5A Playoff Preview and Round 1 Predictions

It’s been a chaotic and entertaining season on the 5A level for Arizona, but most of the preseason contenders have found a way to make their way to the playoffs. This is one of the deepest playoff brackets for 5A in a while, especially with the expansion of the playoffs from 16 to 24. In this new format, the top 8 ranked teams will receive a first round bye, and the remaining 16 will have to play this week to earn their right to continue their season. 5A saw two teams finish the season unscathed with a perfect record: Goodyear’s Desert Edge and Tucson’s Desert View. They look to be some of the favorites in this year’s bracket, but there are plenty of other talented rosters and teams who could definitely make noise this year. Let’s take a look at all 24 playoff teams and predict the first round.

1 Desert Edge

Desert Edge came into the season as the widely favored team to lift up the trophy on December 5th, and they finished the season at a perfect 10-0. The Scorpions are one of the most talented teams in the state in terms of division 1 talent, holding a plethora of blue chip recruits who are highly touted as some of the best in the nation. The Scorpions have scored 40.1 points per game while only allowing 12.3 points per game this season, being one of the most dominant teams in the state this year. The offense is headlined by JR Quarterback Blake Roskopf, who has had a phenomenal season where he accumulated 2,639 passing yards with 35 touchdowns and only 8 interceptions, having a strong case to be 5A conference player of the year. Roskopf has a very full receiving core to work with, having targets such as Dayvon Standard and Jhaheem Brown, who both became eligible at the midway point of the season. The leading receiver on this team, however, is senior standout Travion Dixson, who has put up a great final campaign, racking in 798 yards on 56 receptions, with 9 of those being touchdowns. Desert Edge also had a powerful running game led by sophomore tailback Byron Brandon, who had 151 carries for 949 yards on the ground, scoring 9 touchdowns. On the defensive side of things, Desert Edge has been led primarily by two senior standouts: Antonio “Tarzan” Para and Camren Hamiel. Para had a phenomenal year with 92 tackles and a whopping 20 tackles for loss, along with 5 sacks and an interception. Hamiel contributed another 65 tackles with 14.5 of those being for loss to go with 3.5 sacks and an interception of his own. On the defensive line, sophomore Jalanie George has developed into an elite pass rusher, with 6 sacks on the year. He is one of the most highly recruited 2028 prospects in the country, with some sites having him rated as the best defensive prospect in America. All in all, the Scorpions of Desert Edge seem to be the clear favorites this year. Coming off a 5A championship last season, they look to do what the Higley Knights did in 2022/23: repeat as 5A champions.

2 ALA Gilbert North

The Eagles of ALA Gilbert North had a very successful season under first year head coach Ty Detmer, who came over from another ALA program in Queen Creek. The Eagles finished 9-1 with the lone blemish being to the top seeded Desert Edge in a 29-7 defeat. The Eagle’s junior quarterback, Ben Livingston, had a very efficient campaign with 25 touchdowns to only 4 interceptions, while stacking up 1,792 yards in the air. Junior running back Weston Powell had 95 carries for 675 yards on the year, being a key contributor to the Eagle offense that averaged 37.1 points per game. The receiving core was headlined by junior standout Isaac Massey, one of the most underrated players in the state of Arizona. The receiver had 45 grabs for 699 yards on the year, as well as hauling in 5 interceptions on the defensive side of the ball. The defense which held opponents to just 14 points a game was headlined by senior safety Stockton Dye and senior linebacker Kutter Thorley, as well as senior defensive end Gaven McKinney, who had 10 sacks on the year. The Eagles dominated opponents at times and proved to be one of the most hard-nosed football teams in the state of Arizona, priding themselves in gruesome physicality. It is truly an 11 hats to the ball defense that swarms ball carriers and does not make it easy for offensive players to get extra yards. ALA Gilbert North will be a very tough out in this year’s postseason and are not a team you would like to face in November. 

