6A High School Football Playoffs: Meet the Elite Teams Advancing to the Quarterfinals

PHOENIX — The high school football playoffs kicked off on Friday, marking an exciting moment in Arizona’s big-school conferences (4A, 5A, and 6A). As part of the 35th season of Friday Night Fever, Arizona’s premier high school football show, the anticipation builds for the games to come.

The first round results in the 6A playoffs set the stage for thrilling quarterfinal matchups. Notably, No. 1 Brophy Prep decisively defeated No. 16 Boulder Creek, securing a 54-0 victory. Other standout performances included No. 2 Queen Creek overcoming No. 15 Sandra Day O’Connor 42-28, and No. 14 Centennial pulling off an upset against No. 3 Red Mountain, finishing with a score of 21-7.

In addition, No. 4 Mountain View triumphed over No. 13 Cesar Chavez with a resounding 52-7 win, while No. 5 Salpointe Catholic narrowly edged out No. 12 Williams Field, winning 31-28. Some surprises included No. 11 Casteel defeating No. 6 Highland 29-27 and No. 8 Perry overcoming No. 9 Chandler in a close 27-24 match.

The upcoming quarterfinals feature exciting pairings: No. 1 Brophy Prep will face No. 8 Perry, No. 2 Queen Creek will play No. 7 Pinnacle, No. 14 Centennial will meet No. 11 Casteel, and No. 4 Mountain View will compete against No. 5 Salpointe Catholic. These games will take place on Friday, November 22, hosted by the higher-seeded schools.

As the playoffs progress, the stakes grow higher. The 6A State Championship Game is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, December 7, at Arizona State University’s Mountain America Stadium in Tempe. Notably, this year will crown a new state champion, as the reigning titleholder, Saguaro, failed to qualify for the playoffs.