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

It always seems to be a banner year for the football teams from Lakeside Blue Ridge and Show Low.

They have 17 state championships between them and 12 runner-up trophies.

The two teams played for the last two Class 3A championships, with Show Low winning last season (20-17) and Blue Ridge winning in 2009 (41-21).

But we must do the math again . . . 13 state titles belong to Blue Ridge. And the numbers don’t lie when it comes to the strength of the program.

That is why Blue Ridge is expected to rebound and hoist another banner – this time in the new Division IV. The Yellowjackets are in Division IV, Section I along with Show Low, Snowflake, Winslow, Page, Chinle, Ganado, Holbrook, Kayenta Monument Valley, Tuba City and Fort Defiance Window Rock.

Show Low has some solid all-around players, most notably All-Arizona wide receiver Josh Weeks, but the Cougars probably are not as deep as Blue Ridge. Show Low fell to Moapa Valley, Nev., 28-26, in the Sollenberger Classic on Aug. 20.

Weeks scored three touchdowns against Moapa Valley, including two from the Wildcat formation. Catching the ball might be more difficult since star quarterback Rathen Ricedorff graduated. Zach Winn now will step in and try to get the job done.

Blue Ridge, led again by coach Paul Moro (11 titles), has the quality throughout its lineup.

The team’s top players include running backs Danny Gruebner, Andrew Montoya, Chanse Cox and  Sam Borrego. Offensive linemen are Zane Gouker, Jacob Badger, Jade Craig, Ty London and Jesse Lujan. Receivers – Nathan Jacks, Ricki Torres, Nate Harp. Quarterbacks – Skyler Hill, Adam Webb.

Top defensive players include backs Montoya, Gruebner, Jacks, Webb, Ben Watson and Torres. The linebackers are Cox, Gouker, Eason Westgate, Tony Bob Holdon, Brad Syth, Bret Baker and Borrego. The linemen are Alan and Anthony Kinney, Walker Lee and Ty Enfield.

Cottonwood Mingus, a former power in Class 4A Division II, should add strength to Division V. The Bob Young-coached  Marauders, who are in Division IV, Section III, will see how tough they really are when they travel to face Blue Ridge in the opener on Friday night (Aug. 26).

Fountain Hills also was competitive in Class 3A under coach Jim Fairfield, and likely will be in the playoff mix in Section III.

Fountain Hills’ key players are running back Trace Johnson, receiver-defensive back Ty Blunt, who also is an outstanding place-kicker, fullback-middle linebacker Zach Rossfield linemen Justin Rindal and Sam Olszewski and receiver-free safety Sam Becker.

Buckeye, formerly in 4A Division II, could find Division IV more to its liking. The Hawks, who play in Section III, have a solid group of returning players.

They include quarterback Alex Alvarez, fullback Cutter Hart and free safety Nick Laramart.

If the pieces fall into place on offense, Alvarez has a chance to surpass the school season record for touchdown passes (31). Hart was the first player to start for Buckeye as a freshman last season. Laramart is one of the group’s most versatile athletes and will be one of four players to line up on both sides of the ball.

Wickenburg’s goal will be to survive a brutal early season travel schedule that has the Wranglers playing on the road in three of their first four games – Parker, River Valley and Yuma (Yuma Catholic).

Coach Bob Gonzalo will rely heavily on these players in Section III – quarterback-safety Hunter Reaume, tight end-linebacker Logan Prigge, running back-linebacker Jordon Mills, tight end-linebacker Bo Jaeger, offensive tackle-defensive end Matt Hancock and center-defensive tackle Poncho Gonzalez.

When all is said and done in Section I, Monument Valley might find itself holding on to a playoff spot.

Coach Bryan Begay lists these players as integral pieces for the team this season – three-year lettermen Justin Succo and Shea Poorman on the front lines, Dion Bailey and Tito Bailey at running back and linebacker, Bowdrie Black and Mateo Herrera at quarterback and defensive back.

Phoenix Cortez has struggled for the last few seasons, trying to get things going in 4A Division II. Now coach Jeff Huelster believes he has a chance to snap a long losing streak (27 games entering the opener against Buckeye) and dreams of a chance to go to the playoffs.

“In Division IV, we have chance to compete against schools our own size,’’ Huelster said.

Parker, with only 500 students, won’t have that luxury, playing against many larger schools. Still, the Broncs aren’t about to roll over.

Leading the way for coach Jeff Spiwak are defensive back Adrian Diaz, place-kicker Alfonso Lamas, linebacker Cody Hill, lineman Javier Gomez, tight end Nate Ruiz, lineman Ricardo Panuco and quarterback-defensive back Louis Golding.

Nestled near the Colorado River in northwest Arizona, River Valley hasn’t received a lot of attention but produces quality teams and players. The team went 7-4 last season and coach Barry Bower has a career record of 53-32.

Bower has five key senior leaders – quarterback-defensive back Josh Advocate, lineman Steven Huft, wide receiver-linebacker Nick Sondgeroth, fullback-linebacker Carl Sohmer and tight end-defensive end Aaron Ross.