3 Desert View

Desert View came into the season widely under the radar, a team hidden from the spotlight in Tucson. The Jaguars exceeded expectations with their best year in program history: a perfect 10-0 regular season. Despite finishing the year 10-0, the Jaguars are still widely underestimated due to the lack of challenging opponents on the schedule. The Jaguars simply put their heads down and dominated the teams put ahead of them, with the closest game being an 18 point victory over Flowing Wells in the last week of the season. Desert View averaged 45.6 points per game while holding opponents to just 14.2 points. The Jaguars are coming into the postseason with chips on their shoulders, ready to prove people wrong again. The Jaguar quarterback, senior Ryan Vasavilbaso slung 25 touchdown passes with just 2 interceptions through the Jaguar’s 10 games. One of the most impressive contributors on the team was freshman phenom Anthony Rodarte, who blazed past defenders with ease. He got 45 receptions for 694 yards and 9 scores, one of the most impressive freshman campaigns in recent Arizona memory. Running back Jaylee Abraham had a record setting season with 1,421 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns on the ground, a truly impressive statline for the sophomore. Desert View wants the 5A crown to come to southern Arizona, a heavy but easily feasible task for this talented group.

4 Marana

The Tigers of Marana High have revitalized their program in recent years, coming off a year which saw them be the number 1 overall seed in the open division, led by wide receiver Dezmen Roebuck, the state’s Gatorade player of the year last year. Roebuck is now hauling in passes at the University of Washington, being one of the best freshmen in the Big 10 this year. But the Tigers have not looked back at his absence and have found new weapons emerge for the offense. The Tigers finished the year 9-1, with their lone loss being to 6A Salpointe Catholic in the opener. Marana utilized an air raid offense with senior QB Colten Meyer absolutely slinging it this year. He put up ridiculous numbers: 2,784 passing yards for 31 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. The younger brother of Dezmen, Sean Roebuck, headlined the Tiger receivers this year, getting 66 receptions for 824 yards and 6 touchdowns. Jaxsun Sharp and Jesse Howell were also key contributors, having 11 touchdowns and 8 touchdowns respectively. The trio at Marana High is among the best in the state, fueling Marana’s offense to average 39.5 points a game this year. On the ground, Marana relied on sophomore tailback Jeffrey Smith III, who had 992 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. Marana also had one of the most lethal pass rushes in the state this year, with Justin Elder and Hayden Utley sacking the quarterback a combined 19.5 times between the two edge rushers. Marana wants to get past the disappointment of a first round loss to 6A Hamilton last year by winning a 5A title this year, and I believe the Tigers have what it takes to accomplish that goal. 

5 Horizon

Horizon had an impressive campaign although coming up short in the region due to their devastating 3OT loss to Notre Dame Prep back on October 3rd. But other than that, the Huskies finished strong and won 8 games with their only other loss being a 4 point defeat to 6A Highland. Horizon struggled at times throwing the ball this year, only passing for 132.9 yards per game. But senior running back Bodie Zamorano led the way with 166 carries for 1,164 yards and 8 touchdowns. Another back the Huskies turn to is freshman standout Dylan Brush, who had 64 carries for 672 yards for 9 scores. On defense, Horizon was led by senior linebacker Gage Lee who had 88 tackles, 3 sacks, and 1 interception. Horizon is always a well coached team and has a tradition of winning. They will always be a threat to win a state championship and are looking to do that this year. It will be a tough road for the Huskies, but they have a great defensive squad and rushing attack on offense. 

6 Canyon View 

Canyon View had one of the best turnarounds in 5A this year after going 3-7 in the previous campaign, improving to 8-2. The Jaguars defeated all their opponents except for top seeded Desert Edge and the 4 seed Marana. The Jaguars had an efficient offense, averaging 34.5 points per game. The defense was very stout, only allowing 15.5 points per game. The Jags were led by senior quarterback Brady Scott, who put up impressive numbers including 2,027 

yards passing with 26 touchdowns to just 5 interceptions. The headline of this team on offense was the receiving duo of Braylon Anderson and Brandon Catalan, both racking up at least 475 yards receiving on the year. The defense was led by senior edge rusher Jackson McCarthy who had 55 tackles with 8 sacks. Senior linebacker Rece Landis had a very impressive season as well, racking up 103 tackles on the year. The Jaguars also got 6 interceptions from senior safety Brady Grizzell, one of the highest tallies for any athlete in 5A. Canyon View will have a tough road with the gauntlet that is the 5A conference, but they have the talent to make a deep run towards the championship.

