This year non-White Mountain schools have two chances rather than one to storm the Division IV football championship game next week.

The task belongs to No. 4 seed Seton Catholic and No. 7 Florence in a D-IV football semifinal doubleheader Saturday Nov. 19 at Paradise Valley High School. No. 3 seed and defending champion Show Low and Florence meet at 3 p.m. followed at 7 p.m. by Seton and  top-seed Blue Ridge.

Florence, guided again by the steady hand of George De La Torre,  reached the semis last year. The Gophers failed to handle Blue Ridge. That resulted in the third straight all White Mountain final in 3A, dominated of late by Blue Ridge and Show Low.

Florence has toppled Round Valley and Snowflake in the quarters the last two years, respectively. The Gophers hope to have enough left in the tank to unseat Show Low, coached by Randy Ricedorff. Ricedorff played at Westwood 23 years ago on a 5A state title team when De La Torre was an assistant varsity coach at Westwood.

Seton has enjoyed dropping a notch from 4A-II to 3A (D-IV) with an unbeaten mark to date under fourth-year coach Rex Bowser. The Sentinels last reached a title game in 2003, losing the 3A championship to Show Low. They also advanced to the semis in 2006. Seton has one state football title (2A in 1997) to its credit.

Can Seton and/or Florence punch a ticket to NAU next week? Possible.

Florence gave Show Low a tough game when they met earlier in the year, a 23-13 Show Low victory. Both teams have different quarterbacks since that Sept. 2 contest -- Florence Nick Brown and Show Low Josh Weeks. Brown is a 1,200-yard rusher; Weeks a big-play talent wherever he lines up.

 Seton brings a high-octane passing game against Blue Ridge and a ground-oriented, defense-led attack. Seton will have to prove it can play solid defense and Blue Ridge that it can defend the pass. It's certainly worth taking a peak at both games for the curious.