Grand Canyon Times

2022-2023 Football

6A Division

The 6A Division has seven sections and 35 teams, and switching conferences is standard operating procedure as few sections are similar to what they were last year. The competition was fierce, and this year it should be even more ferocious.

Premier  

In the Premier League, three teams won 11 games and perennial leader Chandler, the No. 8-ranked team in the nation, fell to Hamilton, which was 4-0 (11-1 overall). Chandler was 3-1 in conference and 11-2 overall, losing in the state final to Saguaro. Look for top recruit QB Dylan Raiola, WR Justice Spamm and OL Nicolas Martin to have big seasons. Chandler saw its five-season championship run end last season, and is looking to get back to the top. Eleven-win Highland has left and Basha moves in from the Central, coming off a 10-0 regular season, led by No. 9 CB in the nation, Cole Martin.

Central

Basha won last year's Central crown at 4-0 and now moves to the Premier Conference. Mountain View was second at 3-1 in conference play last year, followed by Desert Vista at 2-2. Desert Ridge comes from the Fiesta Conference and Corona Del Sol also moves in. Mountain Pointe and Cesar Chavez are toughening up this year for stronger runs against the competition. Mountain View junior QB Jack Germaine threw for a section-leading 22 touchdowns and was second in yardage at 2341 (212.8 yards per game). Mountain Pointe's senior RB Kay'Len Rushing was third last season with 688 yards and looks to lead this year.

Northeast Valley

Highland enters the fray after an 11-win season and third place in Premier and this season they must face Saguaro (12-1), which is ranked No. 12 in the nation having defeated Highland's old foe, Chandler, in the state final. Saguaro is led by QB Devon Dampier, WR Deric English and OLB/TE Joseph Clark IV. Last season, Brophy Prep (3-1 conference), Chaparral (3-2 conference) and Pinnacle (1-4) were in the Desert Valley Conference, with Centennial coming in at 0-4 and conference leader Liberty going 4-0 in conference before departing.  

Fiesta

The revamped Fiesta Conference now has Dobson, Mesa and Westwood from East Valley, while Trevor G. Browne and North come from Southwest. Dobson went 2-3 in conference, while Mesa was 3-2. Westwood was the conference leader at 4-1. North and Browne both sat at 3-2 in their old section. Last season, Queen Creek, Red Mountain and Williams Field sat atop the section at 3-2.

East Valley

East Valley has lost Dobson, Mesa and Westwood and is stocked this year with Mountain View, Queen Creek, Red Mountain, Sapointe Catholic and Williams Field. Mountain View was 3-1 in Central and 8-3 overall. Queen Creek, Red Mountain and Williams Field were all 3-1 in Fiesta play last year. Sapointe Catholic may be the strongest team in the field, coming off an 11-3 mark and going 4-0 in 5A Southern.

West Valley

Most of the teams in West Valley came from Desert Southwest, as this is a newly configured conference. Cibola was 3-2 in Desert Southwest, Valley Vista was 2-3, and Westview and Shadow Ridge both were 1-4 in the same conference. Valley Vista was 2-3 in-conference in the Southwest section. Tolleson Union looks like the team to beat, coming off a 7-3 mark and 5-0 in the Desert Southwest conference, finishing the year on a seven-game winning streak.

Desert Valley

Desert Valley is a newly configured section this year with five teams coming together from elsewhere, and with history together. Three teams join from the Southwest Conference and two from NE Valley. Sandra Day O'Connor was 5-0 in the Southwest Conference and 6-5 overall, and Boulder Creek also had difficulty outside the conference, going 4-1 and 5-6 overall. Mountain Ridge found success outside the conference, going 3-2 in SW and 8-4 overall. Centennial joins from NE Valley, going 0-4 and 3-8, but the team to watch is Liberty, which went 4-0 in NE Valley and 9-3 overall.