NOTE: This 2011 high school football preview covers the area from north Scottsdale west through Phoenix, the southwest and northwest Valley, northwest Arizona, northern Arizona and northeast Arizona, including Native American communities.

By Don Ketchum

If your football team won a state championship last season, there’s no sense in wasting any time trying to figure out if you are capable of winning it all again in 2011.

So Phoenix Northwest Christian will open its season on Saturday night (Aug. 27) at Yuma Catholic, the team it defeated for the Class 2A crown.

Both teams now are in the new Division V, Section II.

They are among the favorites in the section, along with Phoenix Arizona Lutheran. Phoenix Scottsdale Christian also figures to be competitive.

Division V, Section I covers the northern part of the state. Camp Verde and St. Johns, former 2A powers, should challenge along with Round Valley of Eagar, a former member of the now disbanded Class 3A East, one of the state’s toughest regions.

The Northwest Christian-Yuma Catholic game originally was to have been part of the annual series of Kickoff Classic games at Northern Arizona University’s Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff, but renovation of the facility forced the move of those games to other sites.

Flagstaff Coconino was the next choice, but Yuma Catholic did not want to do that. Nor did the team want to play at Tonopah Valley, a possible site suggested by Northwest Christian coach and athletic director Dave Inness.

Yuma Catholic’s alternative was to play at home. It was not something that Northwest Christian initially wanted to do, but the Crusaders agreed.

“It’s not going to affect us. We have 17 seniors. We’re not going to let it,’’ Inness said. “We’re not going to make excuses. We will play wherever and keep trying to get better every week.’’

Northwest Christian played Yuma Catholic twice last season, winning both. The first time was in Yuma, 14-10, and the second was 30-27 for the title in the NAU dome. Northwest Christian lost only once a year ago, to Chandler Valley Christian.

The Crusaders’ success has been contagious. The program has 70 players out for football this year, compared to  41 last season. And the seventh- and eighth-grade levels are showing promise.

Inness said Yuma Catholic reminds him of the Phoenix St. Mary’s teams of the 1980s when they were coached by Pat Farrell.

“They’re well-coached and they never quit. They are a good football team and they will keep coming after you,’’ Inness said.

Northwest Christian features the return of All-Arizona running back Casey Jahn (pronounced Yonn), who rushed for 2,583 yards and 32 touchdowns last season. Quarterback Orbi Gonzalez also is back and is a force to be reckoned with – he threw for 1,700 yards and 17 touchdowns.

 The team has 19 returning starters. Start by taking a long look at junior safety Trevor Osborn. He has the skills and the smarts to play at a school such as Stanford, the coach said.

There is senior strong safety-wide receiver Hayden Anderson, senior wide receiver-defensive back Jeff Kortman, senior lineman Johnny Lewis (6-foot-5, 310 pounds), linebacker-fullback Issac Vogt, senior place-kicker Michael Costello, and senior tight end-linebacker Dean Shipp.

Moving to Division V is another challenge that Round Valley will have to endure.

Last year, an airplane crash leveled part of the school. This summer, the largest wildfire in the state’s history threatened Eagar and the surrounding communities. Coach Russ Semore left the program, due in part to illness.

The new coach was a surprise choice – Marcus Bell. He is a former star linebacker at rival St. Johns and the University of Arizona who played briefly in the NFL. The hype will sweep the countryside during the second week of the season (Sept. 2) when Round Valley visits St. Johns.

St. Johns is expected to have its usual rough-and-ready bunch led by coach Mike Morgan.

Opponents of Arizona Lutheran had better be prepared to try to stop the run. The Coyotes have two top-notch backs, Ben Grams (2,093 yards) and Alfred Erives (1,104).

“It should be a fun year to see what these two are able to do – this doesn’t happen often,’’ said Arizona Lutheran coach Scott Indahl, who is 15-8 in two seasons at the helm.

The team should have solid blocking, led by linemen Jeff English and C.J. Aveni. English might be better on the defensive side at linebacker.

Scottsdale Christian finished 8-3 last season, but has only four returning starters and a new coach, Willie Dudley, who has coached at Tempe Marcos de Niza and Marana. But the team should find some new energy from a junior-varsity team that finished 8-0.

Senior Nick Dooley (6-8, 323) should be one of the top long snappers and two-way linemen. Senior receiver Andrew Preston will see if junior quarterback Luke O’Neill can get him the ball.

Camp Verde has a solid group of 14 seniors returning. The team’s most versatile player is perhaps Deshon Tripp, a quarterback and linebacker.

Williams, 9-2 in 2010, will see if it can remain competitive in a tougher division (formerly region).

There will be quite a few young players in the Native American schools, and it will be exciting to see which team can assert itself and perhaps have a shot at the playoffs. Those schools include Tuba City Greyhills, Keams Canyon Hopi, Many Farms, Pinon, Red Mesa and Rough Rock.