By: Jake Novy

The second round of the Division Two Arizona state playoffs get underway on Thursday evening as the top-seeded Chaparral Firebirds host the number-eight Perry Pumas in Scottsdale.  Both teams come into the contest with a ton of regular season momentum backed with a first round playoff victory.  Chaparral hasn't lost since an August 20th season-opening setback to Las Vegas powerhouse Bishop Gorman.  The Firebirds have since reeled off 11 straight wins, including last Friday night's 62-0 rout of 16th-seeded Gila Ridge in their postseason opener.  In Chaparral's dismantling of Gila Ridge, quarterback Connor Brewer tossed five touchdowns with 399 yards passing, while Davonte Neal had two rushing scores and 234 receiving yards with two TD's to go along with a 70-yard punt return to the house.  The 'Birds have outscored their opponents to an outstanding mark of 598-to-157 on the season.

Meanwhile, the Pumas have won seven games in-a-row on the heels of a two-game slide to Queen Creek and Marcos de Niza in September.  They finished the regular season at 8-and-2.  Perry pounded ninth-seeded Lake Havasu, 62-42, in their first round playoff matchup last weekend.  Senior quarterback Josh Uhlorn is leading a Perry offense that has posted nearly 530 total points on the year.  Uhlorn is averaging 300 total yards per game and is a weapon on the ground and through the air.  The Pumas have scored less than 21 points only one time this season.

The Firebirds and Pumas have played a trio of common opponents this season, but only one left mixed results on the scoreboard.  Chaparral beat Marcos de Niza, 24-6, in early September, while Perry suffered a 20-7 defeat to the Padres towards the end of the same month.  The two teams have played three times over the past two seasons with Chaparral sweeping all of the meetings.  In 2009, the Firebirds beat the Pumas, 37-3, during the regular season and then blanked Perry, 49-0, in the second round of the state playoffs.  Last season, Chaparral came away with a 55-6 win in Gilbert.  The victor of Thursday night's tilt will take on the winner of fourth-seeded Deer Valley and number-five Centennial at a neutral site next weekend.  This week's action takes place on Thursday due to Friday being Veterans Day.