PHOENIX — The 2023 high school football season gets underway tonight with several 3A teams ready to do battle in Week 1 action.

A few matchups to look for Friday, Aug. 18, include:

• Thatcher at Paradise Honors, 7 p.m.
• Morenci at ALA-Ironwood, 7 p.m.
• Odyssey Institute at ALA-West Foothills, 7 p.m.

Fans can watch Thatcher, last season’s 3A state runner up, face Paradise Honors at 7 p.m. for free on NFHS Network and listen in on the radio at 1580 AM The Fanatic.

To watch the game, click here: https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/azpreps365/gam132b963718

Below is the Top 10 preseason rankings for 3A football this fall, which were also included in this season’s edition of the Sollenberger Magazine.

To view the magazine, click here: https://assets.azpreps365.com/tournament-programs/2023/2023-sollenberger-magazine-9f021b/index.html

3A PRESEASON TOP 10

1. SABINO: Three-year starting quarterback Cameron Hackworth returns for his senior season in 2023 having completed 68% of his passes for 2,720 yards and 31 touchdowns last fall. “[He is] the epitome of a leader,” Sabino head coach Ryan McBrayer said. “He is surrounded by a very talented core at all the skill positions.” McBrayer, who needs four wins this season to hit the 50 mark for his career at Sabino, said the biggest challenge this season is going to be staying healthy due to not having a bye week. “Every game is going to be a big challenge,” McBrayer said.

2. PARADISE HONORS: Returning as 3A Metro West Region champs, Paradise Honors is looking to take the next step toward claiming a state title in 2023. And with 14 returning starters and a strong core of seniors who have played three years of varsity football together, they are ready to do just that. “This team bought into the culture and core values. One of the core values this program has built on is family, and this team has become a family and believes in and plays for one another,” Paradise Honors head coach Josh Goodloe said. The Panthers finished 9-2 overall last fall, losing to No. 4 Show Low 77-42 in the state quarterfinals. During their 5-0 mark in region play, Paradise Honors averaged 51.8 points per game.

3. SHOW LOW: The defending 3A Northeast Region champs return this fall with only six returning starters, but do-it-all senior Nash Brewer won’t mind the challenge. Throwing for more than 1,500 yards and 21 touchdowns in the air, Brewer also ran for more than 800 yards on the ground and scored 16 more touchdowns with his legs as one of the top dual-threat athletes in the state. At 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, the senior quarterback, defensive back and punter will keep any opposing coach up at night wondering how to stop him. The Cougars lost 21-7 to No. 1-ranked Thatcher in the state semifinals last fall.

4. THATCHER: Having lost to the eventual state champion in each of the past two seasons, Thatcher head coach Daniel Jones and his program are chomping at the bit to finally get over the hump. They hope that it finally happens in 2023. Returning only six starters after graduating a “very talented” senior class, the Eagles will rely on a youthful influx of gifted football players. Its JV team went undefeated last year. “We have some very dynamic athletes and they will just need to gel and mold together to play our brand of Thatcher football.” Jones said. “Thatcher has a very rich tradition of loving football. We have multiple assistant coaches who went to school here and were champions in their own right.”

5. ALA-WEST FOOTHILLS: Starting 0-4 last season before winning five of their last six games to make the 3A state playoffs, ALA-West Foothills players built confidence along the way in preparation for this fall. And with 16 starters returning in 2023, the Guardians may be the sleeper team to watch in the 3A. Chad Mitton, who enters his first year as head coach, said his one-two punch at running back is one of the best in the state. Running back Marquez Smith led the 3A Metro West in rushing with 1,285 yards and 16 touchdowns last fall. And his counterpart, Memphis Palelei, just ran a 4.8 40-yard dash this offseason, making the running game a formidable offensive attack teams will have to stop. “The two together make us a contender,” Mitton said. Palelei also plays middle linebacker, and at 6-foot-1, 265 pounds, it’s difficult to stop him.

6. MOHAVE: Entering its third season in 3A football, Mohave is also looking to take the next step this fall in its goal to win a state title. Claiming the 3A West Region last fall with a perfect 6-0 record, coach Rudy Olvera’s group will feature a senior linebacker who is being sought after by several NCAA Division I football programs, including West Point and UNLV. At 6-foot, 225 pounds, senior Jonathan Williams is a force to be reckoned with. As a junior, Williams was third in the 3A West Region in tackles with 79. Mohave made it to the state playoffs as a No. 9 seed, losing to No. 8 Valley Christian 33-19.

7. PUSCH RIDGE: Pusch Ridge finished 11-2 overall a season ago, losing only to Thatcher (28-14 in Week 6) and Eastmark (45-10 in the semifinals), who were both of the participantrs in the 3A title game. Returning three starters on offense and five on defense, the Lions’ youth and inexperience will have to weather a difficult path to the playoffs with Show Low (Aug. 25 at NAU), Sabino (Sept. 29), Morenci (Oct. 6) and Thatcher (Oct. 20) on the schedule. Kent Middleton’s group will rely on a group of tough-minded seniors, including quarterback Bubba Mustain, linebacker Will Joyce, offensive lineman Max Amerine and defensive back Tyler Drecsher.

8. VALLEY CHRISTIAN: An early first-round exit in the 3A state playoffs isn’t exactly what a traditional winning program such as Valley Christian was looking for in 2022. And after graduating a strong group of seniors, leaving behind only four returning starters, this season’s Trojans will have something to prove. But that doesn’t mean that they won’t be one of the top 3A teams to watch in 2023. Coach Jake Petersen expects his group to make it to at least the 3A state quarterfinals. To do so, the Trojans will turn to senior quarterback Gunner Link, who threw a total of 11 passes last fall behind senior standout Hunter Heeringa. Seniors Caleb Lewis (LB), Isaiah Anderson (SS), Will Bastian (C) and Jimmy Twonbly (OLB) are ones to watch in 2023. Also, young center Cal Keeler is a nationally ranked long-snapper for the Trojans.

9. MORENCI: Under first-year head coach Rishard Davis, the Wildcats are fresh off a 2A state championship appearance in 2022 when they went 12-2 overall but lost to Pima 59-19 for the title. Now in the 3A South Region, Morenci returns 11 starters looking to learn a new system under Davis, who said his biggest challenge this fall is “establishing a relationship” with his new players. “I feel we have to hit the ground running,” Davis said, adding that he shouldn’t have too many problems. “The majority of the players on our team have known each other since elementary school. Most schools have to force team building throughout the offseason, where at Morenci, it’s grown organically.”

10. ROUND VALLEY: The Elks earned a No. 6 seed in last year’s state playoffs, defeating No. 11 Florence, 26-13, before losing 44-0 to No. 3 Pusch Ridge in the quarterfinals. Round Valley returns 13 starters, including seven on defense, from a group that took second overall in the 3A Northeast Region with a 6-1 record. One of those returners is quarterback Ryker Marble. The senior was third overall in 3A Northeast Region play with 17 touchdown passes as a junior. The Elks host 3A conference newcomer and 2A state runner-up Morenci at home Aug. 25.

Brian M. Bergner Jr. has covered professional, collegiate and high school sports for more than 20 years. Follow him on Twitter @AzPreps365Brian. Have a story idea? Email Brian at bbergner@azpreps365.com.