7 AZ College Prep

ACP had a phenomenal start to the year: going 7-0. Recently however, it has been a struggle for the Knights as they dropped crucial games to ALA Gilbert North and Campo Verde. The Knights overcame adversity early as their leader and starting quarterback Evan Heinrich went down with an injury early on. In just 7 games, Heinrich threw for 1,575 yards with 14 touchdowns and just 1 interception, a stellar efficiency. Being the team’s first year in 5A, as well as having a first year head coach in Derek Zellner, it has been a very successful year for the Knights. ACP had two running backs eclipse the 450 mark with senior Max Sasso and junior JCory Horne. The Knights used a plethora of different receivers with a whopping 5 of them going over the 200 yard mark: Brady Barkdoll, Dalton Speaks, Kyle Poole, Ashton Sanchez, and Austin Spendlove. ACP has a defense full of senior standouts including Cam Mitchell, Noah Montoya, Daniel Velasquez, Melo Adams, and Isaac Spendlove. The Knights are looking to return to ASU as they made it last year, in the 4A bracket however. The Knights have a chance to return this year, but in the conference above.

8 Cactus

The Cactus Cobras are consistently a tough team to beat. This year proved to be more of the same as it took two of the state’s most consistent programs to beat them, the Horizon Huskies and the Yuma Catholic Shamrocks. Cactus turned to senior QB Luke Berlin this season, who had a great campaign tossing 20 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions. The Cobras used a multitude of different backs on the ground with 5 different ball carriers with at least 250 yards. Senior wide receiver Robert Bell had a phenomenal final campaign with 58 catches for 952 yards and 13 scores. On the defensive side, Jayson Burkhard had a phenomenal year as a linebacker, racking up 86 tackles and 1 interception for the Cobra defense. Cactus has the experience and talent to make some noise in 5A one year after finishing as the runner up. The Cobras look to avenge that loss to Desert Edge as there is a possibility the two rivals could square off in the quarterfinals.

17 Cienega vs 16 Sunnyslope

This matchup pits the 6-4 Cienega Bobcats against the 8-2 Sunnyslope Vikings. It is going to be a long trek up to central Phoenix for the Cienega Bobcats, which could play a huge factor in the game. Sunnyslope has been led by two standout juniors: quarterback Royce Vanacore and running back Kelton Rogers. These two have helped the Vikings tremendously on their road to an 8-2 record, a huge turnaround from last year. The Vikings dynamic offense put up 40.6 points per game, and the defense was stout only allowing 16.4 points each game. The Vikings have been cruising to victories, and against a Cienega Bobcat team that has struggled at times, it should be a convincing win for the Vikings.

Prediction: Cienega 17, Sunnyslope 41

24 Gilbert vs 9 Desert Mountain

Gilbert barely snuck into the playoffs after being on the outside looking in for a good chunk of the rankings period, jumping Tolleson at the 11th hour and sneaking in as the 24 seed. The team they will be facing are the Desert Mountain Wolves, who have lost the final 2 games of the season, deflating victories against Horizon and Notre Dame Prep. Gilbert had a mediocre 5-5 season, but they proved to be a tough out against some of the best competition in the 5A level. Gilbert has shown they can hang with the best under the leadership of senior quarterback Zane Grant, who threw for 2,163 yards for 23 scores and 17 interceptions. His top wideout was Jonathan Guy, who had 8 touchdowns for the Tigers. Gilbert has a tough task at hand in stopping the dynamic Desert Mountain offense, considering that Gilbert allowed 35.7 points per game this year. Grant Garduno had a good season for Desert Mountain, tossing 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. The key to this game will be the turnover battle, with both of these quarterbacks having shown they are prone to giving the ball away at times this year. Stopping Desert Mountain will be a tall task, but I think this game will be much closer than much anticipated going in.

