PHOENIX — We are now headed into Week 7 of the 35th season of Friday Night Fever, Arizona's No. 1 and longest-running high school football show, which means that we are beginning to see some major matchups as teams head into region play.
As we do each week, we are making you, the fans, a huge part of the show by letting you choose the Game of the Week, which will be the first highlight on FNF!
We are starting something new this week. On Thursday, after the poll closes, we will be revealing the winner in a special show live-streamed on 12+ at 7 p.m.! You can find 12+ on Roku, Amazon Fire TV and/or Apple TV.
Now, let's take a look at the games that have been nominated to become the Game of the Week!
Santa Cruz Valley at San Tan Charter
Game No. 1 is one of the biggest games so far this season in 2A: 7-0 Santa Cruz Valley will travel up from Eloy to Gilbert to take on 6-0 San Tan Charter in what could be the 2A Salt region championship and decide who will get the No. 1 seed in the 2A playoffs.
San Tan Charter is ranked by AZPreps365.com as the No. 1 team in 2A and has beaten Scottsdale Christian (23-6), Shadow Mountain (51-16), San Tan Foothills (35-7), Veritas Prep (34-14), Chandler Prep (42-7) and Sequoia Pathway (54-0) so far this season. The Roadrunners are currently 2-0 against other teams in the 2A Salt region.
Santa Cruz Valley is ranked by AZPreps365.com as the No. 2 team in 2A and has beaten Chandler Prep (53-0), Trivium Prep (40-0), Coolidge (44-0), Bisbee (30-7), Arete Prep (56-8), NFL Yet (70-7) and Heritage Academy Laveen (36-28) so far this season. The Dust Devil are currently 4-0 against other teams in the 2A Salt region.
This will be the fourth time these schools have met on the football field. Santa Cruz Valley has won all three of the previous games, with the most recent being a 22-19 victory last year, according to MaxPreps.
Hamilton at Basha
Game No. 2 will take us from 2A to 6A as 5-0 Hamilton will open 6A Premier region play against 5-1 Basha.
Hamilton, which is led by first-year head coach Travis Dixon, has beaten Centennial (17-10), Desert Ridge (35-21), Boulder Creek (44-41), Desert Vista (52-18) and Valley Vista (58-0) so far this season. The Huskies are coming off of a bye week.
Basha, which is led by 2021 Friday Night Fever Coach of the Year Chris McDonald, started their season with three straight wins over Millard South from Nebraska (39-25), Mesa (47-3) and Saguaro (50-0) before losing their only game of the season so far to Mission Viejo from California (31-28). Since then, the Bears have rolled off back-to-back wins over Sandra Day O'Connor (58-21) and Brophy (35-32).
This will be the 14th meeting of all time between these two schools, according to MaxPreps. Hamilton leads the series, 10-3, but Basha has the most recent win, 45-44 last year.
Horizon at Notre Dame Prep
Game No. 3 will be a 5A Northeast Valley region rivalry in Scottsdale between Horizon (4-1) and Notre Dame Prep (4-1), two schools that are only about 6 miles apart from each other.
This will be the first region game for both schools.
Horizon, which is led by first-year head coach Tyson Ditmore, started their season with three straight wins over Canyon View (48-8), Mountain View Marana (52-0) and Raymond S. Kellis (44-21) before their lone loss of the year so far, as the Huskies lost to rival Pinnacle (54-51). Horizon bounced back from that game and got a win over Millennium (38-8). The Huskies are coming off of a bye week.
Notre Dame Prep is led by head coach George Prelock, who is in his eighth year with the Saints. Notre Dame started the year by beating Barry Goldwater (49-0), Desert Edge (20-14), Millennium (44-24) and Sunnyslope (59-14). Their lone loss of the season came two weeks ago to Brophy (40-0). The Saints are also coming off of a bye week.
This will be the ninth meeting of all time between these two schools, according to MaxPreps. Notre Dame leads the series 5-3, but Horizon won the most recent matchup, 41-24 last year.
VOTE
Now that you are an informed voter, it is time to make your choice as to which of those games will be the Week 7 Game of the Week! Vote below and if you can't see the poll, click here to vote.
The poll will close on Thursday at 10 a.m. and remember to stream the Friday Night Fever Game of the Week Reveal Show on 12+ at 7 p.m. on Thursday!
Then be a believer and catch the Fever on Friday night at 11:35!
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.
Friday Night Fever on YouTube
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