By: Jake Novy

A pair of east valley teams kick off their season on Friday evening in Tempe as the Aztecs host the Basha Bears under the lights at Corona del Sol high school.  The Aztecs will look to improve on a subpar campaign from last season under second-year head coach Tom Joseph.  Corona dropped three of its last four games last season to finish just outside the playoff picture at 5-and-5.

Meanwhile, Basha is preseason ranked as one of the top teams in the state.  The Bears will look to build off a breakout campaign last season which ended just one game shy of the state championship game.  Basha, which featured one of the highest scoring offenses in the state, finished the regular season at 7-and-3.  They beat Tucson in the first round of the state playoffs and upset Brophy in the second round.  The Bears' season ended with a 42-32 loss to eventual state champion Desert Vista in the tournament's semifinals.

The Aztecs and Bears have built a pretty solid rivalry recently.  Corona holds a 4-to-3 all-time edge in seven meetings, however, Basha has won three-of-four and the last two very convincingly.  The Bears beat down the Aztecs, 52-7, at home in 2011's season-opener and cruised to a 41-3 lopsided victory at Corona in 2010.  CDS' last home victory versus Basha came in 2007.