Not naming names but I was told but someone this is what to expect. The reason for a lot of the sectionals being grouped the way they are is chiefly a complaint of a certain school district who's got a travel ban in place. The sectional may even be held there. So unless they drastically change things this is a likely scenario. Again this is based on what my source told me today. If it changes it's due to someone being able to get past certain restrictions.

South (name may change?)

Tucson Magnet
Yuma Kofa
Sierra Vista Buena
San Luis
Yuma Cibola
Tucson Sunnyside
Tucson Rincon
Yuma
Tucson Salpointe (petitioned up)
Tucson Desert View
Casa Grande
Phoenix Mountain Pointe
Phoenix Desert Vista
Chandler Hamilton
Chandler

The last 4 schools in may change. What they're apparently trying to figure out is if schools want to travel out of their districts, because DV and MP are governed by Tempe Union but so is Corona which is in the same division. The other way to solve it may be just to ask other schools if they want to be in this sectional. So if they can't get schools to break apart from their district then they'll go with that option, in which case you could see some of the smaller Metro schools traveling there instead.

East (name may change?)

Mesa
Mesa Mountain View
Mesa Westwood
Mesa Red Mountain
Mesa Skyline
Gilbert
Gilbert Desert Ridge
Gilbert Highland
Gilbert Mesquite
Chandler Basha
Scottsdale Desert Mountain
Phoenix Alhambra
Phoenix Trevor Browne
Phoenix North
Phoenix Central
Phoenix Carl Hayden Community

The Phoenix schools may face the same issue. I believe they claimed it was geographic proximity they went to criteria on and only picked those, it doesn't make a lot of sense since I think Browne is further west than Maryvale. Don't ask me why, they may group all the Phoenix Union schools with the west side and not break it up for competition in which case Brophy, Dobson and CDS are back with the east side making that sectional even more difficult.

West/North (name may change?)

Phoenix Maryvale
Laveen Cesar Chavez
Tempe Corona del Sol
Mesa Dobson
Glendale Mountain Ridge
Glendale Sandra Day O'Connor
Phoenix North Canyon
Phoenix Pinnacle
Phoenix Horizon
Phoenix Brophy Prep
Phoenix Westview
Avondale La Joya Community
Peoria Centennial
Surprise Willow Canyon
Surprise Valley Vista
Anthem Boulder Creek

May change because of geographic proximity. I would bet if it does you can add in Browne and subtract most likely Dobson or Brophy. I'd bet on Dobson before anyone though.

Division II

South (name may change?)

Yuma Gila Ridge
Marana
Marana Mountain View
Tucson Pueblo
Tucson Ironwood Ridge
Tucson Canyon del Oro
Tucson Flowing Wells
Tucson Cholla
Tucson Catalina Foothills
Tucson Sahuaro
Vail Cienega
Casa Grande Vista Grande
Nogales
Queen Creek
Gilbert Williams Field

Now this may change. What may change are the last 2 schools in the sectional. It's pretty much a question of who wants to go to Tucson or Yuma. They may change it to Perry or Poston Butte or who knows. My belief is that Perry will get in because of their higher enrollment numbers than any other school out in the Queen Creek/East Gilbert area. I think they'll look at whoever wants to volunteer without screwing up some other sectional really badly. I'd place my odds on someone from that part of town though.

Northwest (name may change?)

Kingman
Lake Havasu
Prescott
Prescott Valley Bradshaw Mountain
Glendale
Glendale Deer Valley
Glendale Apollo
Glendale Independence
Glendale Ironwood
Glendale Copper Canyon
Phoenix Barry Goldwater
Phoenix Moon Valley
Peoria
Peoria Sunrise Mountain
Peoria Raymond S. Kellis
El Mirage Dysart

Someone has to get left out of the west valley sweepstakes and it looks like it's the Agua Fria and Buckeye schools. I suspect why AF and Verrado are being left out is because of their relative isolation from most of those other schools. Plus the sectional may be held in Prescott.

East/Central? (name may change?)

