AIA Releases First Football Rankings Of The Season Tuesday

The first AIA playoff rankings were released Tuesday and there were some eye-opening results. The Coconino Panthers are ranked third in the 4A Conference, and would be the top-seed in the playoffs thanks to both Cactus and American Leadership Academy-Queen Creek being bumped up to the Open Bracket. However, both Casa Grande and Poston Butte are just small percentage points behind Coconino at fourth and fifth respectively. One big factor surrounding Coconino is COVID. The Panthers have lost two games this season to COVID-positive tests and need to play at least six games to qualify for the post season. The Panthers are 3-0 so far this season. The Prescott Badgers are sixth in the initial poll. Their 4-1 mark, coupled with an early win over Glendale, has helped the Badgers show high in the rankings. The Flagstaff Eagles are 13th in the first poll with a 4-2 mark and would be in the playoffs if they started today. Other Grand Canyon Region teams ranked are: Lee Williams at 19, Bradshaw Mountain at 22 and Mingus at 34. The top 16 teams will make the playoffs. Rankings will be released every Tuesday until the end of the regular season.