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Peoria Unified celebrates 3 varsity football teams headed to state

Posted 12/6/24

Peoria Unified will have three high school varsity football teams participating in the state championships this weekend in three different divisions.

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athletics

Peoria Unified celebrates 3 varsity football teams headed to state

Posted

Peoria Unified will have three high school varsity football teams participating in the state championships this weekend in three different divisions.

This is the second time in history that a school district has had three teams playing in the Arizona Interscholastic Association state championships since they began having tournaments in 1959, and the first time where a school district has had three teams in three different divisions.

Cactus High School, home of the Cobras, will compete against Desert Edge High School in the 5A State Championship game at 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6 at Mountain America Stadium.

Centennial High School, home of the Coyotes, will go up against Mountain View High School in the 6A State Championship game at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7 at Mountain America Stadium.

Liberty High School, home of the Lions, will play against Basha High School in the Open Division State Championship game at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7 at Mountain America Stadium. According to MaxPreps, Liberty High School is ranked number four in the state and number 40 in the nation. Liberty High School is the reigning Open Division State Champions from 2023.

"We are incredibly proud of our football programs for making history by reaching the state championships in three different divisions,” shared Mark Ernster, Peoria Unified’s director of athletics. “This unprecedented achievement is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and talent of our student-athletes, coaches, and support staff at Cactus, Centennial and Liberty high schools. Their commitment on and off the field has brought immense pride to our school district and community. We look forward to cheering them on as they compete for the state titles this weekend."

The AIA will stream the games live at https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/associations/aia or individuals may purchase tickets to the games online at https://gofan.co/app/school/AIA.