Scottsdale, Arizona: Storms Cancel Top 5A Football Finales, and the AIA Will Not Reschedule Them
Lightning and heavy rain in Scottsdale on Friday night canceled the Desert Mountain game against Notre Dame Prep and the Horizon game at Chaparral, flooding the Chaparral field and ending senior night. AIA director Jim Dean told the Arizona Republic that none of the canceled games will be rescheduled.
Key points
- Friday night storms cut short the Arizona high school football regular season for the three highest ranked teams in Class 5A, and the games they lost will not be made up.
- Heavy rain and lightning rolling through the Phoenix area on Friday, Oct. 30 delayed several games, postponed others, and forced the cancellation of at least three, the Arizona Republic reported.
- The biggest loss came in northeast Scottsdale, where No. 1 Desert Mountain was set to host No. 3 Notre Dame Prep in a regular season finale with 5A playoff seeding on the line.
Friday night storms cut short the Arizona high school football regular season for the three highest ranked teams in Class 5A, and the games they lost will not be made up.
Heavy rain and lightning rolling through the Phoenix area on Friday, Oct. 30 delayed several games, postponed others, and forced the cancellation of at least three, the Arizona Republic reported. Arizona Interscholastic Association director Jim Dean confirmed to the Republic that none of the canceled games would be rescheduled, and Friday stood as the end of the season for the 3A, 4A and 5A conferences as planned.
The two Scottsdale games that never started
The biggest loss came in northeast Scottsdale, where No. 1 Desert Mountain was set to host No. 3 Notre Dame Prep in a regular season finale with 5A playoff seeding on the line. Lightning in the area delayed the game about 90 minutes before it was called off. The game was first moved to Saturday morning at 10 a.m., until the AIA decision ended that plan.
Across Scottsdale, No. 2 Horizon at No. 13 Chaparral was also canceled after a lengthy delay caused by heavy rain and lightning. Rain flooded the field at Chaparral, and the cancellation cost the Firebirds their senior night, AZFamily reported. The Republic reported that moving the game to Saguaro High's stadium further south was considered at one point, but Scottsdale school officials decided against it.
Desert Mountain, Horizon and Notre Dame came into Friday ranked first, second and third in the AIA and MaxPreps 5A seeding formula. All three now wait for the playoff brackets with an unplayed finale on their records.
The games that did finish
Not every field went dark. In Goodyear, Desert Edge beat host Millennium 30 to 23 in a game delayed 75 minutes by lightning that did not end until a little past 11 p.m. Blake Roskopf threw three touchdown passes and Esteban Antonsen-Ayala kicked three field goals for the Scorpions, who finished 8 and 2. Millennium, ranked sixth, took its only loss of the season and finished 9 and 1. Both teams will receive first round playoff byes, the Republic reported.
No. 4 ALA Gilbert North beat Mountain Pointe 26 to 7. The Higley and Williams Field game in Gilbert started on time but took a weather delay early in the second half.
The AIA was set to release the 5A, 4A and 3A playoff brackets on Saturday, Oct. 31, with seeding built on the games that were played.
Timeline
- Oct 30, 2026Storms with heavy rain and lightning delay Friday night games across the Phoenix area, including in Scottsdale, Goodyear and Gilbert.
- Oct 30, 2026Desert Mountain against Notre Dame Prep and Horizon at Chaparral are canceled, and AIA director Jim Dean confirms to the Arizona Republic that the canceled games will not be rescheduled.
- Oct 30, 2026Desert Edge beats Millennium 30 to 23 in Goodyear in a game delayed 75 minutes by lightning, ending a little past 11 p.m.
- Oct 31, 2026The AIA releases the 5A, 4A and 3A playoff brackets, with seeding built on the games that were played.