Scottsdale Chaparral
Scottsdale Notre Dame Prep
Phoenix South Mountain
Phoenix Camelback
Laveen Betty H. Fairfax
Phoenix Sunnyslope
Goodyear Millennium
Gilbert Perry
Apache Junction
Buckeye Verrado
Agua Fria
San Tan Valley Combs
Florence Poston Butte
Tempe McClintock
Phoenix Shadow Mountain
Cave Creek Cactus Shadows

Sort of a mishmash but the only changes to this may be depending on where Queen Creek and Williams Field wind up. Like I said they may volunteer to go to Tucson or it could be someone else. I'd bet on any changes being in this sectional. I'd say that of all the sectionals for Division II this may be the most wide open with no clear cut favorite.

Division III

South?

Tucson Palo Verde
Tucson Catalina Magnet
Tucson Amphitheater
Tucson Sabino
Tucson Empire
Tucson Santa Rita
Rio Rico
Douglas
Sahuarita
Maricopa
Coolidge
Safford
Florence
Higley
Gilbert Campo Verde

This seems pretty much set except the last 2 teams to round it out. They almost have everyone they need and this could wind up being a brutal sectional for Safford. The last 2 teams could change but they seem the most likely to go.

North?

Show Low
Winslow
Tuba City
Bullhead City Mohave
Cottonwood Mingus
Flagstaff Coconino
Flagstaff
Lakeside Blue Ridge
Payson
Window Rock
Page
River Valley
Chinle
Monument Valley
Fountain Hills

The last spot is up for grabs. It's basically a question of who feels like stepping into hell. Take away even Mingus and that still has brutality written all over it. My guess would be Fountain Hills though. Even the teams that aren't usually traditionally powerful produce good individuals that may derail some teams from getting too many through the sectional. Anyone tough enough to survive here is a favorite to win state.

Central?

Phoenix Thunderbird
Phoenix Greenway
Phoenix Cortez
Phoenix Paradise Valley
Phoenix Washington
Glendale Cactus
Dysart Shadow Ridge
Tolleson Sierra Linda
Goodyear Estrella Foothills
Goodyear Desert Edge
Buckeye
Buckeye Youngker
Tempe
Chandler Seton Catholic Prep
Peoria Liberty
Scottsdale Coronado

Just a mishmash of valley schools. Only real changes may be where they place Higley and Campo Verde but odds are probably good they'll wind up in Tucson. The majority of these schools are west valley with the exception of Tempe, Seton, and Coronado. Even with Higley and Campo Verde they don't have the numbers on their side.

Did your inside source give any idea on when sectionals will become official?

I think they will put Chino Valley in the north.

Somehow Chino Valley got left off..lol Do they even have wrestling there?

I'm guessing you're right because then both the North and the Central sectionals would have 16 teams leaving the south with 15. I emailed Dean Visser yesterday to find out whether these sectionals are true or not. Personally I think they're really good and are all pretty competetive for the most part. If I had to rank them as far as toughness I'd have to go in this order...

Division III North- Just simply brutal.

Division I- East.

Division II- Northwest.

I dont understand how you can put Dobson and Corona in that west/north sectional if they are basing them mainly on geography. Brophy makes sense and even adding Desert Mountain would make some sense because they are still more North West than the Mesa/Tempe schools.

I know with the Metro schools there are more than 16 West side schools so not all could be grouped in the same sectional.

But why would they put Dobson and Corona in the West/North sectional? If they are basing it on geography.

The short explanation I got is that some of the schools on the east side complained about that proposal. Originally they were just going to make it east and west. They still may do that. In order though the AIA said it would first be based on geographics and on competition second. I can sort of buy keeping Mesa schools together because the old East Valley region existed for a long time. Also with the Metro schools you aren't correct with there being 16. Unless you're counting schools outside of the PUHSD. Offhand there's Maryvale, Browne, Chavez, Fairfax, Central, North, South, Alhambra, Camelback, Carl Hayden. Of those I think there's 3 that aren't even in Division I.

Grouping the sectionals is about cause and effect and if these hold true the AIA will have gotten something right. If they don't have DV and MP go to Tucson with Chandler and Hamilton then they'll have enough for an all East sectional, but then people will whine about the lack of competition on the east side and Tucson will be short 4 schools for their sectional.

If they group the 6 or 7 PUHSD schools together in a sectional people will complain that it's watered down compared to the east sectional. That's why I think when it comes to geographics in this case it'll be a little easier since all of the schools are still in the valley and not more than 30 minutes away in most cases. I would say that they could/should switch Desert Mountain with Dobson, but Corona is going to probably decide how they do things ultimately.