2012 Arizona High School Football Championship Preview

by Jeff Fisher
Editor-in-Chief
High School Football America
Follow @HSFBamerica

After an 0-2 start that came on the heels of a loss in last year's state championship game, Hamilton (11-2) finds itself back in familiar territory.

The Huskies will played Mountain Pointe next Saturday at noon in the Arizona Division I championship game at University of Phoenix Stadium.  It will be Chandler Hamilton's fifth straight appearance in the championship game, having won three straight titles from 2008-2010. 

Last year Desert Vista beat Hamilton in the championship game, which snapped the Huskies 53-game win streak.

Mountain Pointe will be playing in the school's first-ever state football championship game. 

The game is a rematch of the season-opener between the two won by Mountain Pointe 17-14.  Mountain Pointe has a strong running game led by Garette Craig and Thomas Warren, who have combined for over 2,400 yards this season.

In Division II, Ironwood Ridge will take-on Centennial on Saturday at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe. 

These two also met during the regular season with Ironwood Ridge winning 28-24 in September.  Centennial has won three state championships since 2006.

Centennial's offense has been very good lately, having topped the 40 point mark in six of the last seven games. Ironwood Ridge running back Anthony Braunreiter is hard to stop with over 1,600 yards rushing and 25 TDs.

In Division III, like Mountain Pointe Pointe, Desert Edge (13-0) will playing in its first title game.  Desert Edge will play Queen Creek (13-0) on Saturday in Arizona State's Sun Devil Stadium.

In Division IV, defending state champ Blue Ridge (14-0) will meet Seton Catholic (12-1). Blue Ridge, under head coach Paul Moro, will be going after its 13th overall state championship.  Moro is only one of four coaches in Arizona with more than 300 wins.

In Division V, Northwest Christian (12-1) will be trying to win its second state title in three years when it meets Morenci (13-0).

Arizona All-Stars Beat SoCal Stars in High School Football Game

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

Arizona evened the score against Southern California in the 2nd annual Arizona-SoCal High School Football All-Star Game Saturday night.

The Arizona Republic reports that the Arizona All-Stars beat SoCal 21-16 behind a 40-yard touchdown run by quarterback Jonathan Brown (Glendale Apollo) late in the 3rd quarter.

SoCal won the inaugural game last year 27-7.

Click here to read a the game story from The Arizona Republic.

Desert Vista Snaps Hamilton 53-Game Win Streak

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

Aside from capturing the Division I champ Saturday, Desert Vista also grabbed the distinction of ending Hamilton's record 53-game win streak.

Most were surprised that Desert Vista was able to pull-off the 45-19 championship win, because the Thunder lost to Hamilton 35-10 during the regular season.

Desert Vista was led by quarterback Hunter Rodriguez, who completed 13-of-23 passes for 177 yards.

The championship is the first for Desert Vista since 1998.

Arizona High School Football Scores - Playoffs/Championships

Arizona High School Football Scores
Saturday, November 26, 2011

Playoffs
Championships

Division I
Desert Vista  35  Hamilton 10
Game Story

Division II
Chaparral  37  Vail Cienega  14
Game Story

Division III
Saguaro  31  Cactus  23
Game Story

Division IV
Blue Ridge  35  Show Low 14
Game Story

Division V
Yuma Catholic  21  Northwest Christian  19
Game Story

Arizona High School Football Scores - Playoffs/Semifinals

Arizona High School Football Scores
Saturday, November 19, 2011

Playoffs
Semifinals

Division III
Saguaro  49  Sabino  27
Cactus  37  Arcadia  34

Division IV
Blue Ridge  45  Seton Catholic  14
Show Low  31  Florence  28

Division V
Northwester Christian  20  St. John's  0
Yuma Catholic  40  San Tan Foothills  15

Arizona High School Football Scores - Playoffs/Semifinals

Arizona High School Football Scores
Friday, November 18, 2011

Playoffs
Semifinals

Division I
Hamilton  31  Desert Ridge  31
Desert Vista  42  Basha  32

Division II
Chaparral  31  Centennial  30
Cienega  24  Ironwood Ridge  21

Arizona High School Football Scores - Playoffs/Championship

Arizona High School Football Scores
Saturday, November 12, 2011

Playoffs
Championships

Division VI (8-Man)
Joseph City  38  Joy Christian  6