Fiesta Bowl Friday Night Showdown readies for 2nd season of high school football

The Fiesta Sports Foundation on Thursday will kick off a second season of its Fiesta Bowl Friday Night Showdown games to highlight the best high school football programs in Arizona.

San Carlos High School will host ALA-Anthem South on Thursday night in the first game of the series as the Fiesta Bowl organization hopes to further engage in the sport at the youth level.

The Fiesta Bowl organization will give fans attending the games special fan experiences. It will also spotlight student athletes and student sections at the game and across social media.

The schedule includes 12 tackle football games and three additional flag football games. The AIA enters its second season with girls flag football as a sanctioned sport and has expanded to 102 schools, twice the size of last year’s number.

“The power of Fiesta Bowl Friday Night Showdown was on display last season, as schools, student-athletes, coaches and fans benefitted from the additional engagement, experiences and exposure,” Fiesta Sports Foundation executive director and CEO Erik Moses said in a release. “We are honored to help bring excitement to grassroots and high school football across the state of Arizona, where the elite level of play is recognized nationally by college football’s top programs for recruiting.

“Visiting San Carlos as that community rebounds from the Watch Fire is a fitting start for our second season to celebrate the game at all levels. Adding girls flag football was important to recognize the talent, dedication and future opportunities as the sport explodes in participation and quality.”

The 12-game schedule on the boys football side includes seven of the eight schools that played in the 2023 AIA Open State Championship bracket, including title winner Liberty High School. It will also feature 6A champion Saguaro and 5A title winner Higley.

On the flag football side, the schedule debuts on Thursday, Sept. 19, in a game featuring Highland High School and defending 5A title winner Campo Verde.

It later includes Mountain View High School, the 2023 6A champion from Mesa, which faces Millennium on Tuesday, Oct. 15.

“The AIA is a proud supporter of the Fiesta Sports Foundation and the continued opportunities that the organization provides to bring additional attention to Arizona high school football,” said AIA associate executive director Jim Dean. “The Fiesta Bowl Friday Night Showdown and Flag Football Showdown will shine a spotlight on the outstanding football student-athletes throughout the state and highlight the exceptional play across Arizona.”

2024 Fiesta Bowl Friday Night Showdown schedule:

Thursday, August 22 – ALA – Anthem South at San Carlos
Friday, August 30 – Brophy at Williams Field
Friday, September 6 – Sandra Day O’Connor at Liberty
Friday, September 13 – Queen Creek at Perry
Friday, September 20 – Desert Edge at Higley
Friday, September 27 – Chandler at Highland
Friday, October 4 – Centennial at Saguaro
Friday, October 11 – Hamilton at Basha
Friday, October 18 – Desert Mountain at Horizon
Friday, October 25 – Buena at Marana
Friday, November 1 – ALA – Gilbert North at Notre Dame Prep
Friday, November 8 – Red Mountain at Mountain View (Mesa)

2024 Fiesta Bowl Flag Football Showdown schedule

Thursday, September 19 – Highland at Campo Verde
Tuesday, October 15 – Mountain View (Mesa) at Millennium
Thursday, November 7 – Hamilton at Chandler

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