Prediction: Gilbert 20, Desert Mountain 31

21 Maricopa vs 12 Notre Dame Prep

This game pits the 6-4 Rams of Maricopa High up against the 5-5 Saints of Notre Dame Prep. Notre Dame Prep had a significantly tougher schedule, and they even ended up winning the 5A Northeast Valley crown. Maricopa had one of their best seasons ever, beating their rivals Casa Grande for the first time in a long time. Jose Cardona was Mr. do it all for the Rams, playing great defense at the safety position and leading the offense at quarterback. He put up impressive numbers through the air and on the ground this year, fueling Maricopa’s dramatic rise to a playoff spot. However, Notre Dame Prep had one of the most bruising ground games of the whole 5A level, with two 500 yard rushers in Decker Haskins-Smith and Landon Stych. These two combined for 17 touchdowns on the ground this year. Both of these running backs played crucial roles on defense as well for the Saints, who along with junior linebacker Gunnar Perry came up with crucial stops time and time again for NDP. The Saints should cruise to a relatively easy victory over Maricopa if they can run the ball effectively and limit Cardona’s playmaking ability.

Prediction: Maricopa 7, Notre Dame Prep 24

20 Yuma Catholic vs 13 Millennium

In one of the closest on paper matchups of the first round, the Yuma Catholic Shamrocks will travel up to Goodyear to face the Millennium Tigers. Yuma Catholic is in its first season at the 5A level after being dominant in 3A and 4A in previous years. The Shamrocks can attack you in a multitude of ways offensively, led by senior QB Nash Ott. Jose Polk and Levi Stallworth had significant contributions on the ground as well, and Brody Amon was a dominant receiver for the Shamrocks. The Millennium Tigers are a ground and pound offense led by junior DMari Bryant. He has had one of the most impressive seasons as a running back in Arizona history, running for a whopping 1,895 yards and 29 touchdowns. Bryant has broken out onto the scene and put the state on notice. His breakaway speed combined with his bruising running style has been extremely hard for teams to approach, as he has gotten loose against some of the best defenses in the state. Simply, nobody has been able to stop him this year, and the Shamrocks only hope is to contain him. The Tigers also have a very efficient quarterback in Rayden Reibel, who has passed for 1,989 yards and 24 touchdowns, while only throwing 4 interceptions. The Tigers look to cruise to victory in this one, but Yuma Catholic is an extremely tough out. Millennium should get the victory, but we could be in for a classic in this one.

Prediction: Yuma Catholic 27, Millennium 35

19 Flowing Wells vs 14 Mountain Pointe

It has been a tale of different levels of performing to preseason expectations for these two teams. Flowing Wells was an afterthought in most people’s 5A playoff conversations, and they had a very impressive season, starting off 6-0 and finishing 7-3. Mountain Pointe, on the other hand, was widely considered a favorite going into the year. But struggles in the QB room have led to them wildly underperforming this year, going 6-4 when a lot of people thought they could go the season undefeated. Flowing Wells was largely dominant this season, scoring 39.4 points a game while only allowing 16.1 points per game. These Caballeros are going to be heavily underestimated by most media pundits, but Mountain Pointe has a very talented roster and it will be a tall task for them to go up to Ahwatukee and upset the Pride. The key will be if the Pride’s platoon at quarterback will work, as Jordan Munoz and Kristian Escobedo need to elevate their games and get the ball to the dynamic playmakers of Mountain Pointe’s offense. The underclassmen duo of Sonny Norwood and Legaratte Blount Jr have carried the Pride this year as both of these talented athletes have had significant contributions on the varsity level. 

