Here's a look at Friday's prep football games

5A

Red Mountain (2-3) at Desert Mountain (4-1)

Time: 7 p.m.

Address: 12575 E. Via Linda, Scottsdale

Key matchup: Desert Mountain has had pretty good success through the air with quarterback Kevin Radcliffe and Jordan Fox as their big-play wideout. If they get going again it’s going to be another long night for the Mountain Lions struggling pass defense.

Key stat: Opposing quarterbacks are 76 of 127 (59.8 percent) for 1,247 yards and 13 touchdowns against Red Mountain.

The intrigue: This is supposed to be the start of Desert Mountain’s rugged schedule, but the Wolves have started the season well and the Lions have struggled, which lends itself to an upset.

Dobson (3-3) at Westwood (1-5)

Time: 7 p.m.

Address: 945 W. 8th St., Mesa

Key matchup: Westwood’s defense vs. Dobson’s 1-2 running back punch of Dylan Cortez and Terrance Martin.

Key stat: Westwood rushed for better than 200 yards vs. Marcos de Niza last week, the first time they’ve passed the 200 mark in a game this year.

The intrigue: Westwood has Dobson’s number of late, winning the last six meetings dating back to 2002.

Mesquite (1-4) at Kofa (2-3)

Time: 7 p.m.

Address: 3100 S. Avenue Ave., Yuma

Key matchup: The battered Mesquite offense vs. the porous Kofa defense.

Key stat: Mesquite’s opponents to date are 18-9.

The intrigue: Tough schedule has put Wildcats behind the 8-ball. Beating Kofa is a must to keep slim playoff hopes alive.

No. 2 Mountain View (5-0) at Mesa (2-3)

Time: 7 p.m.

Address: 1630 E. Southern Ave., Mesa

Key matchup: Mesa ground game needs to produce vs. Toros defense as it did at times last week vs. Brophy.

Key stat: Mountain View has posted three shutouts and has allowed just 31 points in five games.

The intrigue: Can the start of region play give the Jackrabbits a new lease on life at season’s midpoint?

Chandler (4-1) at Highland (4-1)

Time: 7 p.m.

Address: 4301 E. Guadalupe Road, Gilbert

Key matchup: Highland’s defense vs. the prolific offense and speed of Chandler.

Key stat: Both schools are 0-1 vs. ranked opponents this season.

The intrigue: Highland has easily repelled four foes who are each under .500 this season. Chandler is a midseason check-up for the Hawks to learn if they are Fiesta ready.

Basha (4-1) at Brophy (3-3)

Time: 7 p.m.

Address: 1201 W. Thomas Road, Phoenix (Phoenix College)

Key matchup: Brophy found some offensive life against Mesa last week, but playing the Bears is a much different challenge. If the Broncos offense can score 17-20 points, a win is realistic.

Key stat: The Bears haven’t allowed a touchdown in three weeks.

The intrigue: A pair of top-5 defenses in the state will be on display, so it’s going to be nip-and-tuck. This begins a brutal stretch for Basha, and it’s Brophy’s last chance to play a legitimate 5A-I state title contender.

St. Mary’s (2-3) at Desert Vista (3-2)

Time: 7 p.m.

Address: 16440 S. 32nd St., Phoenix

Key matchup: St. Mary’s struggled against Gilbert’s balanced attack last week, and Desert Vista is going to try and do the same. The Knights defense is going to have to force some turnovers against Cody Sokol and the passing game to have any chance.

Key stat: R.J. McGill has rushed for 460 yards in three games since becoming the Knights starting running back.

The intrigue: St. Mary’s knows it should have won last week against North, and the Knights look more like a team in between the North and Boulder Creeks of the world, and below top teams like Gilbert and Desert Vista. The Thunder need to rebound again following last week’s loss to Centennial.

Cibola (2-3) vs. Mountain Pointe (1-4)

Time: 7 p.m.

Address: 4201 E. Knox Road, Phoenix

Key matchup: Cibola’s offense revolves around Tim Lantz and Greg Clark in the backfield, which means the Pride need to stack the line of scrimmage and tackle. If the Pride get beat, it’s Cibola’s passing game that needs to do it.

Key stat: The Pride won 42-8 in last year’s meeting.

