Four more of the state's top Division I football programs try to emulate the success of Mountain Pointe and Salpointe this Friday and Saturday as they travel to California and Nevada to begin their 2013 campaigns.

Basha visits Nevada on Friday (Aug. 30)  to face Green Valley, Henderson, Nev., at 7 p.m. Green Valley posted a 9-2 record last season and is among the top 5 in Nevada schools in preseason polls. Defending D-I champ Hamilton,  D-I semifinalists Desert Ridge and Desert Vista are in California for games Saturday (Aug. 31) as part of the Brothers in Arms series at Cathedral High in San Diego. All three games are to be played at Cathedral High.

Desert Vista opens the set of three consecutive games involving Arizona teams with an 11 a.m. kickoff vs. Mission Hills High, San Marcos, Calif. Mission Hills was 10-3 last year and lost in the CIF semifinals to Eastlake. Hamilton follows Desert Vista with a 1:30 p.m. contest vs. that same Eastlake High, Chula Vista, Calif. Desert Ridge will be the last of the locals to play that day, kicking off a 4 p.m. vs. nationally ranked Junipero Serra High, Gardena Calif. Serra was 14-2 in 2012,winning the CIFDivision II championship over Oakdale High, Oakdale, Calif. 

Mountain Pointe began the state's big-school out-of-state play last Friday with a 28-21 win over then nationally ranked Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas, Nev. Salpointe Catholic followed up the next day blasting Liberty High, Henderson, Nev., 48-7. Mountain Pointe moved into MaxPreps Xcellent 25 national rankings at No. 25 with its win over Bishop Gorman.