The intriguing action Friday night in the next to last week of play in the 5A and 4A ranks rests mainly in the East Valley starting with a Mesquite-Basha matchup.

The 5A Central Region title likely hangs in the balance. Mesquite (7-1, 4-0) wins the Central Region crown outright with a victory on Friday. The Wildcats have never won a region title since opening in 1998. Basha can clinch at least a share of the title with a win. The Bears shared the 2006 Central Region title with Desert Vista and Corona del Sol.

Mesquite had an extra week to prepare for this one with a bye last week. The Wildcats are a better team offensively than last year and have featured big-play back Anthony Lopez all year rather than the final third of last season when he emerged from the junior varsity. Basha's lone blemish thus far was a road loss at Cibola at midseason. The Bears haven't often been overpowering, but efficient and consistent enough to have earned their 7-1 overall and 4-0 region mark. Basha's defense has allowed just a bit more than 10 points a game and the most in a game so far is 20. Last year's game was a defensive struggle won by Basha, 7-3.

Here are some of the other top games in the East Valley and southern Arizona of note for Friday:

Hamilton (9-0, 3-0) at Red Mountain (6-2, 1-2)

Last year's meeting:  Hamilton 44, Red Mountain 13 -- Red Mountain has piqued interest after gradually building from losses in the tough Fiesta Region to its win over 5A-II power Centennial last week. Coach Ron Wisniewski saw his team fall in a couple close games with Brophy and Chandler before the Mountain Lions gathered confidence and momentum by dealing Centennial its first home defeat since 2005 and first loss of 2010. There's plenty of motivation for Red Mountain to beat Hamilton. The Huskies are the only unbeaten team remaining in 5A-1. Hamilton also has a 34-game winning streak dating back to 2008 when it lost to Centennial on Sept. 12  that year at Centennial. Hamilton clinches the Fiesta Region title with a victory.

Mountain View (5-3) at Chandler (5-3)

Last year's meeting: Chandler 45, Mountain View 42 -- Chandler beat Mountain View twice last season (Chandler prevalied 40-28 in the playoffs) and as the scores illustrate both were shootouts. The Toros don't have the offensive firepower to win a shootout in this one and wil have to rely on their defense to pull off the upset. Chandler will have quarterback Brett Hundley back this week. Hundley was itching to play last week in the Wolves' loss to Desert Vista, but coach Jim Ewan wanted Hundley to get a full week off to rest his ankle. Mountain View is in better shape to qualify for the playoffs with its back-to-back wins over Highland and Gilbert. One win in the final two games with Chandler and Basha would seal a 26th consecutive postseason berth.

Mountain Pointe (6-2, 3-1) at Perry (7-1, 4-0)

Last year's meeting: Mountain Pointe 49, Perry 7: -- Quite a race in the 5A East Valley this year. The school that has made things quite sticky in the region is Perry. The Pumas control their destiny to winning their first region title. That would come by beating Mountain Pointe and then Desert Ridge next Friday. Perry is the only team in the region that closes with two teams vying for the region title. With Perry showing marked improvement form last year and Mountain Pointe not quite the juggernaut it was in 2009, this one promises to be veryn even. The Pumas feature the marquee back this time in Cedric Simmons. The Pride must contain or at least slow down  Simmons  for their best chance at a victory.

Westwood (5-4, 2-3) at Desert Ridge (5-3, 3-1)

Last year's meeting: Desert Ridge 34, Westwood 13: -- Westwood is on the bubble in its bid to gain a second consecutive playoff berth. The Warriors need a win Friday or next week at Gilbert to feel more comfortable about accomplishing that. The Warriors haven't pulled off a win over a playoff contender in the Valley. Up-and-down Desert Ridge would be that kind of conquest. The Jaguars came back to life with their upset win over Mountain Pointe two weeks ago and still are in the hunt for at least a share of the region crown.  Suffice it to say the winner in this one cinches a playoff spot, the loser is down to a final chance on Nov. 5.

Desert Vista (6-2, 2-1) at Brophy (4-4, 2-2)

Last year's meeting: Brophy 47, Desert Vista 24: -- Although some of its wins haven't been pretty, Desert Vista has made quite a turnaround this season. The Thunder was 2-8 last year. Last week's win over Chandler, even without Wolves quarterback Brett Hundley in the lineup, was impressive. On the side, Brophy is playing for its postseason life. The young Broncos have suffered key injuries they couldn't afford playing in the tough Fiesta Region, yet are still 2-2 in the region. A loss to the Thunder would mean the best (and likely) finish for the Broncos is 5-5. The Broncos have to hope their strength of schedule will be their playoff trump card in a 5-5 scenario. Brophy closes the season at winless Yuma High.

Lake Havasu (7-1, 4-0) at Gila Ridge (6-1, 3-0)

Last year's meeting: Gila Ridge 29, Lake Havasu 28 OT: -- Lake Havasu is hoping a second consecutive road rip to Yuma will produce the same result as last week. The Knights benefitted from six Cibola turnovers to beat the Raiders and give them a shot at the Gila Valley Region title outright Friday evening with a win. Both schools finished under .500 last year and have improved markedly this season. Gila Ridge must contain Havasu running back Mitchell Wegner, who rushed for a season-high 257 yards and four TDs last week. Wegner has 1,100 yards rushing and 18 TDs for the season. Lake Havasu is looking to keep Gila Ridge's Andy Meza (893 yards rushing and 15 TDs) and quarterback Mike Pancrazi  from doing major damage.

Cactus Shadows (6-2, 2-0) at Queen Creek (7-1, 2-0)

Last year's meeting: Cactus Shadows 46, Queen Creek 21: -- Two of the top six teams in the 4A-I power-point rankings battle in this one. Queen Creek brings its balanced offense to this one led by running back Chim Nga and quarterback Adam Brzeczek. Nga rushed for 139 yards and three touchdowns in 2 1/2 quarters last week. Brzeczek passed for a tidy 175 and two TDs in completing 9-of-10 passes. Queen Creek must cope with a passing team this week in the Falcons. Cactus Shadows quarterback Bryce Kinsler has thrown for nearly 2,500 yards and like to throw most often to John Leonard and Joree Schneider, who have combined for 114 receptions and 1,600 of those yards. Cactus Shadows had its least productive game passing against Saguaro with Kinsler passing for 195 yards and one TD, throwing two picks and getting sacked four times. 

Amphitheater (8-1, 5-0) at Douglas (7-1, 5-0)

Last year's meeting: Douglas 30, Amphitheater 28: -- The winner of this one takes home the Gila Region title. Amphi has relied all season on its ground game, led by Alfonso Avitia and Sam Nunez. That duo has combined for 1,798 yards rushing and 30 touchdowns. Other than a one-point loss to Seton Catholic, its only loss, Amphi has dominated the opposition in the Gila Region. Douglas has won its last seven games since an opening night loss to 2A Bisbee. The Bulldogs have survived three tight games with Gila foes.