How wide open is the expanded Arizona 2A high school football playoff field?

This week, the 2A Arizona high school football playoffs begin for 16 of the 24 teams in the postseason. The top eight teams have byes to next week’s round of 16.

The expanded field gives a conference with 51 schools a chance to extend the season. But how wide open is it? The Arizona Lutheran win over Scottsdale Christian in the final week of the regular season showed it might be anybody’s title.

“I think it’s as open as it can be,” said Scottsdale Christian coach Mike Sheahan, whose team won the past two titles and was No. 1 by The Arizona Republic all season until the Arizona Lutheran loss. “Whoever gets hot will win it.”

Let’s break down the Oct. 31 first-round matchups. All games start at 7 p.m., at the higher seed’s field:

No. 17 Santa Cruz (5-5) at No. 16 Glendale Prep (7-3). This isn’t your typical Santa Cruz team. It got blown out by Phoenix Christian and Arizona Lutheran during a four-game losing streak. Glendale Prep’s loss to No. 1 Veritas Prep should help it adjust to what it needs to win this game. The winner plays at Veritas Prep on Nov. 7.

No. 24 Tonopah Valley (4-5) at No. 9 Tanque Verde (8-2). The winner plays at No. 8 Camp Verde on Nov. 7. Tonopah Valley hasn’t had the same offensive firepower that it did the last few years under Brett Davis. Tanque Verde looks like a team ready to move into the next round.

No. 21 Scottsdale Prep (5-5) at No. 12 Parker (7-2). Don’t expect an upset. Parker should advance to play Nov. 7 at No. 5 Arizona Lutheran, which had one of its toughest games two weeks ago in a 19-12 win over the Broncs. “After playing Parker, I thought they were a top-eight team,” Arizona Lutheran coach David Peter said.

More: The Arizona Republic’s high school football conference rankings, Oct. 27

No. 20 Alchesay (6-2) at No. 13 Chandler Prep (7-3). The winner advances against No. 4 St. John’s, which has a legit shot to win the whole thing. Chandler Prep should win, but it is coming off a 35-7 loss to Pima.

No. 19 Globe (6-4) at No. 14 Benson (6-4). Benson has more impressive wins, a tougher schedule and should get through to face No. 3 Phoenix Christian on Nov. 7.

No. 22 Mountainside (6-4) at No. 11 Trivium Prep (7-3). When these teams met on Oct. 10, Trivium Prep struggled to beat Mountainside 20-14. It’s always hard to beat the same team twice in a season. The winner goes to No. 6 Willcox on Nov. 7.

No. 23 Holbrook (6-4) at No. 10 Pima (6-4). Don’t bet against Pima, which may be the healthiest it has been all season, after taking apart Chandler Prep last week. Holbrook just lost to Tuba City 20-18. Expect to see Pima next week at No. 7 San Tan Charter.

No. 18 Tuba City (7-3) at No. 15 Morenci (6-4). It’s been difficult for a reservation school to get beyond the first round in football, and Tuba City, which is part of the Navajo Nation, is facing a team that has had an extremely hard schedule, losing close games to Pima (13-6) and St. Johns (21-12) down the stretch. Expect Morenci to play at No. 2 Scottsdale Christian on Nov. 7.

Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. Catch the best high school sports coverage in the state. Sign up for Azcentral Preps Now. And be sure to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you don’t miss a thing. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert