With the schedules out, let's look ahead to the 2024 Arizona high school football season for the most anticipated games of the season. There will be at least 10 good ones every week. And you never know how the season will play out, as top games will change.
But, at first glance, here are 10 must-see games.
The Republic's Top 10 HS football games in 2024
1. Peoria Liberty at Peoria Centennial, Nov. 8, 7 p.m.
This is the rematch of the Open state championship game from last season that Liberty won 33-21. And it could serve as a preview for the 2024 Open state championship game. That's how loaded these two teams are. They not only return strong cores but, by the time this final regular-season game rolls around, they'll have all of their marquee transfers in playoff form. This could be the most anticipated game in the rivals' history for a regular season.
2. Corona (California) Centennial at Liberty, Sept. 21, 7 p.m.
This is a Saturday night special. And at this point in the season, both teams could be nationally ranked. Last year, Liberty's only loss of the season was a 42-35 thriller at Corona Centennial, a game in which the Lions blew a two-touchdown lead in the final six minutes. If the Lions make this a payback, they could ride a wave to an undefeated season with possibly Hayden Fletcher as QB1 for the first time.
3. Millard South (Omaha, Nebraska) at Chandler Basha, Aug. 30, 7 p.m.
Let's see what Basha's offense looks like without quarterback Demond Williams Jr., for the first time since 2019. Junior Brodie Vehrs has been appointed QB1 coming out of June 7-on-7 competitions. He's got a lot of talent around him, especially with big-play tailback Noah Roberts, only a sophomore, who is The Republic's No. 1-rated running back for the 2024 season. This Nebraska team is coached by Ty Wisdom, the former Scottsdale Horizon coach, who is benefiting from a transfer portal system where players enter a database before May 1 to be eligible in the sport in the fall.
4. Centennial at Chandler Hamilton, Aug. 30, 7 p.m.
This is the start of the Travis Dixon coaching era at Hamilton, where there will be Open title expectations for a program loaded with transfers and a successful youth feeder team. Former Scottsdale Saguaro two-way athlete Dajon Hinton (Arizona commit) won't have to miss any games because he missed all of last season with an injury. Centennial is led by quarterback Kainan Manna, who could have Marana-transfer receiver Shamar Berryhill ready to get the ball to. Expect big-time offensive fireworks.
5. Liberty at Goodyear Desert Edge, Aug. 30, 7 p.m.
This could be the start of a great west-side rivalry. It will give Desert Edge a chance to establish itself as a legit Open contender if the Scorpions are at least competitive against the Lions. Liberty will again have one of the state's fiercest defenses, led by linebacker Hudson Dunn. How good will Desert Edge be at the start of the Henri MacArthur coaching era? MacArthur has been in the program for a while, but will these fast, explosive athletes respond to him the way they did to former coaches Mark and Marcus Carter? Desert Edge is stacked with D-I prospects.
6. Hamilton at Basha, Oct. 11, 7 p.m.
These two teams appear to be the best out of the state's toughest region, the 6A Premier, although Chandler will still have something to say about that come Nov. 8 when the Wolves take on their arch rival, the Hamilton Huskies. But this will give a great indication on who will be most Open championship ready at this point in the season, as Hamilton gets QB Rich Lucero Jr., going against a fast, physical Basha defense, led by edge rusher Bleu Dantzler.
7. Horizon at Phoenix Pinnacle, Sept. 20, 7 p.m.
One of the state's best rivalries with students coming out in droves for this. They'll see if Pinnacle senior quarterback Wyatt Horton can lead it to a third straight victory over the school's biggest rival. He is 2-0 in his career against the Huskies. Horizon has a new coach in former Horizon assistant Tyson Ditmore, who will unleash Jase Ashley at quarterback.
8. Gilbert Highland at American Leadership Academy Queen Creek, Oct. 26, 7:30 a.m.
Highland keeps getting better every year it seems under coach Brock Farrel. Farrel led the Hawks to back-to-back 6A titles, before taking them to the eight-team Open last year, beating Chandler in the first round, then losing to Liberty in the semifinals. This team might be his strongest team yet. But he'll have to beat a tough ALA Queen Creek team that turned into a three-time Open team under Ty Detmer, who is at ALA Gilbert North. ALA Queen Creek has returned coach Rich Edwards, who led the Patriots to a 14-0 3A championship season in 2019.
9. Mesa Red Mountain at Mesa Mountain View, Nov. 8, 7 p.m.
This Brown Road rivalry should be a classic in the final regular-season game with former Horizon coach Andy Litten leading Mountain View. The Toros will know by then if he was the right guy to take over from Joe Germaine and take them to the Open Division playoffs for the first time or make a deep 6A playoff run. This game could come down to an Open spot for either team.
10. Phoenix Mountain Pointe at Phoenix Brophy Prep, Nov. 1, at Central, 7 p.m.
Mountain Pointe's game at IMG Academy fell through but this could be a great indicator of which team has what it takes to be part of the Open Division playoffs. This appears to be Brophy's best shot at making the Open with a tremendous offensive line, great skill players and one of the deepest wide receiver rooms in the state. The only question that remains: Who will be leading the Broncos' offense at quarterback?
To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @azc_obert
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: The Arizona Republic's Top 10 high school football games to see in 2024
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