It's the last week of the regular season and I'll be in Gilbert at Highland HS to see if the Hawks can (finally) get themselves into the Open Division. Highland, the 6A East Valley champ, hosts Desert Ridge.
Desert Ridge (5-4) has won 4 straight and currently sits at #13 in the 6A bracket. The Jaguars should be safe even with a loss, but you never know. An upset win could vault DRHS all the way to a top-8 seed and a home game.
Highland (7-2) finished #10 in Open rankings in 2022 and #9 in 2021, despite most of the public feeling that the Hawks were worthy. The Hawks went on to claim the 6A title both seasons. This year, it looked like the Hawks were IN (a 22-21 win over Basha in Week 2), and then OUT (a 35-24 loss to Lone Peak, Utah in Week 3). A 2-point loss to Chandler in Week 5 showed that the Hawks can play at this level. 4 straight wins after that (all by double digits, including ALA-Queen Creek) have put Highland in a position where they can take it out of the computer formula and into its own hands.
Desert Ridge (5-4) has won 4 straight and currently sits at #13 in the 6A bracket. The Jaguars should be safe even with a loss, but you never know. An upset win could vault DRHS all the way to a top-8 seed and a home game.
Highland (7-2) finished #10 in Open rankings in 2022 and #9 in 2021, despite most of the public feeling that the Hawks were worthy. The Hawks went on to claim the 6A title both seasons. This year, it looked like the Hawks were IN (a 22-21 win over Basha in Week 2), and then OUT (a 35-24 loss to Lone Peak, Utah in Week 3). A 2-point loss to Chandler in Week 5 showed that the Hawks can play at this level. 4 straight wins after that (all by double digits, including ALA-Queen Creek) have put Highland in a position where they can take it out of the computer formula and into its own hands.