Linebacker Jaylyn Colter had another standout season, racking up 107 tackles and 10 sacks on the year. Mountain Pointe also has a great tight end in Mekhi Hodge, a Cesar Chavez transfer. Flowing Wells has a tall task on hand, and I just do not think they have the firepower or speed to contend with the dynamic firepower of the Pride. Mountain Pointe needs to break the binding chains on offense, and this would be a great time to do it.

Prediction: Flowing Wells 20, Mountain Pointe 45

22 Verrado vs 11 Campo Verde

This matchup pits a couple of 6-4 teams against each other, the Verrado Vipers of Buckeye and the Campo Verde Coyotes of Gilbert. Verrado has one of the most dynamic passing offenses in the state with Malachi Wilt tossing for 2,922 yards and 34 scores to just 7 interceptions. Campo Verde has a great quarterback in junior Jonah Lubno. These two phenomenal gunslingers will prove to be one of the best matchups between talented guys under center in the first round of the 5A playoffs. Verrado has been the more explosive team so far this year, but the Coyotes defense is one of the best in the conference, led by Washington State commit Jake Jones. Jones has had an impressive season in the middle of the Coyotes defensive line, tallying 42 tackles with 4.5 sacks. Senior linebacker Drew Pollard has had an impressive year as well with 106 tackles. Luke Cepeda has also made significant contributions as a linebacker. Two-way star Wyatt Rauch has been very effective, and Campo Verde relies on him to lock down top targets from across the state. Verrado definitely has what it takes to pull off the improbable upset, but Campo Verde’s defense is complete and has shut down top offenses time and time again throughout the year. Despite these two star quarterbacks, I think it will be a lower scoring game.

Prediction: Verrado 17, Campo Verde 21

23 Tucson vs 10 Cactus Shadows

The Tucson Badgers will make the extremely long journey up to Cave Creek to take on the Cactus Shadows Falcons two weeks in a row, as they squared off in a 48-40 thriller just last Friday. Cactus Shadows got the better of the Badgers in the previous matchup, one of 5 very close losses for Tucson High. Tucson has contended with multiple good teams, exceeding expectations against 6A Salpointe notably. Cactus Shadows is led by star dual threat quarterback Donivan Dixon. Dixon has been responsible for a staggering 41 touchdowns through the air and on the ground this season, fueling one of the most explosive offenses in the state. Dixon is the true definition of a do it all quarterback, as he proved to be a dynamic threat with his arm and with his legs, scampering for 1,142 yards on 102 carries. The key to the game for Tucson will be to limit Dixon’s playmaking ability and contain his ability to extend plays. That was the issue for Tucson on Friday, as Dixon had one of his most dominant games of the season. Tucson has a great trio of offensive weapons in QB Derek Mesa, ATH Noah Chanez, and WR Ezra Spivey. These three have been dominant this year, helping Tucson to score most of their points. Chanez and Spivey both play defensive back as well for the Badgers, as they are some of the best two way athletes in the state. Tucson has a very difficult task at hand in containing Dixon, and only a handful of teams have been able to do that all season. I think Cactus Shadows barely survives another thriller.

Prediction: Tucson 35, Cactus Shadows 38

18 Mountain View vs 15 Buena

In the final matchup of the first round in 5A, two southern Arizona teams will square off. Marana’s Mountain View will take the long bus ride down to Sierra Vista to take on the Buena Colts. Buena is a ground and pound, hard hitting team that relies on old school tactics to take down opponents. Michael Lujan is one of the best north-south running backs in all of Arizona, amassing 1,455 yards for 15 touchdowns. On defense, the Colts have one of the best brotherly duos in the state with linebackers Jax and Cooper Kraus. Cooper has 157 tackles on the year and Jax has 102, and these two hit like trucks delivering bone-crushing blows to ball carriers all season. Buena uses the clock more effectively than nearly any team in the state, and it is hard to maintain lengthy possessions against the Colts due to their old school offensive nature. It will be crucial for the Mountain Lions to cash in on redzone trips and make the most of their offensive possessions, and I do not think they are up to that task.

Prediction: Mountain View 7, Buena 24