One of the high school football headliners this week is an Arizona matchup on Friday night that features two 6A Northeast Valley teams.
No. 19 Liberty (Peoria, Ariz.) welcomes Saguaro (Scottsdale, Ariz.) for a perennial Phoenix-area showdown, the first meeting since last year’s epic Open Division Playoffs win for the Sabercats — a shocker that gave Liberty its first and only defeat of 2022.
Could this matchup end in another upset?
Liberty has been rolling in 2023, with only a last-minute comeback by No. 17 Centennial (Calif.) looming as the Lions’ one loss on the year.
Led by one of the top quarterbacks in the country, junior talent Navi Bruzon, the Lions present nightmare scenarios for the defense—on the ground and through the air—while featuring a shutdown lineup on the other side of the ball.
For Saguaro, 2023 has been a rebuilding year under new head coach Zak Hill, with the Lions coming into this game at 4-3. Suppose the idea is that you learn from your losses, though. In that case, Saguaro is a well-seasoned bunch, having dropped games to one-loss Basha (Ariz.), a team that appeared in the Super 25, No. 20 Sierra Canyon (Calif.) and Super 25 contender Centennial (Peoria, Ariz.).
Overall, it’s a team that shouldn’t feel any additional pressure of facing nationally ranked competition.
And under the lights of Friday night—as always—anything can happen…
High school football fans around the nation who are looking to watch the Arizona matchup can live-stream the game on the NFHS Network.
Watch: Liberty vs. Saguaro
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