Under the lights: An essential guide to Arizona high school football
The Arizona high school football season is underway, and much has changed since last year. Schools may have moved up or down a conference, players and coaches have transferred to different programs and new contenders have risen to challenge the defending conference champions. With so much going on, The Republic has created a one-stop-shop for subscriber-only high school football content for fans.
Subscribe to azcentral.com to read this premium content.
Here's your ultimate guide to the 2022 Arizona high school football season:
Richard Obert's weekly predictions, takeaways, rankings and more
Picks, predictions: Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13
Biggest takeaways: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13
Burning questions: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Week 14
Top players: Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13
Conference rankings (Open-1A): Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Week 14
New from Obert
Off-season transfers became eligible to begin playing in Week 8 in the 4A through 6A conferences, after sitting out the first five games as required by the Arizona Interscholastic Association.
The question now is: Who could be next to see a big payoff from a transfer? And that leads to another key question: Should the current transfer rule be changed?
Arizona Republic investigation
Out of bounds: An increase in abuse is making it harder to find officials to work high school sports in Arizona, with ejections at an all-time high last school year.
Top rankings
The Republic's top 10 teams by conference: 1A conference | 2A conference | 3A conference | 4A conference | 5A conference | 6A conference | Open division
The Republic's top 10 long snappers: Check out the best snappers to see this year.
Top 10 kickers, punters: Here is a breakdown of the top 10 Arizona high school football kickers and punters to see during the 2022 season.
Top 12 impact transfers: Transfers happen every year. It's inevitable, and even more so now that the NCAA doesn't penalize Division I athletes for making moves.
Top 10 stadiums to see: More and more high schools in Arizona are turning to synthetic surfaces. But certain places still hold the mystique to see a football game.
Top 10 dynamic duos: Everybody needs a wingman, it seems, and that's usually what it takes to succeed on the football field.
Top 10 game-changers: Whether it is on offense or defense, there is always that guy teams have to worry about making an impact on every single play. They're game changers.
Top 10 quarterbacks: Arizona is home to some of the most talented quarterbacks in the country.
Top 10 wide receivers: Here is a list of the most-skilled wide receivers for the 2022 Arizona high school football season.
Top 10 running backs: Here's a list of the top running backs playing this Arizona high school football season.
Top 10 offensive linemen: Let's turn our attention to the guys who get the least amount of notoriety, those fearless warriors who work hard in the trenches so the skill guys can make headlines.
Top 10 defensive linemen: Now it's time to turn to the guys in the trenches on the defensive side.
Top 10 tight ends: These are hybrids who can move around depending on the system, hand on the ground to block and go out for passes or split outside and be a big target over the middle or come out of the slot with great strength and athleticism.
Top 10 athletes: Whether on offense, defense or special teams, these players can do it all.
Top 10 unsung heroes: Every high school football team needs one — a kid who will push through the limits, go above and beyond to help make an impact, whether it's on the team or in the community.
Top 10 rivalry games: Rivalry week is always the best week of the Arizona high school football season with the pageantry and overflow crowds. Let's look at the best rivalries to see during the AIA 2022 season.
Top 10 defensive backs: Let's look at the last layer of defense, the guys in the secondary.
Top 10 linebackers: Now, let's turn to the top linebackers to watch.
Top 10 return specialists: The last of the specialists and the position rankings are here with the return men.
Top 5 impact games to watch in Week 6: Five weeks into the Arizona high school football season, the best teams at each level are beginning to separate themselves from the rest. Here are five matchups in Week 6 that will help shape playoff pictures across the state.
Top 5 impact games to watch in Week 7: Friday’s high school football slate features a pair of showdowns between potential Open Division teams and some major battles in 4A and 5A. Here are five matchups in Week 7 that will shape playoff pictures across the state.
Top 5 impact games to watch in Week 8: Week 8 of the Arizona high school football season might be the most enticing so far. Nearly every team currently projected to make the Open Division faces a major test, creating a top-heavy version of the five matchups that will shape playoff pictures across the state.
More premium content
Raiola profile: The blue tag on his social media account, the No. 1 national ranking, the NIL projections. But that's not what defines Chandler junior quarterback Dylan Raiola.
The Republic's high school reporters
Richard Obert: Twitter: @azc_obert | Email: richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com
Theo Mackie: Twitter: @theo_mackie | Email: theo.mackie@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona high school football 2022 season: The ultimate guide
