Division IV and V semis set; Division VI champ crowned

History of past match-ups could be the story line as Arizona high school football Division IV semifinal state championship games take place. Number 1 ranked Blue Ridge of Pinetop/Lakeside will host #4 ranked Snowflake and #2 ranked Show Low takes on #3 ranked Seton Catholic of Chandler.

One historic contest in the Show Low vs. Seton contest would be the 2003 State Championship game where Show Low narrowly got past Seton. The hype and chatter among the teams leading up to the contest is legendary in many football circles.

This year’s matchup features different philosophy in offensive styles and ironic statistical data. Seton Catholic is a passing team led by senior quarterback Ryan Bresnahan. Bresnahan passed for nearly 300 yards and four touchdowns Saturday as Seton eaked out a win 28-21 over Mingus of Cottonwood. The see saw battle illustrated Bresnahan’s prolific passing as he recently eclipsed Show Low’s Rathan Ricedorff as Arizona’s single season passing leader.

Ricedorff, ironically, is the son of Show Low’s head Coach Randy Ricedorff. Show Low faced little resistance in their quarterfinal victory over Buckeye winning 29-6. Brice Rova, who has been one of Show Low’s workhorses this season, hit pay dirt 3 times on the ground. Show Low is primarily a run first offense, although, they have had some big pass plays this year. In the quarterfinal game Show Low’s offense was pretty balanced. Running for 203 yards, led by Rova, and passing for 156 yards, all from Colby Maxwell, the Cougar quarterback.

Both teams enter the contest with just one loss. Show Low lost to division rival Blue Ridge in Lakeside and the Sentinels were topped by Division V Tempe Prep at Valley Lutheran. The semifinal contest is being played at Washington High School in Phoenix Saturday, November 12, at 3 p.m.

The Blue Ridge vs. Snowflake history goes way back. These two teams were the perennial powerhouses in their division for years before Show Low and some Valley teams emerged with their programs. Blue Ridge comes off another impressive victory over River Valley winning by a score of 49-0 and Snowflake, who has only lost to Blue Ridge and Show Low early in the season, got by Empire of Tucson 21-14.  The Blue Ridge vs. Snowflake game will kick off at Washington High School this Saturday following the Seton vs. Show Low game.

Division V match-ups did not go well for Northeastern Arizona’s St. Johns Redskins. The “Skins” were topped by #1 ranked Northwest Christian 27-20 in a hard-fought battle. Northwest Christian will take on a Yuma Catholic team at 7 p.m. Saturday at Arcadia High School in Phoenix. In the other semifinal matchup Tempe Prep faces Morenci.  That game gets started at 3 p.m.  at Arcadia too.

Division VI crowned a new champ this weekend as #4 Glendale Joy Lutheran thumped #3 Pima 60-24. Glendale was led by Quarterback Nick Henderson who passed for 7 T.D.’s and rushed for 1 more for good measure.