Arizona High School Football Power Saguaro Cancels Rivalry Game Over Player Safety Concerns

One of Arizona high school football's longstanding rivalries will not be played this week.

Saguaro canceled Friday's game against Chaparral on Monday because of concerns about player safety as the Sabercats continue to deal with severe roster limitations.

Chaparral, which opened its season with a 61-0 victory over West Point, is now searching for another Week 2 opponent.

Player Safety

The cancellation comes after weeks of concern about Saguaro's roster numbers.

In early August, the program announced that it would not be fielding a Freshman or Junior Varsity team this season, having only 35 players in the entire system.

Saguaro then opened its season Friday with a 62-0 loss to Desert Mountain.

“They’re inexperienced. Our sophomores are in our depth because of numbers. The general thought was, instead of putting those guys on a separate field and letting them go, that we get them around us.” Saguaro head coach Butch Goncharoff said to the Arizona Republic earlier this month.

Weeks later, the concern has moved beyond wins and losses to player safety.

As of Monday, Saguaro had not announced the cancellation of any additional games.

The Battle for Scottsdale

"The Battle For Scottsdale" has been regarded as one of the best rivalries in Arizona high school football.

The programs have met since the mid-1970s, with the rivalry reaching one of its high points during the 2000s as both regularly competed for state championships.

This includes the 2008 4A Division 1 State Championship, where Saguaro took down Chaparral for their fourth-ever state title.

Moving into the 2010s, the intensity did not waver. Still battling for hardware, these two consistently put on classics to remember. The rivalry has featured memorable performances on both sides, from future NFL receiver Christian Kirk at Saguaro to Chaparral's 65-0 victory during its 2011 state championship season.

Into the 2020s? Things have not been the same. It started with the first meeting of the decade being cancelled due to COVID-19, making this the second cancellation in the last seven seasons.

It is hard to tell the story of Arizona high school football without Saguaro and Chaparral, but this season, it will have to be a skipped chapter.

What Now?

Saguaro will try to regroup and prepare for the remainder of its schedule. The Sabercats are scheduled to face ALA-Queen Creek on Sept. 10.

Chaparral is searching for a replacement opponent before its Week 3 game against Arizona College Prep.

Dan Allison is a freelance high school and college sports writer. You can reach him at @danlallison on X.

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