Ready or not, the stretch run is coming in Arizona high school football

Video: 4-Star RB Chase Lucas - Highlights

It's the time of year where bye weeks are welcomed, players are healing up and teams are within a month of suiting up for the first round of the playoffs.

The stretch run has begun.

The top teams in each division have been identified and the rest are doing their best to catch up with three weeks left in the regular season.

A team like Chandler, ranked No. 3 in the Division I power rankings, hasn't been challenged in Arizona, losing only to Nevada's Bishop Gorman, but will only be stronger after this week's bye. The Wolves, who have won by an average of 32.4 points against Arizona opponents, are expected to get senior running back Chase Lucas back from a knee injury back in time for the final two games and the postseason as Chandler attempts to defend its state title.

Not a bad addition to a team already averaging 46.4 points a game and that has scored at least 47 points in six of its eight games, touching 60 or more twice.

Lucas, who accounted for 2,813 yards from scrimmage in his sophomore and junior years, sustained a knee injury in the second game of the year and the Wolves have been slow to bring him back because they didn't need him.

Other teams don't have such luxury as the end of the regular season. But they do have bye weeks in order to get prepared for a postseason run.

Desert Vista (Phoenix) has a bye this week after following up a five game winning streak with two straight defeats.
The Thunder, who won the state title in 2011, have had a resurgence of sorts after winning a total of seven games the last two years.

The losses to Mountain Pointe (Phoenix) and Mountain View (Mesa) the last two weeks would have sent the previous teams reeling.

"We have a lot more resiliency," Desert Vista senior fullback/linebacker Drew Mcintyre said. "The five game win streak shows we can do it. Those two loses won't define our season. No one is too worried about it. We just have to get back to assignment football and play like we can. We know we can get back to winning."

The bye week for Thunder, who have already locked up one of the 16 playoff spots in the 17-team Division I, will help them reassess and refocus for the stretch run.

"We are going to find out what we are really about," Desert Vista coach Dan Hinds said. "We are really going to get after it with the coaches and kids the next few practices and find all about us. I do have a lot of faith we are going step up."

Other teams at all levels have already had bye weeks and have to adjust and get healthy as best they can before the first week of November - because the stretch run is definitely here.

"This is when you want to start playing your best football," Mountain Pointe coach Norris Vaughan said. "We got to halftime (trailing 17-10 before winning 25-17 against Desert Ridge) and I was like, ‘Is this who we are?' and then we came out in the second half, shut them down and played like we can.

"That's (the level) I expect the rest of the way."

Jason P. Skoda, a former Arizona Republic sports writer and current Prep Sports Director for 1013 Communications, is a 20-year sports writing veteran. Contact him at jskoda1024@aol.com.