Scottsdale Saguaro and Scottsdale Chaparral are as good as ever.

But now they’ve got company.

The 4A-I Desert Sky Region is the state’s best from top to bottom.

After the first four weeks of the season — and as six of the seven teams prepare to face off in the first go-round of region play — the Desert Sky is a combined 21-2.

Through the nonregion schedule, Desert Sky teams are outscoring opponents by an average of 41-9 and have combined for six shutouts.

The losses have come by Cave Creek Cactus Shadows to Glendale Cactus, the No. 5 team in the latest Tribune rankings, and by Phoenix Shadow Mountain to Goodyear Millennium, the fourth seed in last season’s state tournament.

Three teams — Saguaro and Chaparral, plus Paradise Valley — have a shot at the 4A-I title. Apache Junction and Tempe McClintock made the playoffs last season and both look better this season. All are undefeated.

Cactus Shadows and Shadow Mountain are both 2-1.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if all seven teams made (the state tournament),” McClintock coach Mike Gibbons said. “I know that’s hard, but what did we have last year, five (teams in the tournament)? And both (Cactus Shadows and Shadow Mountain) are vastly improved. Nobody’s gotten worse.”

The Chargers and Prospectors aren’t content playing second fiddle, either.

The goal at Apache Junction used to center on a .500 season. When the team played Chaparral or Saguaro, the hope was to keep it close enough to avoid embarrassment.

Going into tonight’s matchup with the No. 3 Firebirds, Apache Junction (4-0) is eager to see how far it has come.

“Chaparral is what we want to be,” Apache Junction coach Rich Milligan said. “Let’s go up against an elite program like that and see where we are.”

The postseason success of the region depends a lot on how the brackets play out.

Last season, Saguaro, Chaparral, Paradise Valley and Apache Junction were all lined up together, so only the Sabercats made the title game.

If the Trojans or Firebirds get opposite Saguaro this season, University of Phoenix Stadium in December could have a distinctly Desert Sky feel.

THE SUBSTITUTION QUESTION

Blowouts are more than just blowouts for talented teams with depth issues.

No coach wants to show up his opponent by running up the score, but conditioning is key for teams that have two-way starters up and down their lineup.

When Tempe Marcos de Niza played Mesa Westwood last season, coach Roy Lopez said his assistants could clearly see the players getting tired as the game went on.

“My coaches told me, we need to keep the boys in longer so they’ll be ready for close games,” Lopez said.

But still, experience for backups and avoiding injuries to starters must be taken into the equation.

“It’s such a give and take,” Lopez said. “You have to be smart with your substitutions.”

Apache Junction’s starters played four quarters for the first time last week, and Milligan said they held up well.

He doesn’t buy into the idea that keeping players in longer during routs will help their conditioning.

“Let’s be honest,” he said. “Postseason in the fourth quarter and a blowout game in the fourth quarter — there’s no correlation. You don’t condition at all against a lesser opponent. You condition in practice.”

Sounds logical to me. If the game is no longer in doubt, coaches should take their starters out.

Stepping in and stepping up

With the loss of wide receiver Jacob Santa Cruz to a knee injury in a loss to Mesa Mountain View on Sept. 12, Phoenix St. Mary’s needed an offensive boost. Enter R.J. McGill, who ran for 191 yards and two touchdowns in last Friday’s win over Phoenix Mountain Pointe. The Knights will need much of the same from McGill with Gilbert this week and Phoenix Desert Vista and Phoenix Brophy on the horizon.

Quick strikes

Scottsdale schools Saguaro, Chaparral and Notre Dame didn’t just blow out their opponents last week, they did it as economically as possible. Chaparral shut out Glendale Copper Canyon 48-0, running just 33 offensive plays. Notre Dame beat Glendale Independence 54-6, and it took the Saints just 36 offensive plays to do so. Saguaro takes the cake after scoring 70 points in a rout of Avondale Agua Fria. The Sabercats ran just 32 offensive plays, meaning they scored nearly 2.2 points for every play they ran from scrimmage.

All-Trib watch: Desert Ridge quarterback Kevin Pantastico set a state record with 595 passing yards Friday against Red Mountain.

Say what?

“You’re not going to out-scheme Chaparral. I don’t want to get in a chess match with (coach) Charlie Ragle and his staff.”

Apache Junction coach Rich Milligan

on stressing the fundamentals heading into tonight’s matchup

Seton’s success

Chandler Seton Catholic’s 4-0 start has already doubled its win total from last season, and the spread offense has been a big reason for the success. Quarterback Justin Sieczkowski has thrown for 1,211 yards and 11 touchdowns, better than 300 yards a contest. Four receivers have more than 175 yards receiving and five different players have caught touchdowns. Seton will get its toughest test of the season tonight against No. 1 Scottsdale Notre Dame and its solid defense.