Annie Wingert is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Thunderbird for AZPreps365.com

WADDELL – Nearly one year ago, ALA-West Foothills traveled to Thunderbird High School and shut out the Titans' football team 35-0.

Thunderbird (6-2, 1-2 4A Skyline) and ALA West Foothills (3-5, 1-2) will rematch at ALA-West Foothills on Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. The matchup has serious playoff implications for both teams.

Despite ALA-West Foothill’s losing record, Thunderbird junior quarterback Daryl Little II said it has played several tough games and the record doesn’t tell the full story about the team.

“Just because their record is 3-5 doesn’t mean it’s going to be a cakewalk,” Little II said. “We have the hardest region. It's going to be a dogfight every game.”

A win Friday night guarantees the Titans a home playoff game and could put the team in position to be the region champions with a win against Peoria on Oct. 30. This makes it highly important for the team to be victorious in the contest.

ALA-West Foothills, on the other hand, sits in the 22nd spot in the 4A rankings. A win Friday could move them up in the rankings, which could in turn help them secure a spot in the 22-team 4A tournament.

Thunderbird’s record in region play is much different than their 0-5 record last year. Little II leads the highly producing offense that is contributing to their newfound success.

Little II has transitioned from playing wide receiver to playing quarterback, and that change has changed Thunderbird’s offensive scheme, Thunderbird head coach Matt Nalette said. 

Last year, Little II led his team in receiving yards, and a lot of priority was put on getting the ball in his hands to create offensive production, Nalette said. However, throwing the ball so much created a high-risk offense.

The Titans now run the ball far more than they did last season and get to have their best player in command of the offense, Nalette said.

“With the ball starting in his hands, we take away some of the risk we had last year, but have maximized the reward of him still having the football,” Nalette said.

This has proved successful for the Titans. Last year, they had a hot 6-0 start to the season–a win streak in which they averaged 41.5 points. But, they collapsed come region play, averaging only 16.2 points per game.

This year, they are averaging 35 points in region matchups.

On the other hand, ALA-West Foothills’s offensive production has not changed much this season. The Guardians averaged 23.9 points per game in the regular season last year, a nip higher than the 23.75 points average this season.

Thunderbird assistant coach Daryl Little said ALA-West Foothills is a talented team but he likes his team's confidence.

“We are absolutely just better this year. It's night and day compared to last year,” Little said. “I think West Foothills has got their work cut out for them.”