The intrigue: Despite being shorthanded, the Pride need to win this game both to feel good about themselves and because a decent Glendale Mountain Ridge game precedes the gauntlet of Central Region play. If the Pride ever get healthy they can be competitive, but unfortunately for Phil Abbadessa’s team, that’s a pretty big “if.”

Marcos de Niza (5-0, 0-0) at Pinnacle (3-2, 0-0)

Time: 7 p.m.

Address: 3535 E. Mayo Blvd., Phoenix

Key matchup: Marcos de Niza must prove it can move the ball against a good Pinnacle defense.

Key stat: The Padres are giving up fewer than six points per game.

The intrigue: The Padres have the perfect record, but the Pioneers are the ones battle-tested. This is a very important game for both sides with important region implications.

No. 5 Skyline (4-1, 0-0) at Desert Ridge (3-2, 0-0)

Time: 7 p.m.

Address: 10045 E. Madero Ave., Mesa

Key matchup: The Coyotes lost their only game of the season to a team that can move the ball through the air. Desert Ridge is the state’s best at doing it, so Skyline has to slow down quarterback Kevin Pantastico and the Jaguars’ passing game.

Key stat: Pantastico has passed for 1,126 more yards this season than Skyline signal caller Anthony Ybarra.

The intrigue: Skyline has beaten up on lightweights but lost to its only legitimate foe, Glendale Mountain Ridge. A win here gives them definite credibility.

Horizon (1-4) at North Canyon (4-1)

Time: 7 p.m.

Address: 1700 E. Union Hills Drive, Phoenix

Key matchup: Horizon must find some offensive rhythm against a team that has given up six points total in its last two games.

Key stat: North Canyon hasn’t given up more than 24 points in a game all year and Horizon has yet to score more than 17.

The intrigue: This looked to be one of the more manageable games on a brutal schedule for Horizon, but North Canyon is on a three-game winning streak and playing well.

4A

No. 4 Paradise Valley (4-1, 1-1) at McClintock (3-2, 0-1)

Time: 7 p.m.

Address: 1830 E. Del Rio Drive, Tempe

Key matchup: McClintock couldn’t stop the Chaparral running game last week, and Tyree Parker and company are as good, if not better, in the Paradise Valley backfield.

Key stat: Four. The number of field goals Trojans kicker Danny Compton booted last week in a 23-19 loss to top-ranked Scottsdale Saguaro.

The intrigue: McClintock hung tough with Tucson Canyon del Oro but then got whipped by Chaparral. Yet another chance to show if the Chargers have enough firepower to hang with the state’s 4A-I elite.

Shadow Mountain (2-3, 0-2) at Apache Junction (5-1, 0-1)

Time: 7 p.m.

Address: 2525 S Ironwood Drive, Apache Junction

Key matchup: Both teams emphasize the run. Whichever one can do a better job and control field position will have an advantage.

Key stat: 13-6. Apache Junction’s deficit after the first quarter to an inferior Glendale Independence squad last week before the Prospectors woke up.

The intrigue: An important region game. Shadow Mountain is much improved and Apache Junction needs games like this badly to get a good tournament seeding.

Cactus Shadows (3-2, 1-1) at No. 1 Saguaro (5-0, 2-0)

Time: 7 p.m.

Address: 6250 N. 82nd St., Scottsdale

Key matchup: Cactus Shadows has an underrated defense, and it must slow down Saguaro running back Beau Burton, who ran for 170 yards last week against a very good Paradise Valley defense.

Key stat: 208. The amount of yards Saguaro quarterback Cole Rarrick threw for last week, a career high.

The intrigue: Cactus Shadows kept it close against Paradise Valley two weeks ago, and isn’t a pushover. Saguaro has a lot to look forward to in two weeks against Scottsdale Chaparral, but shouldn’t look too far ahead just yet.

No. 1 Notre Dame (5-0, 1-0) at Moon Valley (3-2, 0-0)

Time: 7 p.m.

Address: 3625 W Cactus Road, Phoenix

Key matchup: Notre Dame defensive back Andy Wilder, who leads the Black Canyon Region with three interceptions, will be asked to shut down one of the region’s top receivers in C.J. Westbrooks, who already has three games of 119 yard or more receiving.

