Fox Sports Arizona kicks off new 'Throwback Thursdays: AIA Football' this week

October 13, 2020 by Seth Polansky, AZPreps365


Beginning this Thursday, FOX Sports Arizona will look back at 10 classic Arizona high school football championship games when it debuts a new weekly series called “Throwback Thursdays: AIA Football.” 

Every Thursday night at 7 p.m., viewers will be taken back in time to relive an exciting Arizona Interscholastic Association clash that includes matchups from 1997 all the way to 2019. The classic games feature some of Arizona’s best-ever high school football teams and stars, including the likes of Todd Heap, Bobby Wade, Ka’Deem Carey, D.J. Foster, Max Hall and Brock Purdy.  

During the game broadcasts via Zoom, FOX Sports Arizona’s Jody Jackson will be joined by guests who played in the games to watch along with her and add their commentary and inside stories. For Thursday’s series debut that features the 1997 Class 5A title game between Mountain View & Amphitheater, Mountain View products Todd Heap, Zack Barna and Damien Niko provide insight from the Toros, while Amphi’s Rudy Montijo and Jesse Quintana talk about the controversial and heartbreaking loss that still hurts to this day.

The complete schedule is below. Games air every Thursday at 7 p.m. from Oct. 15 – Dec. 17 except on Thanksgiving. On Dec. 17, there will be a doubleheader at 4 and 7 p.m.

Oct 15 / 7 p.m.
1997: Class 5A Mountain View (Mesa) 28-24 win vs Amphitheater 

Oct 22 / 7 p.m.
1998: Class 5A Desert Vista 38-31 win vs Brophy Prep 

Oct 29 / 7 p.m. 
2001: Class 4A Sunnyside 28-6 win vs Greenway

Nov 5 / 7 p.m.
2003: Class 5A Hamilton 35-28 3OT win vs Mountain View (Mesa) 

Nov 12 / 7 p.m. 
2005: Class 5A (Division I) Brophy Prep 15-14 win vs Hamilton 

Nov 19 / 7 p.m. 
2010: Class 4A (Division I) Saguaro 41-34 win vs Canyon del Oro 

Dec 3 / 7 p.m. 
2012: Division III Queen Creek 9-7 win vs Desert Edge 

Dec 10 / 7 p.m. 
2015: Division III Desert Edge 29-27 win vs Paradise Valley 

Dec 17 / 4 p.m. 
2017: 6A Chandler 49-42 win vs Perry 

Dec 17 / 7 p.m.
2019: 6A Liberty wins 34-28 in OT vs Red Mountain 

FOX Sports Arizona televises the most regional sports action in the state and is the exclusive cable television home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Coyotes, Phoenix Suns, Arizona Cardinals, Phoenix Mercury, Arizona Interscholastic Association championship events and New Mexico State University. FOX Sports Arizona is currently seen in 2.5 million households in Arizona & New Mexico and can also be seen across the country via home satellite services. For even more coverage of the local sports scene, check out FSAZ’s social network platforms on TwitterFacebookInstagram and You Tube.