🏈 AZSportsnetwork: 2A Thursday Tackle FB October 22, 2026 — Crossover Games Breaking Down Tonight's Crossover Games: We're breaking down tonight's games by importance, with playoff spots, automatic qualifiers, and seasons on the line! 🏈 GAME OF THE NIGHT REGION AUTOMATIC QUALIFIER GAME #17 Alchesay (7-1) @ #33 Holbrook (4-4) This game determines the North Region Automatic Qualifier! Regardless of ranking, the winner earns a playoff berth and will be seeded no lower than #24. Looking at these two teams' rankings, you can see just how CRITICAL this game is! This is why AZSportsnetwork does what we do BEST! We've watched many of these teams multiple times, so we KNOW what they're capable of. Most believe this is an automatic W for Alchesay, and that may very well happen. BUT NOT SO FAST! Holbrook has an ACE IN THE HOLE! IF starting QB1 Sample plays, Holbrook has a VERY legitimate chance of winning! Sample was injured in the season opener while Holbrook was leading Winslow. IMO, if he doesn't go down, Holbrook wins that game and is sitting much higher in the rankings today. IF Sample plays and is mentally confident in his recovery, Holbrook could actually be the FAVORITE, especially at HOME! Remember, Holbrook has played a MUCH tougher schedule. That matters! Meanwhile, Alchesay has a decision to make. Will they continue returning to their DOUBLE WING offense, or will they revert to their spread offense and passing attack? NOW HERE IS WHERE THINGS GET REALLY INTERESTING! At #17, I believe Alchesay is IN the playoffs regardless. I find it highly unlikely they fall out. BUT Holbrook sits at #33. There is virtually NO WAY they make the playoffs without winning the automatic qualifier! IF Holbrook wins, they MUST be placed in the 24-team playoff bracket, meaning they will BUMP OUT a team that otherwise would have qualified! That makes the #24 spot VERY UNLUCKY to other teams IF Holbrook loses, that particular problem disappears. Why is this HUGE? Because several teams are fighting for that final playoff spot. If Holbrook wins, those teams may need to finish #23 or HIGHER just to survive! And in another post, I'll explain why EVEN THE #23 SPOT COULD BECOME A BUMP SPOT! NEXT SET OF GAMES #11 Veritas Prep (5-3) @ #30 Highland Prep West (5-3) #12 Camp Verde (6-2) vs #16 Scottsdale Prep (4-5) #18 Trivium Prep (5-4) @ #36 Antelope Union (2-5) I believe all the higher-ranked teams in this group are safely IN the playoffs. Even with victories, I don't see Highland Prep West or Antelope Union jumping enough teams to qualify. (IMO) As for Scottsdale Prep, I believe they're IN even with a loss. 🚨 MUST-WIN GAMES! #21 Heritage Academy Mesa (6-3) @ #27 Ft Hills (3-6) #22 Globe (4-5) @ #24 Lincoln Prep (6-3) #25 Desert Star (4-5) @ #38 San Pasqual (4-4) These games are where the PLAYOFF CHAOS begins! Nearly every team in this group is facing a MUST-WIN situation! IMO, San Pasqual is the ONLY team here without a realistic path into the Top 24, or Top 23 if Holbrook wins and takes an automatic berth. For everyone else, there are SO MANY scenarios that the only thing they can control is WINNING! And they'd better be rooting for HOLBROOK TO LOSE! Because if Holbrook wins, that #24 spot could be GONE! NOW LET'S BREAK DOWN EACH TEAM'S SCENARIO! #27 Ft Hills (3-6) MUST WIN! But even that might not be enough. They need teams above them to LOSE, especially Desert Star and Lincoln Prep. Their ideal scenario? Beat Heritage Academy Mesa. Desert Star LOSES. Lincoln Prep LOSES. Holbrook LOSES. Beating #21 Heritage Academy Mesa could give Ft Hills a significant rankings boost! But will it be ENOUGH? #25 Desert Star (4-5) MUST WIN OR GO HOME! But Desert Star has another problem. They're playing #38 San Pasqual, meaning even with a victory, they might barely move up or could potentially DROP in the rankings! They desperately need that #24 spot to remain available. Their ideal scenario? Beat San Pasqual. Holbrook LOSES. Lincoln Prep LOSES. Ft Hills LOSES. Desert Star needs a W AND some help! #22 Globe (4-5) @ #24 Lincoln Prep (6-3) I'm combining these two because they're battling EACH OTHER for playoff survival! Both desperately need this W! The winner has a strong chance to get IN, but neither wants to land in that UNLUCKY #24 spot if Holbrook wins! IMO, if Lincoln Prep loses, they're OUT! Globe might survive a loss if every team below them also loses, but I wouldn't count on it! For me? LOSER IS OUT! And the WINNER had better start praying to the FOOTBALL GODS that Holbrook LOSES! 😂 #21 Heritage Academy Mesa (6-3) At #21, Heritage Academy Mesa has a little more breathing room, sitting three spots above the cutoff. WIN AND YOU SHOULD BE IN! BUT playing a lower-ranked opponent could still hurt their position. They also were hammered last week vs SPA so are they mentally/physically ready to go. Their ideal scenario? Beat Ft Hills.(dangerous team) Holbrook LOSES. Desert Star LOSES. Lincoln Prep LOSES. Globe LOSES, although a Globe victory might not hurt them if they take care of business. The KEY is winning their own game! Every spot matters when you're this close to the playoff cutoff! BOTTOM LINE: All these teams need to WIN and then watch the scoreboard! And San Pasqual? They'd LOVE to finish with another victory, regardless of the playoff picture! 🏈 LAST GROUP OF TEAMS/GAMES #31 Chino Valley (2-6) vs #48 Madison Highland (0-9) #40 Miami (2-7) @ #43 Arete Prep (1-6) #46 Hopi (2-7) @ St. John Paul II (4-4) These teams are playing for PRIDE! I simply don't see #31 Chino Valley beating #48 Madison Highland and somehow jumping SEVEN or EIGHT spots into playoff contention. That's just NOT happening! BUT THEN AGAIN We're talking about MAXPREPS RANKINGS!😂 AZSportsnetwork — Covering Arizona's Small-School Football Like Nobody Else!