Here are the 6A preseason rankings for flag football:

1. Highland – The Hawks have had the No. 1 seed two years in a row but failed to make the championship game. Don’t be surprised if that changes in 2026 as the Hawks might be even better this year after going 19-2 a year ago.

Junior Lacie Nemchick, the first player in Arizona history to receive a Power offer (Nebraska), takes over full-time at quarterback.

Kenny Gollady and staff are sure to come up with some creative ways to use her talents while Aylleen Murillo (128 catches) and a slew of other talented receivers will keep this offense humming.  

The defense will be anchored by linebacker Emery Wright and defensive back Addy Lowe after being hit hard by graduation.

Game of the year just might be Week 1 – Highland at Campo Verde. A good chance that these are the two best teams in the state starting the year on September 15.

The Hawks won 21-0 last year. Can they manager to do it again? “I believe our tams has the potential to compete with anyone if we continues to say connected and focused on improving each week,” Nemchick said. 

2. Hamilton – The Huskies lost one of the country’s top playmakers in Samaya Taylor-Jenkins to graduation and the Huskies are breaking in a new quarterback, but Matt Stone is one of the most innovative coaches and the Huskies have one of the biggest – and talented – students bodies to pull talent from to remain in contention.

Senior Demi Woods, one of the state’s most dynamic defensive players, will be huge factor on both sides of the ball if healthy. She takes over as the team’s enforcer and leader after dominating as a rusher and out of the backfield in recent years.

Sophomore Kayden Kisler gives opponents’ offensive game planners someone else to worry about as well.

Senior wide receiver Markiah Riley and sophomore Athena Vasquez combined for 246 catches and 46 touchdowns last season to give the Huskies the firepower to remain a 6A power.

Riley is seemingly always open and breaking into the daylight.

“She is very creative and she doesn’t always run the route as you would expect,” Stone said. “She knows her job is to find space, get open and eat grass after hauling in the pass.”

3. Marana – The Tigers went 17-1 last season after going 27-3 the previous two seasons behind coach Shaun Lara.  

The only setback came in the semifinals, 35-14, in the semifinals to eventual champion Hamilton.

Marana is the top program in the Tucson area, and it brings a ton of young talent including sophomore quarterback Isabella Garcia (61 TDs, 4,348 yards) and sophomore Sophia Silverstein and junior Mazie Brown, who combined for more than 140 catches and 23 TDs a year ago.

The defense will have some new faces like Kaylynn Cox, who was second on the team in flag pulls for a loss despite playing in only six games, Brown, Silverstein and Brookly Griffin figure to play prominent roles.

Marana’s schedule has some quality opponents, but one of the tough stretches comes in October when they host Campo Verde and then travel to Corona del Sol and Salpointe Catholic.

It will be a good litmus test for the Tigers and determine how high their seed will be come the postseason.

4. Red Mountain – The Mountain Lions, who were 19-2 last season, have finished as the 6A runner-up two years in a row after losing in the semifinals in the inaugural year so Red Mountain will be a factor as coach Julian Madison can get the most out of his roster.

Last year’s squad was a senior-heavy lineup but the talent is still there behind senior rusher Melodee Frost (22 sacks), sophomore safety Molly Moore (5 interceptions), junior wide receiver Ava Richardson (41 catches, three TDs) and junior quarterback Josslyn Navarro (537 yards, 7 TDs on 92 attempts).

The schedule opens with three-straight against Premier Region opponents and then Red Mountain, which is 48-8 in three seasons, travels to Salpointe Catholic in October. When the regular season ends, Red Mountain will grab a top four seed.

5. Queen Creek – The Bulldogs are new to this area after a breakout 12-2 season with the defeats coming against Highland and Marana.

Queen Creek was a combined 11-15 before making it to the quarterfinals last season. It was a really young roster a year ago and the experience should push the Bulldogs into the upper echelon with Emma Reynolds (2,335 with 40 TDs, seven INT) coming back at quarterback for coach Mikel Moreno.

The top four wide receivers, led by junior Amaya Rodgers (76 catches, 21 TDs) and Delia Marquez (40 catches, eight TDs), from last season are back as strong targets for the offense.

Defensively, seniors Sihanna Stokes and Alexis Bell combined for 36 flag pulls for a loss, while Rodgers and Brooke Matthews had five interceptions each.

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