PHOENIX — More than 40,000 votes have been tallied and you, the fans have made it clear which game has earned the title of 'Game of the Week' for Week One of Friday Night Fever!
Congrats to Desert Edge at Centennial, which won the poll with almost 54% of the votes!
This game beat out Hamilton at Liberty thanks to an overnight surge in the final 12 hours of voting. From 10 p.m. Wednesday night to 10 p.m. Thursday morning when the poll closed, Desert Edge at Centennial received more than 11,000 votes to take the lead and earn the win.
Congrats to the Scorpions and Coyotes, 12Sports will see you tomorrow and look for your game to be the first game on Friday Night Fever as the Game of the Week!
============================================================================================
Football fans rejoice! The best time of the year has returned with high school football and Friday Night Fever returning this week!
And once again, you the fans get to play a huge part in the show by choosing which game will be the Game of the Week in our show on Friday night!
We had an unbelievable start to this new tradition in 2022, as we got more than 360,000 votes during the 10 weeks of the regular season. Hopefully, we can beat that number this year!
Now it is time to reveal the Game of the Week nominees for Week One!
Desert Edge at Centennial
Game #1 comes to us from the West Valley and is a battle between two teams that could find their way into the Open Division playoffs later this fall: Desert Edge at Centennial.
Led by Co-head coaches Marcus and Mark Carter, the Desert Edge Scorpions went 7-3 in 2022 and finished in second place in the 5A Desert West region. The Scorpions advanced to the 5A quarterfinals last year but were beaten by the eventual champ, Higley. Desert Edge returns a lot of talent in 2023 including DB Aundre Gibson, WR Kezion Dia-Johnson, and QB Hezekiah Millender. They figure to be one of the favorites to win the 5A Desert West region this season and either a place in the Open Division or the 5A state championship.
Up in Peoria, Centennial figures to once again challenge for a spot in the Open Divison. They have moved over to one of the toughest regions in the state, the 6A Northeast Valley where they will battle Chaparral, Liberty, Pinnacle, and Saguaro for the region title. But the Coyotes, who finished second in the 6A Desert Valley region last year, have more than enough firepower to keep up. In 2022, the Coyotes finished 8-2 and earned the #6 seed in the Open, but lost to Chandler in the first round.
These two teams have played three times before, twice in the regular season and once in the playoffs, but not since 2017. The Scorpions and Coyotes have split the regular season matchups and the Coyotes won their lone playoff game.
Hamilton at Liberty
Game #2 is another matchup between two schools we could see in the Open Divison playoffs later this year: Hamilton at Liberty.
Hamilton finished 2022 8-2 and in second place in the ultra-tough 6A Premier region. They got a huge win in Week 10, defeating crosstown rival, Chandler, in the Battle of Arizona Avenue for the 2nd year in a row. The Huskies earned the #4 seed in the Open Division but were upset but #5 Saguaro in the first round. The Huskies have QB Beckham Pellant back after he took over for Roch Cholowsky midseason and look like they could absolutely challenge for the 6A Premier title once again.
Liberty had an incredible season in 2022, finishing the regular season 10-0, and winning the 6A Desert Valley region, but, despite earning the #1 seed in the Open Divison playoffs, the Lions were not able to find the success they wanted in the playoffs as they fell to Saguaro in the semifinals. Their schedule starts tough with Hamilton and doesn't get any easier, as they will play O'Connor, Queen Creek, Sunrise Mountain, Centennial (Corona, California), and Salpointe Catholic along with a very tough 6A Northeast Valley region (Pinnacle, Saguaro, Chaparral, and crosstown rival Centennial).
This is the first time these two schools will meet on the gridiron.
O'Connor at Chaparral
And our final Game of the Week nominee for Week One is a battle between two 6A schools looking to have big seasons: O'Connor and Chaparral.
O'Connor had a great season in 2022, finishing 7-3, but unfortunately, two of those losses came in-region to Centennial and Liberty knocking the Eagles down to third place in the 6A Desert Valley region. They were able to make the Open Division playoffs but did not win their rematch with #1 seed Liberty in the first round. Now that Liberty and Centennial have moved regions, O'Connor figures to be a favorite in the 6A Desert Valley region.
Chaparral, who welcomes new head coach Doug Nisenson to the sidelines this fall, is looking to bounce back after a disappointing 2022 campaign that saw them miss the playoffs after finishing 3-7.
O'Connor will be looking for their first-ever win over Chaparral. They have played four times since 2018 (three times in the regular season and once in the playoffs) and the Firebirds have won every matchup.
VOTE
Now it is time for you to make your choice for which game should be named the Game of the Week for Week One of Friday Night Fever!
Make your choice in the poll below (and remember, you can vote as many times as you want, so be sure to refresh the page and vote again), and if you don't see the poll, click here.
The poll will be open until Thursday at 10 a.m.!
Be a believer and catch Friday Night Fever this Friday at 11:35 p.m.!
