Arizona high school football opening weeks offer early clues for Round Valley, Bradshaw Mountain and St. Mary’s
- Hannah Baskins
- 9 hours ago
- 4 min read
The first weeks of an Arizona high school football season rarely provide definitive answers.
They do however offer clues.
Across three early-season matchups, Round Valley, Bradshaw Mountain and St. Mary’s each delivered convincing performances, while Seton Catholic, Arcadia and Mingus Union were left with areas to address as the season gets underway.
From Round Valley’s physical rushing attack to Bradshaw Mountain’s defensive response against a defending state finalist and St. Mary’s dominant opener, the results provided an early look at teams that could become factors as the season progresses.
Round Valley 30, Seton Catholic 14
Round Valley Elks began their season on August 21 with a 30-14 victory against Seton Catholic as a result of a very good offensive attack from the ground that controlled the game.
Kage Finch, the Round Valley Elks' quarterback, was the most effective offensive weapon used by Round Valley in this game. This senior quarterback gained 104 yards and three touchdowns from 14 rushes and threw 74 yards and a touchdown on 14 rushes. Round Valley gained 224 yards through their attacks from the ground.
Given that an Elks team came off after playing in the 2025 3A State Championship last year, it seemed that Round Valley was raising the bar rather than having a one-time achievement.
Seton Catholic, on the other hand, was more successful through the air. Their senior quarterback, Brady Hayes, threw for 21-of-32 for 192 yards, one touchdown and one interception while junior running back Coree Edwards rushed 16 times for 63 yards and a touchdown.
The Sentinels had 205 passing yards and 98 rushing yards.
It is difficult to judge either team entirely from an opener, but Round Valley looked comfortable playing to its identity. The Elks did not need a high-volume passing attack to dictate the game.
Instead, they leaned on Finch and the rushing attack and forced Seton Catholic to find an answer.
The Sentinels never found one consistently enough.
Bradshaw Mountain 24, Arcadia 7
Of the three games, Bradshaw Mountain’s 24-7 road victory over Arcadia on Aug. 28 may have produced the most eye-catching result.
The Arcadia Titans had just come off making the championship game for the 2025 4A state championships and were ranked No. 2 according to the preseason 4A rankings of The Arizona Republic. Bradshaw Mountain was No. 5.
But for a quarter, the battle between these two teams lived up to the expectations.
Senior Joseph Hala made a touchdown run for Arcadia covering one yard in the first quarter, but sophomore quarterback Taye Evans responded with a one-yard run as well. They both ended the half tied at 7 points.
That would prove to be the only challenge that the Bears could offer for Arcadia.
Senior Jon’te Jones scored on a 4-yard rush with 3:06 left in the first half and sparked a 17-point surge for Bradshaw Mountain. Evans would add another touchdown in the third quarter for Bradshaw Mountain.
Jones was just too good for the Titans, rushing for 173 yards and a touchdown. Overall, Bradshaw Mountain had 228 yards rushing.
While Arcadia quarterback Eric Delord passed for 221 yards and Jordan Barnes had 92 receiving yards for the Titans, Arcadia rushed for only 31 yards.
That could prove to be the most troubling thing about the season opener for Arcadia.
Just because of one loss does not mean that everything that the Titans did a year ago is forgotten or that this defines their season going forward into 2026.But Bradshaw Mountain demonstrated that Arcadia will not simply be handed another run through 4A because of last year's success.
The Bears were more physical on the ground, kept Arcadia scoreless over the final three quarters and walked into the home stadium of a defending state finalist without appearing intimidated by the moment.
For a program looking to take another step after reaching the 4A playoffs last season, it was a strong statement to begin 2026.
For Arcadia, it was an early reminder that last year's accomplishments do not carry points into a new season.
St. Mary’s 55, Mingus Union 7
If Bradshaw Mountain made a statement, St. Mary’s made sure there was little room for interpretation.
The Knights defeated Mingus Union 55-7 on Aug. 27, opening their season with one of the most decisive results of the week.
Mingus finished with just 168 yards of total offense; 114 passing and 54 rushing; as St. Mary’s controlled the game on both sides of the ball.
The 48-point margin was also a significant change from the programs' meeting last season. St. Mary’s defeated Mingus 37-15 in 2025 before eventually reaching the 4A state playoffs.
A Week 1 blowout should not immediately turn a team into a championship favorite, but performances such as this tend to get attention.
St. Mary’s did what strong teams are expected to do when they gain control of a game: It never gave that control back.
For Mingus, the challenge now becomes how to prevent one difficult night from becoming a trend. The Marauders struggled to establish the run and will need more offensive production as their schedule continues.
For St. Mary’s, the opener provided a considerably different message. The Knights showed immediately that they have the ability to overwhelm an opponent, and after making the postseason a year ago, their ceiling could be worth watching.
Three games cannot determine how November will look.
They can, however, change expectations.
Round Valley appears capable of continuing the physical identity that took it to a state championship game last season. Bradshaw Mountain showed it belongs in conversations with 4A’s stronger programs. St. Mary’s demonstrated the type of dominance that will make future opponents pay attention.
Seton Catholic, Arcadia and Mingus Union have plenty of season remaining to respond.
But in Arizona high school football, first impressions matter and three teams have already made strong ones.
Comments