When the Arizona Interscholastic Association split 5A and 4A into two divisions before the 2005-06 school year, one of the goals was to give more teams a chance to compete for championships.

While that has played out, the teams left standing in the final two weeks of the football season the past few years have been mostly the same.

With little variety, the postseason is feeling a little bland.

This year’s 5A-I semifinalists, Mesa Mountain View, Chandler Hamilton, Phoenix Brophy and Mesa Red Mountain, have combined to win the past nine biggest class titles and 11 of the last 12.

Brophy won in 2007 and ’05; Hamilton in ’06, ’04 and ’03; Mountain View in ’02, 1999, ’97 and ’96; and Red Mountain in ’01 and ’00. Only Phoenix Desert Vista in 1998 was able to break the stranglehold.

A similar theme is developing at the 5A-II and 4A-I levels, where Peoria Centennial and Scottsdale Saguaro are still in the hunt to win a third straight title.

Centennial, runner-up in ’05, is joined in the semis by developing powerhouses Avondale Westview, last year’s runner-up, and Tempe Marcos de Niza, a semifinalist in ’06 as well.

Meanwhile, the 4A-I final four, which also includes Scottsdale Chaparral, Peoria and Tucson Canyon del Oro, is identical to last year’s. Chaparral is in its fourth straight semifinal, and Peoria (a 5A-II team in ’06) its third in a row.

At the 4A-II level, Scottsdale Notre Dame is the heavy favorite to win a second consecutive title while Tucson Santa Rita is back in the semis after breaking through in ’07.

Only Scottsdale Coronado, Phoenix Greenway and Tucson Ironwood Ridge are newcomers to the party.