PHOENIX — Can you believe we've hit the halfway point of the 2024 high school football regular season?
That's right, it is already Week 5 of the 35th season of Friday Night Fever, Arizona's No. 1 and longest-running high school football show, and it is time once again to vote for the Game of the Week!
We are continuing a new tradition for the third season on FNF by making you, the fans, a huge part of the show by allowing you to choose the first highlight of the night, our Game of the Week!
Last week, the Thursday-night rivalry matchup between Horizon and Pinnacle won the poll with 66.1% of the 115,212 votes, which was a season-high! The game lived up to the billing as Pinnacle won a barnburner, 54-51. You can watch the highlights here.
Now, let's reveal who the fans chose as Week 5 Game of the Week
Notre Dame Prep at Brophy
With 61.2% of the vote, this week's Game of the Week is a battle between undefeated Catholic schools (and some of the state's best players), Notre Dame Prep at Brophy!
Notre Dame, which plays in the 5A Northeast Valley region, is 4-0 this season with wins over Barry Goldwater (49-0), Desert Edge (20-14), Millennium (44-24) and Sunnyslope (59-14). The Saints have one of the best wide receivers in Arizona high school football history on their roster in Oregon commit Cooper Perry.
Brophy, which plays in the 6A Central region, is also 4-0 this season and has wins over Williams Field (35-28), Regis Jesuit from Colorado (44-0), Centennial (28-14) and Perry (24-20). Brophy's roster features the sons of three former NFL players:
- Wide receiver Devin Fitzgerald (son of former Arizona Cardinal Larry Fitzgerald)
- Wide receiver Donovan McNabb Jr. (son of former Philadelphia Eagle Donovan McNabb)
- Wide receiver Daylen Sharper (son of former Green Bay Packer, Minnesota Viking and New Orleans Saint Darren Sharper)
- Quarterback Case and linebacker Bastian Vanden Bosch (sons of former Cardinal, Tennessee Titan and Detroit Lion Kyle Vanden Bosch).
This will be the fifth matchup between Notre Dame Prep and Brophy, all of which have come since 2020, according to MaxPreps. The teams have split the series but Brophy has the most recent win, 42-17 last season.
Runners up
Red Mountain at Williams Field
Gilbert as Red Mountain will take on Williams Field in both teams' first 6A East Valley region game.
Red Mountain is 4-0 this season with wins over Mesa (42-10), Valley Vista (53-6), Desert Ridge (54-7) and Downey from California (35-32).
Williams Field is 3-1 this season. They opened the season with a loss to Brophy (35-28), but have responded with wins over Desert Vista (55-22), Mountain Ridge (35-3) and Desert Ridge (30-6).
This will be the fifth meeting between Red Mountain and Williams Field. The schools have split the series so far, according to MaxPreps, and Red Mountain has the most recent win, 40-21 last season.
Chandler at Highland
Game No. 2 is a huge game in 6A between undefeated teams as Chandler will head to Gilbert to take on Highland.
Chandler, which plays in the 6A Premier region, is 4-0 this season with wins over Cesar Chavez (27-18), Mountain Ridge (63-3), Westwood (42-12) and Corona del Sol (49-6).
Highland, which plays in the 6A East Valley region, is also 4-0 this season with wins over Shadow Ridge (35-0), Centennial (24-17), Frontier from California (50-21) and Campo Verde (35-3).
This will be the 13th matchup between Chandler and Highland. Chandler leads the series, 9-3, according to MaxPreps. However, Highland won the most recent game, 19-14 last season.
Be a believer and catch Friday Night Fever this Friday at 11:35 p.m.!
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to four major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events every year, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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