Cactus Shadows opened up the season against Desert Edge on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (Submitted Photo/Gina Brown)
PHOENIX — Fall sports are nearly back in full-swing as we anxiously await the start of boys beach volleyball and girls flag football. Here’s a look at how North Valley teams are doing in competition so far this season.
Football kicked things off officially on Thursday, with Cactus Shadows falling to Desert Edge 20-0 and Brophy falling to Hamilton 24-6. On Friday, Arcadia also fell to Bradshaw Mountain 24-7.
However, things were hot in the 5A Northeast Valley conference as all four teams who played that night walked away with a victory. Chaparral defeated West Point on the road 61-0. Desert Mountain defeated 6A Saguaro on the road 62-0. Horizon took down Verrado 63-34 at home, while Notre Dame Prep went down to Yuma and took care of business against Yuma Catholic, defeating them 34-17. In 6A, Pinnacle also picked up a gritty road win against Edison High School in California.
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PHOENIX — Fall sports are nearly back in full-swing as we anxiously await the start of boys beach volleyball and girls flag football. Here’s a look at how North Valley teams are doing in competition so far this season.
Football kicked things off officially on Thursday, with Cactus Shadows falling to Desert Edge 20-0 and Brophy falling to Hamilton 24-6. On Friday, Arcadia also fell to Bradshaw Mountain 24-7.
However, things were hot in the 5A Northeast Valley conference as all four teams who played that night walked away with a victory. Chaparral defeated West Point on the road 61-0. Desert Mountain defeated 6A Saguaro on the road 62-0. Horizon took down Verrado 63-34 at home, while Notre Dame Prep went down to Yuma and took care of business against Yuma Catholic, defeating them 34-17. In 6A, Pinnacle also picked up a gritty road win against Edison High School in California.
Girls volleyball also got underway last week, where Cactus Shadows started things off with a 3-0 victory over the Goodyear Mavericks. The reigning 5A State champs at Chaparral also picked up a 3-0 win over both Lake Havasu and Boulder Creek to start the season, while Horizon went on the road to Skyline and walked away with a 3-0 win on Thursday. Pinnacle opened up the season with back-to-back wins over both Red Mountain and Mountain View — Mesa on Wednesday and Thursday respectively, while Arcadia defeated Crismon 3-0 on Thursday.
Desert Mountain also picked up two wins last week to kickoff the season, defeating Maricopa at home and Lake Havasu on the road. Saguaro split its two games last week, defeating Greenway 3-0 on Wednesday before falling 3-2 on Thursday to ALA-West Foothills. Meanwhile, national powerhouse Xavier College Prep started things off with a sweep over Mountain Ridge on Thursday.
Brophy boys golf continues excellence as they won their own Papago Golf Invite on Thursday by 14 strokes, defeating a number of other programs, while Pinnacle boys golf won the AZHS Fall Preview over the weekend. Notre Dame Prep girls golf also took down Chaparral on Tuesday of last week.
Brittany Bowyer is a Report for America corps member, covering sports for Independent Newsmedia in Arizona. Report for America places talented journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and regions.
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