The AIA High School football championship weekend kicks off Saturday at noon as the hometown Salpointe Catholic Lancers and the Sabercats from Saguaro High School descend upon University of Arizona Stadium in Tucson in a battle for 4A supremacy.

Salpointe (12-1), cruised through the playoffs, outscoring opponents 140 to 41 in three games, with the statement win coming in the semifinal round two weeks ago as the Lancers knocked off top-seeded Sunrise Mountain, 49-27.

The Lancers were led to victory by stellar performances from running backs Bijan Robinson and Mario Padilla, who combined for 505 yards on the ground and four touchdowns as Salpointe punched its ticket to Tucson.

Padilla and Robinson have proven to be dynamic in the run game all season, leading the Lancers offense to over 40 points per game. Padilla has rushed for 758 yards and 13 touchdowns this season while receiving for three additional scores.

Robinson, meanwhile, has emerged as one of the premier backs in the state, entering Saturday the eighth overall rusher in Arizona with 1,859 yards on the ground, going over 100 yards nine times and scoring 26 touchdowns.

“Their success is directly correlated to our offensive success,” said Salpointe head coach Dennis Bene on his running backs’ abilities. “They’re a great tandem and they’ve only gotten better as the years have progressed. They really complement each other.”

Lancers quarterback Rodrigo Nieto has been effective in limited attempts this season, throwing for 1,110 yards and 14 touchdowns on just 126 passes.

The defensive play for Salpointe has been just as strong this season, allowing only 8.5 points and 186 yards per game while shutting out opponents five times. The defensive attack is led by an experienced core of linebackers, highlighted by senior Chris Aguirre, whose 139 tackles lead the team. Linebackers Joshua Pasos and Christian Vasquez follow with 84 tackles each.

The Lancers have displayed additional effectiveness rushing the passer, collecting 48 sacks as a team this season. Even without leading pass rusher Gabe Madril, who had accounted for 13 sacks in seven games before being lost for the season with a torn ACL, Salpointe has leaned on linebackers Brian Corrales (eight sacks), Aguirre (six sacks), and Andrew Sayre (five sacks) to get to the quarterback.

Salpointe has found success in the turnover department as well. Led by defensive back Lathan Ransom’s five interceptions and a slew of forced fumbles, the team's defense has produced 26 turnovers this season.

“We really stress alignment and assignment and I think they’re ability to play sound team defense has been the key,” said Bene on the defensive success. “They force turnovers, they’re good tacklers and they fly to the football. They play hard.”

For Saguaro (11-2), state championship games are not unfamiliar territory, as the program will play in its seventh title game in eight years, seeking a fifth straight championship, including its time in Division lll.

The Sabercats find themselves returning to the championship after defeating Higley in overtime 37-31 in a thrilling back-and-forth contest.

Quarterback Max Massingale was 15-of-25 in the game, passing for 244 yards, rushing for another 97 and accounting for three touchdowns. Massingale was complemented by receivers Logan Pettijohn and Zach Wilson, who each caught for over 100 yards, combining for 217 total and a touchdown each.

Two-way player Pettijohn made his presence felt defensively as well, collecting one of five Sabercats interceptions on the night, including two from safety Josiah Bradley, as Saguaro knocked off the Knights for the second time this season.

Massingale, Pettijohn and Wilson have been the usual suspects for Saguaro all season, particularly on the offensive side.

Massingale has proven himself to be among the elite passers in the state. The 71 percent passer has tossed for 3,114 yards (fifth in the state) and 32 touchdowns against just eight interceptions, while rushing for an additional 623 yards and eight scores.

“We’ve thrown the ball probably on average eight to 10 more times a game than we did last year,” said Saguaro head coach Jason Mohns. “(Massingale’s) really stepped up to the occasion and had a phenomenal year. Everything we do runs through him. He’s making reads, whether it’s run option or run pass options on every play. We put a lot on his plate and he’s delivered for us.”

The senior signal-caller has benefited from the performances of both Pettijohn and Wilson, who come into Saturday’s contest statistically the second and third best receivers in 4A this season, respectively. Pettijohn has caught for 1,290 yards and 14 touchdowns, while his counterpart Wilson has collected 1,130 yards of his own and 10 touchdowns.

“When you look at (Pettijohn and Wilson) -- phenomenal athletes,” said Mohns. “Zach is our slot, he’s a more quick, possession receiver inside and Logan’s our outside guy, he’s our ‘X’, he’s our guy we’re going to try to single up and get you to try to play one-on-one without help over the top because he’s going to go get the ball. Those guys are very different receivers, but they each play a major role in our offense.”

The Sabercats offense has shown the ability to run the ball as well behind senior running backs La’Ray Lucas and two-way player Bradley. Together, Lucas and Bradley have combined for 1,179 yards and 21 touchdowns, aiding to balance a Saguaro offense that averages 424.5 yards and 41.2 points per game.

Like Salpointe, the Sabercats' defensive unit, which concedes under 300 yards and just 13 points per game, relies on the ability to rush the passer and force turnovers.

The pass rush is highlighted by linebacker Damian Sellers who leads the team in sacks with 10 despite being forced to sit first six games as a transfer. Additionally, linebackers Cameron Smith and Connor Soelle and defensive tackle Cash Campbell, have all collected four or more sacks to lead Saguaro to 38 on the season.

Led by Soelle, who has accumulated five interceptions to go along with three caused fumbles, the Sabercats have also forced offenses into 27 turnovers in 13 games.

Soelle has also made his presence felt in the tackles department, collecting 100 on the season, second only to linebacker Clayton Randall, who leads the team with 109.

Saturday’s contest will be a rematch of the 2016 5A semifinal game which saw eventual state champion Saguaro defeat Salpointe 24-3, adding perhaps extra fuel to the Lancers' fire, who already figure to play in front of a largely favorable hometown crowd come Saturday.

For Saguaro however, the key is to look past external circumstances and rely simply on experience and consistency.

“Everything that you do and that you’ve done to get to this point are the same thing’s that you’ve got to lean on,” said Mohns. “We can’t try to come out and be something different. It’s going to be a smash-mouth football game. (Salpointe) is a physical, disciplined, tough team. We’re going to lean on the things we’ve done all year long. Having the experience of getting to this point, five years in a row, that’s the one thing that holds true—you do the things that you do that got you there and usually good things happen.”

Saturday’s game kicks at 12 p.m. MT and can be streamed live at https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/aia/457fc43939 and heard on the Fanatic (1580 AM and 99.3 FM) in the Valley.