Key stat: The Saints have yet to allow more than nine points to an opponent.

The intrigue: Notre Dame’s 45-0 victory over Washington last week was its best game of the year, according to coach Scot Bemis. Can the Saints pitch a second straight shutout?

No. 4 Coronado (5-0, 0-0) at No. 3 Queen Creek (4-1, 1-0)

Time: 7 p.m.

Address: 22149 E. Ocotillo Road, Queen Creek

Key matchup: Queen Creek’s defense, which has held every opponent under 200 rushing yards, vs. speedster/playmaker Kaylin Ashley, who has rushed for 459 yards and five touchdowns combined the past two weeks.

Key stat: The Dons are currently No. 1 in the 4A-II power rankings.

The intrigue: Can the Bulldogs run their record to 4-0 against Coronado since joining the East Sky?

No. 5 Arcadia (5-0, 0-0) at Seton Catholic (5-1, 0-0)

Time: 7 p.m.

Address: Mesa Community College, 1833 W Southern Ave.

Key matchup: This game features the top two quarterbacks in the East Sky. Seton’s Justin Sieczkowski leads the region with 1,642 yards and 13 touchdowns while Colby Kirkegaard is first in completion percentage, .600.

Key stat: The Titans have scored a special teams touchdown each of the past two weeks.

The intrigue: The Sentinels were 0-5 in region play last year. Can they end their slide in their first region contest this season?

Tempe (3-2, 0-1) at Higley (3-2, 0-0)

Time: 7 p.m.

Address: 4068 E. Pecos Road, Gilbert

Key matchup: Tempe’s defense will have to have its best performance of the season to keep this game close. Higley is averaging 34.7 points over its last three games.

Key stat: The Buffaloes will be without their top two running backs due to injury.

The intrigue: Can the Knights continue their hot streak after starting the year 0-2?

Perry (5-1) at Liberty (2-4)

Time: 7 p.m.

Address: 9621 W. Speckled Gecko Drive, Peoria

Key matchup: The best way for Perry to combat Liberty’s spread attack is to keep its run-first offense on the field as long as possible.

Key stat: Both teams have 10 interceptions on the year.

The intrigue: How will Perry respond after suffering its first loss of the season?

2A

Northwest Christian (6-0) at Scottsdale Christian (5-0)

Time: 7 p.m.

Address: 14400 N. Tatum Blvd., Scottsdale

Key matchup: Tough to pick given NW Christian’s balance on offense, but the Eagles will ultimately need to pressure quarterback Nathan Labarbera and contain NW Christian’s passing game. Labarbera averages more than 260 yards passing and has thrown for six times as many touchdowns (18) as interceptions (3).

Key stat: Northwest Christian has outscored its past three opponents 120-9.

The intrigue: Plenty. Both teams have potent offenses and solid defenses, so whoever makes fewer mistakes will prevail. This game could ultimately determine the 2A Central Region championship (a title that Scottsdale Christian would like to win for a second straight year). It’s also shaping up to be a prelude to a November playoff showdown.

Canyon State (2-4) at Valley Christian (3-2)

Time: 7 p.m.

Address: 6900 W. Galveston St., Chandler

Key matchup: Jimmy Oum and Blake Argo have emerged as V.C. biggest running threats, so if Canyon State can’t crowd the line of scrimmage against V.C.’s three-pronged rushing attack, the Rams defense won’t give their offense a chance.

Key stat: This will be Canyon State’s first road game of the season.

The intrigue: It’s another brutal test for Canyon State, which was keeping itself afloat until last week’s thumping at the hands of Scottsdale Christian. The Rams have a better chance this week, but Valley Christian must win out to have any hopes at the 2A Central title.

1A

No. 4 Tempe Prep (6-0, 3-0) at Veritas Prep (3-2, 1-2)

Time: 7 p.m.

Address: Monterey Park, 350 E. Oak St., Phoenix

Key matchup: Both teams’ offenses are fuelled by the run so this game will come down to line play and ball control.

Key stat: The Knights haven’t given up more than 16 points in a game.

The intrigue: A victory by Tempe Prep most likely sets up a contest between undefeated teams for the 1A East Region title next week. Pima, also 6-0, hosted 1-3 Clifton on Thursday night.