Open the gates: Arizona high school football has never seen this much parity at the top

Chandler Basha enters the 2023 high school football season as The Arizona Republic's No. 1-ranked team.

But how long will that last?

In a year when the AIA's Open Division has never been more wide open, there really is no clear-cut favorite.

Take your pick:

Basha, Chandler Hamilton, Peoria Liberty, Chandler, Scottsdale Saguaro, Scottsdale Desert Mountain, Goodyear Desert Edge, Peoria Centennial. It goes on and on and on with parity at the top the greatest it has ever been in Arizona high school football history.

"I think this year you have legitimately 10 to 12 teams in the state that could really vie for an Open spot," Basha coach Chris McDonald said. "We'll see what happens. There's a lot of parity, especially this year.

"It seems like every year you have more schools that are popping up with a lot of talent."

Since the Open playoff's inception in Arizona in 2019, there always have been question marks surrounding one or two teams that made it into the 8-team playoff field to determine the best of the best.

There should be no dispute this season on the Open teams. And it's not just all 6A. In 5A, Desert Mountain and Desert Edge have so many future Division I college players that they both can make a run to the top. So can defending 5A champion Gilbert Higley once its transfers, including quarterback Luke Haugo, become eligible midway through the season.

In 6A, it's not just the usual suspects from the Premier Region along with Liberty.

Peoria Centennial is better and back to Open quality. Gilbert Highland might make this the year they get into the Open after winning the 6A title each of the last two years and getting to the 6A final in 2020. Phoenix Sadra Day O'Connor coach Brian Cole has more talent, size and depth than last year's Open eight team. Phoenix Mountain Pointe and Phoenix Brophy Prep are much stronger than a year ago. So is Tempe Corona del Sol. And Scottsdale Chaparral believes it can shock the world after going 3-7 last year.

So fasten your seat belts. It's going to be a wild ride to Dec. 2, the date of the Open Division state championship game.

Games began Aug. 17-18 for small schools (3A, 2A and 1A). The 6A, 5A and 4A teams start their seasons on Aug. 24-26.

"If you don't show up on a Friday night, you're going to get beat," McDonald said. "A lot of good teams."

Basha's nucleus — quarterback Demond Williams Jr., defensive back/running back Miles Lockhart, safety Tommy Prassas and linebacker Jack Bleier — is built for an Open state championship repeat. But Basha's got some question marks, especially in the offensive line. And how will the Bears replace All-Arizona defensive back/return specialist Cole Martin? And will the transfers, mainly outside linebacker Kamarion Peete, be a lethal link come midseason with his transfer move from Higley?

There are question marks with every team at the top.

Saguaro is riding into the season without coach Jason Mohns for the first time in 13 years. He led the Sabercats to six straight state titles during one incredible stretch before the Open was invented in 2019, and took the school with its 4A enrollment numbers to the Open state title two years ago.

Zak Hill, the former Boise State and Arizona State offensive coordinator, is now the helm, and he'll be rolling with a new quarterback, Mason Bray, after the Sabercats got spoiled by Devon Dampier the last two years. Can Bray, with his lack of varsity reps, make this a seamless transition for the offense?

Hamilton has maybe the biggest offensive line Arizona has seen in a decade, but the Huskies graduated their main go-to receivers. Can returning QB Beckham Pellant and wide receiver Legend Bernard become a dynamic duo that nobody wants to deal with on Friday nights?

Chandler has one of the smallest quarterbacks in the state, but coach Rick Garretson trusts the little dynamo, Blake Heffron, running the offense.

Can Liberty break the Open semifinal curse after three years of heartbreak? The Lions are returning Gatorade Arizona Football Player of the Year Navi Bruzon at quarterback, but he'll get used to some new receivers, including converted offensive lineman Ryan Wolfer, who is making the move to tight end. And the defense will need to plug some big holes. How will the Lions adjust?

"Right now, there is not one dominant team," Liberty coach Colin Thomas said. "It's a year where you'll have to see who gets better, who stays healthy."

And who can survive a brutal schedule?

Liberty, which opens Aug. 25 at home against Hamilton, built a schedule that could help it later in the Open playoffs, with games against California heavyweight Corona Centennial, 6A runnerup Phoenix Pinnacle, Tucson Salpointe Catholic, Saguaro, Chaparral and Centennial in the second half of the season.

"We have no pressure," Bruzon said. "This is a growing year. It's a new team. We still have to prove to ourselves and everybody who we are."

Saguaro's Hill, who was an assistant coach at American Leadership Gilbert North last year when the Eagles captured the 4A title, knew how much Arizona high school football was growing in the last decade just by his spring stops in the Valley as a college coach to recruit.

"I think the teams in Arizona in general are getting much better," Hill said. "Before, when I was recruiting at Boise, when I was recruiting in Arizona, I kind of knew I was going to hit these schools and you could probably cover it all. Now you've got so many teams that are getting better. With open enrollment, kids can go wherever they want."

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert atrichard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona high school football has never seen this much parity