Phoenix Arcadia proved Paradise Valley isn’t invincible this week, but the Trojans still had enough firepower to hold off the pesky Titans and keep their No. 1 ranking in 4A-II.
Tucson Santa Rita is back in the thick of things after an impressive win over then-No. 2 Tucson Sabino of 4A-I.
We’ll have a big one this week between 4A-II No. 1 Paradise Valley and No. 2 Notre Dame, as well as an important game between 4A-I No. 2 Saguaro and Peoria, which is right outside the top-5.
4A-I
1. Canyon del Oro: The Dorados had an easy win against Tucson last Friday. They’ll head up to Phoenix this week for a test with Queen Creek. Others are higher on the Bulldogs than I am, but a win or a competitive game here will convert me. While the other top teams have either floundered (Cienega, Sabino, Peoria) or been lightly tested (Saguaro, Apache Junction), Canyon del Oro has played a tough schedule and played it well. The Dorados are the clear-cut No. 1 in my eyes.
2. Saguaro: Probably a few tense minutes last Friday as it took the Sabercats awhile to put away Sunnyslope. The next three weeks will tell us exactly how good Saguaro is this season. It gets Peoria, Cactus and Canyon del Oro, back-to-back-to-back. We’ll see if the ‘young pups’ are ready to play with the big boys.
3. Apache Junction: The Prospectors haven’t played a particularly tough schedule, so they probably don’t deserve this ranking quite yet, but while other teams lose they keep plugging along.
4. Cactus Shadows: This has to be the most surprising team in 4A-I thus far. Fantastic wins against Cienega and Greenway to start the year. Will it last? Who knows. But the Falcons have made a statements that they can’t be overlooked by anybody.
5. Sabino: While it lost to 4A-II Tucson Santa Rita, I let Sabino hang in the top-5 because it was a competitive game and the Sabercats just missed on some chances. Maybe they should have been dropped out, but I think Sabino is a top-5 team and it will take one more loss to get it out of the rankings.
4A-II
1. Paradise Valley: The defense is a concern, but with an offense revolving around Tyree Parker and Jake Brown, it might not matter. Parker said the duo’s nickname was thunder and lightning following Thursday’s win over Arcadia, although he was having trouble figuring out who was thunder and who was lightning. Thunder and thunder, if you ask me.
2. Notre Dame: Although the Saints have started out 2-0 (and had a much more impressive win the second time around) I’m getting a bad feeling about Friday’s game against Paradise Valley. I just don’t think Notre Dame has the horses to play with the Trojans this year.
3. Santa Rita: Hanging tough with Canyon del Oro and then beating Sabino shows this team is legitimate. At this point, I’d say the Eagles are the biggest threat to Paradise Valley in 4A-II.
4. Cactus: Impressive early wins against Coronado and Peoria. I thought this would be a rebuilding year for the Cobras. Larry Fetkenheier has shown once again that he simply reloads.
5. Arcadia: Colby Kirkegaard is a tough quarterback to defend. The offense is potent, but the Titans must find a way to slow teams on defense, or they could keep falling down the rankings.
Well AJ will show you that they are the number 1 team when they spank Saguaro