When one scans the list of 40 schools that comprise newly formed Division III football, the name that stands out is Saguaro.

The Sabercats have been a staple in 4A-I the past several seasons. They've lost competition from several of the teams that pushed them at 4A-I (now playing in Division II). Schools like Canyon del Oro and Cienega to name a couple. Cactus, a longtime cross-town Valley rival, and last year's 4A-II champ, Thunderbird, are game for a challenge.

That leaves new blood -- programs seemingly on the rise from the East Valley and Tucson -- to try and challenge Saguaro in D-III. Schools that come to mind, based on recent success, are Williams Field, Sabino, Queen Creek and Higley. But they have work to do to legitimately contend with the Saguaro, which has low enrollment, but usually reams of talent..

Here's a brief look at a few of the the aforementioned schools, who along with Cactus and Thunderbird on the west side of Phoenix,, will try and threaten Saguaro for D-III supremacy.

Williams Field: The Black Hawks, who lost a 25-22 overtime heartbreaker to Thunderbird in the 4A-II championship game last year, is in a retooling mode overall. They return running back Alex Howard, who put on an awesome show in the title-game loss to Thunderbird. Most of the the rest of an outstanding skill crew graduated. Coach Steve Campbell has put together a solid program with two outstanding years in succession that will be hard to surpass. Essentially climbing up in competition, particularly with the teams at the top,  makes this a tougher year.

Sabino: The Sabercats had a solid year in 4A-I last year, but didn't have any quality wins in an 8-3 season. Sabino has a healthy number of returnees this season, but may again be hampered by playing inferior foes in D-III, Section I. Williams Field, Queen Creek and Higley are in the same section, but Sabino does not play any of them. How Sabino fares against Catalina Foothills early in the year, which beat Sabino twice last year, and Amphi the final game of the season will say a lot about how competitive the Sabercats really are.

Queen Creek: Queen Creek has been a postseason team often over the last several seasons. In their first year under Joe Germaine they reached the 4A-I semifinals before falling to Saguaro. The Bulldogs suffered massive graduation losses, but believe solid play from the lower levels will keep them competitive and more.

Higley: New Higley coach Eddy Zubey has more returning players to work with than his counterpart at nearby Willams Field. Trouble is, Zubey is just getting acquainted with those players and instilling his offense and defense so the finished product is up in the air despite some experience. Remember, Higley reached the quarterfinals last year losing by one point on a late field goal to eventual 4A-II champ Thunderbird, 35-34. The Knights mixed it up pretty well with the good teams in 4A-II in 2010. The telling portion of the 2011 season is likely to come Sept. 30 and Oct. 6. Those are back-to-back home games with Williams Field and Queen Creek.