5 things to know heading into start of Arizona high school small-school football practices

Monday is the first official day of Arizona high school football practices for those in the smaller conferences, 3A through 1A, as they prepare for Aug. 19 season openers.

The 6A, 5A and 4A schools start officials practices Aug. 8, leading up to their Sept 2 openers.

Here's what to know as the small schools get going.

Who is still left in 3A?

With two-time defending state champion Snowflake and two-time state runnerup Yuma Catholic both moved up to 4A, along with semifinalist American Leadership Gilbert North, who is the favorite?

There still is Chandler Valley Christian, Mesa Eastmark, Thatcher, Tucson Pusch Ridge, Mohave Valley River Valley, Show Low, Eagar Round Valley and Tucson Sabino still around. And Coolidge, Surprise Paradise Honors are solid looking to become 3A elite.

Then there are the promotions of 2A stalwarts Benson, Parker and defending 2A champion Phoenix Arizona Lutheran, looking to stand out.

And Tempe and Phoenix Shadow Mountain, forever part of the big-school scene, are looking to break through in the 3A scene.

It may not be as loaded as it was last year, but the parity should be good again with no real dominant team, especially after Eastmark lost three of its top players to 6A Chandler Basha.

The South Region appears to be the toughest with Benson, Safford, Sabino, Thatcher and Pusch Ridge all battling it out this season for playoff spots.

Top quarterback?

Five really jump out. They are Eastmark senior Mack Molander, Gilbert San Tan Charter junior Zayden Neill, Holbrook senior Marcus Oberriter, Paradise Honors junior Gage Baker and Sabino junior Cameron Hackworth.

Neill will be a third-year varsity starter. Molander, after sitting out half of last season, is ready to take his game to another level. He is a two-time state javelin champion in track and field. Baker also missed half of last season, before throwing for nearly 1,900 yards and 28 TDs, leading the state in completion percentage. Oberriter is a tremendous leader who has been leading the Roadrunners since his freshman year. Hackworth was the South Region Offensive Player of the Year last season.

The wildcard could be Valley Christian senior Hunter Heeringa, 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, who threw for 2,400 yards and 34 TD last season, and, according to coach Jake Petersen, "has only gotten better."

Leap Frog

All eyes are on Heber Mogollon to win its third 1A, 8-man championship in a row under coach Rick Samon, who is 19-0 as the school's head coach. And Williams, led by explosive running back Drew Logan and 300-pound lineman Bryton Cox, is ready to make another run at the title.

But watch out for the Salome Frogs, who went 6-3 and lost to Colorado City El Capitan 52-50 in the first round of the playoffs last year. They lost only one senior from last year's team and expects to contend for the West Region title with always tough Bagdad, which beat Salome 56-0 last year.

Their top player could wind up being a freshman. Coach Bryan McCarty calls 6-foot-2, 215-pound running back/tight end/linebacker/defensive end Chris Smith his "Swiss Army knife," who will be all over the field, making plays.

"What will make our team special this season is we finally have a bit of depth," McCarty said. "We have the experience and we have worked very hard since the spring to put this together."

Who has what it takes to win 2A?

Gilbert Christian held its own in 3A before going back down to 2A last year.

The Knights should be really good this year with experienced offensive and defensive lines and offensive line and first-team, all-region defensive end Zach Hohmann making the move to quarterback.

Hohmann, 6-4, 180, is a four-sport varsity athlete who will be a senior. He finished second in the high jump at the state track and field championships in May.

They also have a strong tradition of producing talented kickers. Kaleb Powell will be that guy but he's more than a kicker. He is the team's returning leader for catches and receiving yards who might be the most athletic kicker in the state.

Coach Danny Norris runs a double Wing T offense, so he'll try to create all sorts of mismatches out of that and keep defenses guessing.

But his team's championship chances will hinge on how well the skill players progress, because Morenci and Pima will be ready to take over 2A now that Benson and Arizona Lutheran are gone. And Tucson Tanque Verde and Holbrook are ready to seize the 2A spotlight.

Who will have the biggest turnaround?

Keep an eye on 2A Tonopah Valley under the direction of new coach Brett Davis, who, in 2018, led Coachella Valley High in California to one of the most prolific offenses in the nation, averaging 48.5 points and 547.4 yards a game and finishing the season by scoring at least 50 points in its last seven games. His 2017 team won a state playoff game for the first time in 29 years at Coachella. He coached last year in Oklahoma, before returning West.

And, even though Tonopah Valley went 1-9 last year, Davis said in an email, "Get your popcorn ready and follow Tonopah Valley football this year."

He is still getting to know his players, but it's been hard not to notice the size and skills of receivers Sir Izzac Caldwell (6-2, 175) and Hunter Hart (6-2, 185), along with quarterback Chance Logan (5-11, 170) and slot receiver Austin Villarreal (5-8, 140).

"We are gonna be fun to watch," Davis said. "I'm not gonna predict wins or rankings or anything like that. All I can tell is, we are gonna have one of the most explosive offenses in the Phoenix metro area this year."

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on Twitter @azc_obert.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 5 things to know heading into Arizona HS small-school football