Chandler football teams ready for the Open Division

Nov. 14—The Open Division football playoff has helped put Arizona on the map in recent years.

It's widely been regarded as one of the toughest postseason tournaments in the country, coming close to those in California, Texas, Florida and Georgia — traditional high school football powers in the country.

The reason for that has been the rise in caliber of competition. Teams like Chandler, Hamilton, Basha and Saguaro have elevated the level of play due to the pure talent coming out of each school. Recently, Liberty in Peoria has established itself as a power — and perhaps the best team in the state this season.

This year's Open Division differs than year's past. Teams at the top of the bracket are now in the middle or toward the bottom. Some teams are making a third consecutive appearance, defying odds stacked against them. Some are in it for the first time.

No matter the circumstance, it's shaping up to once again be a premier tournament to crown Arizona's true high school football state champion.

"It feels good for us as a staff and for the kids," Basha Coach Chris McDonald said. "It's always our team goal. Anything short of not making the Open, for a staff and myself, it would be tough to reflect on how we failed our kids."

Basha ran the gauntlet that is the Premier Region for the second straight year. The defending Open Division champion suffered just one loss on the year to Highland, a 22-21 game that was an instant classic between two of the top programs.

That loss, in McDonald's eyes, was key for his team. It helped them identify areas of improvement from last season, when the Bears dominated most teams, they played.

But as is the case every year, this year's team is different. They're younger on the offensive line and in the secondary. They've dealt with injuries on defense, including the loss of captain Jack Bleier to a season-ending knee injury.

The Bears faced adversity coming off a state championship, but they knew it wouldn't be easy to walk through all 11 weeks of the regular season and into the playoffs. Their motto this season has been "hunt them first," a reminder that despite rankings, they have the target on their backs.

The second-ranked Bears plan to carry that same mindset into Friday's Open quarterfinal matchup with No. 7 American Leadership Academy — Queen Creek.

"We've got to always show up and play our best football no matter what," McDonald said. "We need to be more consistent from play to play."

Basha was able to block out the noise and focus on the task at hand after it fell to Highland early in the season.

Chandler's been doing the same now for two years.

Since the Wolves lost in the Open championship to Saguaro in 2021, they've been written off as not being the same caliber of team. Head Coach Rick Garretson can't help but smirk at the idea.

"We worry about Chandler," he said. "I don't care about what people have to say. When you win as much as we have, they want you to fail. We keep the outside noise out."

It's the same message he's preached since he took over the program in 2019 and won the first two Open Division state titles. Even with the loss to Saguaro and Basha in the semifinals last season, he knew his team was still one of the best in the state, if not the country.

They beat Orange Lutheran early this season, at the time a nationally ranked opponent. But as Garretson said, not many people remember that now.

What they do remember is Chandler "escaping" Highland. They remember Basha beating the Wolves along with third-ranked Centennial — even though Chandler did come back and make it a game. Many were shocked at the way they knocked off rival Hamilton, blowing the Huskies away in the form of a 49-13 pounding.

No. 4 Chandler is playing its best football at the right time. Garretson can't help but put on his patented smirk at the thought.

"You prepare your kids the best and you let it lie where it lies," Garretson said. "We're playing pretty good football right now."

Unlike Basha and Chandler, Hamilton going into the postseason with a loss.

Injuries have piled up for the Huskies, including to starting quarterback Beckham Pellant who may remain sidelined for the year. The Huskies lit up Red Mountain behind junior Rich Lucero Jr., but ran into a buzz saw in Chandler and were held to just 37 yards rushing.

Hamilton used the bye week before the Open playoffs to hit the reset button after the loss. Head Coach Mike Zdebski said it was a wakeup call of sorts. But their focus is now on top-ranked Liberty after Hamilton fell to the No. 8 spot in the Open rankings.

"It's the mindset we are trying to focus on," Zdebski said, "so, as much as they are physically ready to play, they are mentally ready to play."

Hamilton is familiar with the Lions. The Huskies went to Peoria to open the season and walked away with a 56-20 loss.

It was a precursor for what Liberty would accomplish this season. The Lions boat raced nearly every Arizona opponent this season. Their closest matchup ended with a 21-point difference and their only loss was to nationally ranked Corona Centennial out of California.

Garretson and McDonald said Liberty is playing at another level this season. Zdebski agreed. He knows the type of performance they had in Week 1 won't do in the postseason. He's confident his players will rise to the occasion.

"We always want to play this kind of team, from Bishop Gorman to Liberty High School," Zdebski said. "We just didn't have to go out of state for a team like that this year. That's what we're about. It allows us to get better."

Have an interesting story? Contact Zach Alvira at (480)898-5630 or zalvira@timespublications.com. Follow him on Twitter @ZachAlvira.