoff seeding is starting to take shape.
Thursday Night
On the Fiesta Bowl High School Football Showdown, Prescott and Flagstaff combined for 110 points.
The Prescott Badgers won, 69-41. Coach Cody Collett’s offense ran for over 500 yards on just 40 carries.
Badgers Break the Scoreboard
@PrescottFB dropped a Fiesta Bowl High School Showdown-record 69 POINTS in a wild win over Flagstaff last night!
The Eagles added 41 for a combined 110 points at the NAU Walkup Skydome. https://t.co/YVpa8rCNNe
— Fiesta Sports Foundation (@Fiesta_Bowl) October 16, 2026
Flagstaff quarterback Broden Custer threw for a school record, 62 pass attempts. 25 completions for over 300 yards and three touchdowns. He faced pressure all night long but made defenders miss often. Very impressive showing.
Prescott is now 8-0 and is gearing up for a massive 4A Grand Canyon Region showdown with 6-2 Bradshaw Mountain in two weeks.
Friday
The game of the night Friday was Centennial at Chandler.
The Wolves walk away, 20-16 with a controversial finish. With a 20-14 lead and 15 seconds remaining, the officials ruled a safety on a play that looked like it could’ve been called a fumble, which would’ve been a defensive touchdown for the Coyotes.
Crazy Arizona High School Football ending in #2 Chandler vs #5 Centennial.
Chandler led 20-14 and was trying to run the clock out with 15 seconds left when this was called a safety. Some Coyote fans believe this should have been a defensive TD. Wolves win 20-16
Via @YurView_AZ https://t.co/BdrQgaygT5
— Ralph Amsden (@ralphamsden) October 17, 2026
Regardless of the outcome of that call, this game was a preview of what could be a fantastic Open Division semifinal or even championship game depending on the seeding. I expect both teams to still be in the top 4 with only one loss each.
Hamilton beat Pinnacle 34-13 in what was considered a top 5 match up. The Huskies are quietly going about their business this year, and there is an argument to be made that this is the best team in the state. Only Novemeber and December will decide that…
The Battle for Brown Road went to overtime this year, solidifying that it is one of the best rivalries in the state. Mountain View walks away victorious, 28-27 after stopping a 2 point conversion by Red Mountain.
FINAL: Mountain View 28, Red Mountain 27 OT
After Red Mountain scored in OT, the Mountain Lions decided to go for 2 — and the Toros stopped them.
Incredible ending to an incredible game.
@azc_preps https://t.co/5Do2eKOvbu
— Logan Stanley (@RLSscribe) October 17, 2026
Both teams have the talent to make deep playoff pushes.
Down in 5A, Cactus Shadows is fighting for a playoff spot and helps its case with a 17-7 win over number one Notre Dame Prep. The Falcons play in the toughest 5A region and are doing everything they can to make it back to the playoffs. Sitting at 3-5, they get Chaparral next.
Up north, Lee Williams beat Coconino, 35-21. Our work group chat got a text from Cody Cameron saying that running back Lucas Leist is a stud.
Like this player a lot for Lee Williams – Senior RB @LucasLeist6 takes an outside stretch 68-yards to the house. One cut and explodes north. Lee Williams cuts Coco’s lead 14-7 at the end of the 1st Q @Jlane0342 @Sports360AZ https://t.co/3yfJlYaq7l
— Cody Cameron (@CodyTCameron) October 17, 2026
4A seems wide open this year, with tons of teams up North and one in Tucson who can make a push to get to Tempe in December.
Other notable scores
From Gridiron’s manual scoreboard
Score of the Night: Cactus Shadows 17 Notre Dame 7. Falcons win on the road in what has become a North Valley rivalry. Here’s the rest of the Manual Scoreboard for the 6A & 5A. . . . https://t.co/WNTIGJHUUI
— Gridiron Arizona (@gridironarizona) October 17, 2026
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