Chaparral Finds New Week 2 Opponent as Questions Grow Around Saguaro

Chaparral was forced to find a new Week 2 opponent after Saguaro canceled its scheduled game earlier this week because of significant injuries throughout the roster.

Saguaro currently has only 33 players in the program, so when injuries start adding up, it can become a serious problem quickly. With a smaller roster, players are often asked to play on both sides of the ball, which makes staying healthy even more important.

The cancellation put Chaparral in a difficult position with very little time to find another opponent.

That is when Tempe High School stepped up.

The 4A Buffaloes agreed to take on 5A Chaparral and help fill the opening in the schedule. What started as an unfortunate situation has now turned into one of the more interesting games of the week.

Tempe finished last season 6 and 4, while Chaparral finished 3 and 7. Now Tempe gets the opportunity to test itself against a team from a higher classification.

While Chaparral was able to find another game, the cancellation brings up a much bigger conversation surrounding Saguaro.

Saguaro vs Chaparral "Battle of Scottsdale" on September 5th, 2025. David Venezia

Is Saguaro still a 6A program?

For more than a decade, Saguaro has been one of the biggest names in Arizona high school football.

From 2013 through 2018, the Sabercats were consistently competing for championships and making deep playoff runs. Saguaro became one of the programs that helped create the conversation around the Open Division in the first place.

The idea behind the Open Division was simple. Some schools may have smaller enrollment numbers, but that does not always mean they have less talent.

Saguaro was the perfect example.

In 2019, the first Open Division State Championship featured Saguaro and Chandler at Mountain America Stadium. Saguaro lost 42 to 35, but the Sabercats showed that they could compete with one of the best programs in the largest classification.

Saguaro later moved to 5A in 2020 and eventually moved into 6A in 2022.

That same year, Saguaro made another run to the Open Division championship and lost to Basha 28 to 21.

Then in 2023, Saguaro returned to a state championship game and defeated Red Mountain 40 to 20 to win the 6A title.

For years, Saguaro was known for winning.

State championships, playoff runs and talented rosters became normal for the program.

Now things look very different.

Between transfers, coaching changes and changes within the program, Saguaro is going through a major rebuild. The Sabercats are now sitting at just 33 players and have reached the point where injuries forced them to cancel a game.

That is where the classification conversation needs to happen.

Would moving Saguaro back down to 4A or 5A actually be better for the program right now?

That does not erase what Saguaro has accomplished. It also does not mean the program cannot become a powerhouse again.

It simply means the current version of Saguaro may not have the roster size needed to compete week after week against some of the deepest programs in Arizona.

There is also a bigger conversation surrounding the Open Division.

The Open Division was created for situations exactly like this.

Programs like Saguaro could compete in a lower classification because of enrollment while still having the opportunity to prove they belonged with the best teams in the state.

That opportunity is no longer there for 4A and 5A teams.

2025-2026 Open Division Football trophy. Jonathan Olden/Bamboo Sports Media

If the Open Division was still truly open, there are several programs outside of 6A that could potentially compete with the best teams in Arizona.

Desert Edge is one of the best examples. Their roster is filled with Division I talent and they could potentially give some of the top 6A programs serious competition.

Programs like Desert Mountain and Horizon could also have the opportunity to prove themselves if they earned their way into that conversation.

That was what made the Open Division interesting.

It did not matter what classification you were in. If you were one of the best teams in Arizona, you had the opportunity to prove it.

Saguaro is now showing the other side of that system.

A program should not have to remain in a higher classification simply because of what it accomplished several years ago.

With only 33 players and a major rebuild ahead, moving down could be the best option for Saguaro right now.

It could help with player safety, roster depth and scheduling while giving the program time to rebuild.

Saguaro has already proven that it can compete with the best programs in Arizona.

The bigger question now is whether staying in 6A is actually helping the program move forward.