Good Morning Football Fans!
The road to the playoffs starts this evening with some 2A/3A football games that will
influence the final playoff rankings this coming Saturday. Lets get it started:
Please remember any rankings used in our prep notes are now the AIA rankings
which were updated this last Tuesday.
2A Game:
#21 Alchesay @ #40 Red Mesa 6pm
Alchesay must win this game to have any hopes of getting into the
playoffs. This rival game use to be a really good one but Red Mesa just
isn’t the same team they use to be in the past. Alchesay still cannot
take them lightly and needs this win which start starts the clock for 2A
teams that need to win to make the playoffs.
3A Games:
We have some great action for tonights 3A games that are very crucial to
the 3A playoff bracket so lets get start evaluating these games:
#4 Show Low 8-1 @ #21 Page 5-4 6pm
This is a very important game for both teams! SL needs to win in order to
secure a top 4 spot which means 2 games if they keep winning up in
the cold tundra of Show Low where teams come to die! They will have at
least 1 game if they lose but they cannot take Page lightly as Page is a very big
physical team who can do some damage if you let them play their game.
On the other hand Page needs this game to have any hopes of the playoffs!
IF they can knock off the #4 SL I think they would vault many teams and just
could slide into that #16 spot. The game is in Page so that is a good advantage
but Show Low was our dark-horse for a reason in our Pre-season rankings for
a reason and has proven they are a legit state contender.
This game can be followed with live streams at the following links:
Shiprock NM 4-5 @ #16 Monument Valley 5-4 7pm
This is as simple as it gets this is a MUST WIN for MV and any playoff hopes they
have to make the playoffs! I would like to say if they win they are in BUT with the
AIA rankings you just never know. If the teams below them win it is gonna get very
close. IF Benson and Safford both lose that will help the Mustangs if they win the
game this evening since both these teams are above them. The unknown is playing
vs an out of state opponent and how that plays into the ranking system being used
by the AIA. Shiprock has won 4 games so that will help MV per rankings as long as
they can secure the win. If the Mustangs lose they are OUT UNLESS the football
gods help them and all teams below them lose and Safford and Benson lose.
This link may work for tonights stream-
#6 Valley Christian 7-2 @ #24 Ft Hills 5-4
This game has HUGE consequences in so many ways for the playoffs! First
of all the the METRO EAST Region is the ONLY region that has not been secured
which gives a team an automatic qualifier into the playoffs. So this means if VC
wins this game they will secure the Region Title and the automatic qualifier and also
hopefully keeps them in the top 8 for a home playoff game. The teams below them
Round Valley and Sabino are so close that a loss for VC could drop them below the 8
spot and that means they would be traveling come playoff time! So in a sense this is
a must win for the Trojans!
On the other hand Ft Hills is way far back and even a win I do not believe will get them
into the playoffs BUT stranger things have happened. They have to hope for the following
scenario: Defeat VC and turn the Metro East Region into a 3-way tie between Payson-VC and
of course Ft Hills. This will then force tie-breakers to come into action which still may
not give them the automatic Qualifier but it gives them the PUNCHERS chance. IF Ft Hills
was to get into the playoffs by defeating VC by winning the tie-breaker but still be outside
of the top 16 this will then force a team to be bumped from the playoffs. This would really
hurt many teams before their games this Friday.
So basically tonights game will dictate who will be eligible for the playoffs based on the
#16 seeds being up for grabs. IF Ft Hills loses the teams who hope the 16 seed is available
can take a big sigh of relief before playing their Friday must win games!
The game will be streamed:
