Reviewing the 6A Pre-Season Power Rankings

Ladies and gentlemen, we are nearing the endgame of the football offseason. The teams are going on the getaway that is “summer camp” to bond with their teammates and perfect their craft. The 7 on 7s and big man stages are over. We can finally talk about real football. The kind of football where the pads do the talking, to quote Oregon’s Dan Lanning. The one that’s won on the grass. We are gearing up for an exciting season here in the desert and if you don’t want to miss any of the action, follow our Instagram @bamboosportsmedia for the latest updates. Without further ado, let’s move onto the power rankings.

In a controversial move that follows 4 5A teams making the Open last year, the paradigm of the Open will feature the best teams in ONLY 6A. Albeit rare, it was still very fun to see a 5A team, and even a 4A team, enter the Open bracket. However, the curtains have closed and that has come to an end. The new format is as follows.

• A 20-team tournament with the top 4 teams securing byes and automatically making it to the SECOND round of the Open.

• Seeds 5-12 play in the first round, where the four winners will play in the FIRST round of the Open. The four losers will participate in the 6A playoff bracket and receive the top four seeds.

• Seeds 13-20 will play for the other spots in 6A. Four winners take spots in the 6A bracket

Most of us can digest the change better with a visual representation of how the bracket unfolds, here is my example:

Bracket Made By Nathan Smith

It ain’t pretty but it gets the job done.

It’s not a surprise that the top 4 6A teams last year are all running it back this year. The sheer amount of talent provides them with enough assets to win games, especially crucial ones. 

Rankings By Bamboo Sports Media

With Basha’s dominance extending beyond the gridiron and into the 7 on 7 and big man surface, there was little doubt that they would begin the season at #1. One might argue that Basha hasn’t done enough to earn themselves a #1 seed yet or their placement was solely based on fundamentals. Liberty provides a valid argument. They haven’t lost to an Arizona team since 2022, losing to Saguaro in the semifinals by 1.

Finding themselves outside of the play-in is Higley, a team synonymous with playoff excellence whether in 5A or in the Open. The team played their competition fiercely last year, laying waste to all of their 5A opponents and even beating their cross street rival Williams Field at the end of the year. The question of the year for Higley is how well do they handle the schedule change. Will it be different from their prior 6A roots? Highland, Mountain View, Brophy and a rejuvenated Mesa team all have shots at the Knights.

Rankings By Bamboo Sports Media

Red Mountain is another interesting team to look out for. Last year was marked by a late season collapse that fell at the hands of the eventual 6A champions Centennial Coyotes. After their win against ALA-QC, there were talks of them making a run at the Open title. Even before the year, the Mountain Lions were seen as a threat to Open contenders. If Red Mountain wants to have an Open playoff berth, they need to finish the season.

Mountain View, last year, was a team that made the best out of a weak schedule. In the waning weeks of the 2024 season, they proved to everyone they can play anybody. They can compete with the Brophy's and Salpointe's of Arizona, and even the Centennials. The biggest challenge this season for the Toros is their new division with Highland, Desert Ridge and Red Mountain, and their tough schedule. The last two seasons, the Toros played subpar opponents with below average records. Their opponents in 2024 had a combined record of 45-57, compared to the year prior where it was 42-58. That all changes this year following the resurgence of the program.  The Toros are playing winning teams with winning records. Was last year's run of luck or skill?

Saguaro is absent from the top 20. Barring one of the worst collapses we’ve seen, SagU is looking to bounce back and at first glance, their schedule puts them in a good spot. Marcel Jones looked good during the offseason at qb showcases and 7 on 7s. Overall, Saguaro, this year, is not a 1-win team. They look like a 6A playoff team once again under Darius Kelly.

Jeremy Hathcock has been around the Mesa block before. He revived the Desert Ridge program into 6A championship contenders and it only took him one season to turn the Verrado Vipers’ program around. Headed back into 6A, Hathcock wants to make Mesa a team that no one wants to play. Following in the steps of their basketball team, their position in the power rankings may demonstrate a run at the 6A title.

Football is around the corner, and the talk of football just gets us more antsy to see it happen in the fall. The power rankings are one of, if not the, most fun aspects of the game to see unfold. It’s always interesting to see which team’s stock goes up or down from week to week. Once fall comes around, we get to have a larger, more accurate sample size and soon placements will be set in stone.