Paybacks, national noise, rivalries: Top 10 Week 4 Arizona high school football storylines

There are big games all over the state this week, from small schools to big schools. There's a chance for payback. A chance for a school to reassert itself as a national power. And a big rivalry game in Scottsdale.

Let's look at The Arizona Republic's Top 10 high school football storylines for Week 4:

1. Saguaro looking for payback

Chandler Basha's 22-21 loss to Gilbert Highland last week makes this game even bigger. It is The Republic's high school football Game of the Week on Friday night at Saguaro. The Sabercats' 28-21 Open state championship loss to Basha last year hasn't escaped the minds of those Sabercats who were part of that game. And there are several back who played key roles. But the Sabercats will be without two starters who are serving one-game suspensions from being ejected in last week's win against Mesa Mountain View.

2. Chandler can crash the national party

This is Chandler's first real test of the season. And it comes against a team that is ranked among the Top 25 in the nation. Orange Lutheran travels from California with a 3-0 record and a No. 20 national ranking by MaxPreps. Orange Lutheran had a higher ranking than that by USA Today last week. This is Chandler's chance to get back on the national scene since going 0-3 last year to Basha and Hamilton. QB Blake Heffron and RB Ca'lil Valentine will have to be at their best and the defense will have to be flying around to contain a team that went into Concord (California) De La Salle and won 35-14, before shutting out Washington's Eastside Catholic 20-0 last week.

3. Chaparral looking to make big statement

After a season-opening 26-6 loss to Sandra Day O'Connor, there were concerns that maybe Chaparral's much-hyped offense wasn't all that. But in last week's 42-0 rout of Shadow Ridge, the Firebirds lived up to their preseason billing, especially sophomore QB Marcel Jones, who was 14 of 20 for 225 yards and three TDs and ran for 70 yards on five carries. Get Jones going, maybe the 6A Firebirds can pull off a big upset. But Desert Mountain, a 5A team, has climbed to No. 2 in The Republic's Open (Super 10) rankings, outscoring its first two opponents by a combined 78-7. QB Brady McDonough has been efficient and the defense is playing well.

4. Another big task for Centennial

Centennial stopped Desert Edge 13-0, then put up 55 points in a 34-point win over Corona del Sol with Tony Greer running for 149 yards and two TDs and Marus Logan returning an interception 90 yards for a score. Now the Coyotes have another tough task, trying to contain RB Christian Clark. The Pride is 2-0 and thinking of Open state playoffs this year as it gets back to that fast, physical, punishing style that put it among the state's elite during the Norris Vaughan coaching era. A big statement game for both teams.

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5. Highland tries to avoid emotional hangover

After making the strongest statement yet in the last four years to be part of the Open playoffs, giving Basha its first loss since Oct. 7 (a 35-7 setback to Liberty), Highland (2-0), which crashed into The Republic's Super 10 this week, can't slip up at home Friday against Lone Peak. The Utah school might look beatable with a 1-3 record, but one of those losses was to Corner Canyon, 51-36. Corner Canyon's only loss was to national power Las Vegas Bishop Gorman. And last year, Highland got beat at Lone Peak, 13-0. So there's a chance for payback for the Hawks.

6. Morenci can make a statement

Pima is the No. 1 team in 2A, but, after Morenci moved up to 3A this year, it has a chance for payback in a Thursday night game at Pima. Pima beat Morenci in last year's 2A championship game, 50-19. Morenci now is led by Rishard Davis, who led Eloy Santa Cruz to the 2A title in 2020. This Morenci team is 3-0, allowing a total of six points and coming off an impressive 35-0 win over Benson, in which Mikey Casillas ran for 207 yards and four TDs and Tristen Sanchez had two sacks. This will be a much tougher game for Pima, which is coming off an emotional 23-20 win at No. 2 (2A) Scottsdale Christian, where Jeremiah Martinez carried tacklers into the end zone on a game-winning 38-yard touchdown run.

7. Family feud at ALA

This is turning into one of the better rivalries in Arizona high school football in the Valley — the battle between the two top American Leadership Academy schools, Queen Creek and Gilbert North. They'll be at it on Friday at the Gilbert North campus. Both schools got AIA promotions after last season, when ALA Gilbert North won the 4A title in its first year in the conference after being promoted from 3A, and ALA Queen Creek made it to the Open for a second year in a row. ALAQC (1-1) moved up from 5A to 6A. ALAGN (2-0) is now in 5A. ALAQC's only loss so far has been to powerhouse Saguaro, 49-35. ALA QC QB Enoch Watson is coming off a career game in rout of Boulder Creek with 353 yards, 5 TDs passing, completing 19 of 27. With ALA Gilbert North's possession of two of the best receivers in the state in Brandon Phelps (nine catches, 203 yards, two TDs) and Tyton Slade (14, 213, six), it's gonna be an air show between the teams.

8. Mica Mountain ready to show it is second-best team in Tucson

There really is no debate that Salpointe Catholic rules Tucson high school football. But who is next? Sabino? Mica Mountain? Is suburban Marana in that conversation? Marana can make a big statement at 2-0 Gilbert Higley, the reigning 5A champion, on Friday. But Mica Mountain can make the biggest statement in its short history at home against Sabino, the No. 1 team in 3A. Even though this Sabino team might be as good as that 2005 team that lost to Cactus in the 4A-I final. Mica Mountain is a 4A school. After wins over Poston Butte (34-28) and Mesquite (34-12), this is a great time for Mica Mountain, led by RB Kason Colbert (averaging 11.3 yards on 18 carries) to show it can win 4A this year.

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9. Showtime at Snowflake

Snowflake isn't used to a 0-3 start, but that is where the Lobos will sit if they fall at home to Show Low, one of the most explosive 3A teams. Snowflake reached the 4A final in its first year out of 3A last year, only to fall to ALA Gilbert North. It has had one of the toughest 4A schedules in the state, opening against Bradshaw Mountain and Cactus. This is a great time for Snowflake to turn its fortunes around and let Show Low know who still rules the White Mountains. No matter which conference they're in, it's still a huge rivalry game. Snowflake will use these tough early games to build itself up for the 4A playoffs, where they won't get pushed around.

10. Might be last chance for Open

Sandra Day O'Connor (1-1) faces a tough Cactus team (2-0) at home on Friday, after losing 49-14 last week to Liberty. That loss is nothing to panic over. But a loss to Cactus might be the end of O'Connor's chances to earn a second straight Open playoff spot out of 6A. Cactus, which is using two quarterbacks, is a tough 5A team that could play its way into the Open after getting there two years ago out of 4A.

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

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Top 10 Week 4 Arizona high school football storylines