No. 15 Ironwood Ridge took care of No. 14 Marana 69-27 Friday night in a game that most figured to be a contest that might come down to the last play but the Nighthawks outscored the Tigers 41-7 in the second half to make a strong case for a solid seed in the 5A state playoffs.

With Saguaro slated to move into the Open Division, the top 16 seeds are expected to shift up one spot which makes things more exciting for the teams ranked 14-18 heading into the final night of the regular season. The AIA Bracket Show is schedule for 8-10 a.m. Saturday morning so some teams, like Marana, will be tossing and turning all night.

Ironwood Ridge was 2-4 on the year at one point but four straight wins by an average score of 57 to 9 turned things around. The quick scoring offense is led by senior QB Tyler Haynie along with running backs Jordan Thomas and Landon Billings.

Marana fell to 7-3 on the year after dropping the last two games in regular season by wide margins. The Tigers were a safe bet to make the playoffs three weeks ago but things will be close come Saturday morning. If Marana does get in then the reward might be a trip to face either Horizon, Salpointe or Desert View in the first round. The Nighthawks are also looking at a difficult away game but the team will take that over turning in uniforms on Monday.

Salpointe, Desert View, Cienega and Ironwood Ridge look safe for the 5A playoffs from Southern Arizona.

Canyon del Oro and Mica Mountain are on solid ground in the 4A Conference with two teams slated to move into the Open Division which means teams need to finish in the top 18.