Chandler Basha is holding Senior Night on Friday when it meets Mesa Mountain View in a big 6A football game.

But it's been the season of the underclassmen at a school that is ready to be part of the Arizona Interscholastic Association's Open Division state playoffs.

Especially a secondary comprised of three juniors and two sophomores in the Bears' 3-3-5 defense.

Meet juniors Cole Martin, Jeremiah Vessel and Deshaun Buchanan, and sophomores Miles Lockhart and Tommy Prassas.

Prassas leads the 9-0 team with four interceptions. Vessel and Lockhart each have two.

Martin has yet to intercept a pass, but there's a reason for that. He's among the country's top 2023 cornerbacks who rarely if ever has a quarterback throwing the ball to his side.

"I think we're far ahead of our time, how we play," said Lockhart, who can also be found on offense at times catching passes from sophomore quarterback Demond Williams Jr. "It's crazy to see how we are now, and what we're going to be like next year. We're going to mature even more."

It's incredible what this young, fearless and very fast team has been doing. 

Buchanan, despite being held out the first game, has probably had more reps than anybody on the team as a starting running back who has rushed for 676 yards and 11 TDs on 92 carries. On defense, he is one of three lock-down corners.

Buchanan and Martin both have experienced the Open Division playoffs, reserved for the very top-ranked teams at the end of the regular season, helping Hamilton reach the final last year before losing to Chandler 23-21. 

"I don't want to experience that feeling again," Buchanan said. "Coming back stronger this year. It would be great to get back there again.

"I feel like for others we have something to prove. But we know what we can do. We can play with anybody. I feel like we're the best team in the state. We're just going to keep coming, prove that every week, no matter who we play." 

Martin said there are interchangeable parts in the secondary, but the main thing is, "We fly around back there."

"We haven't had a lot of targets this year as a whole," Martin said. "We're at the point where we can compete with eight dawgs (eight Open teams) and we just have to keep on getting better."

There is speculation on how ready will they be for an eight-team Open field that will be led by Chandler and Hamilton, ranked No. 10 and No. 15 nationally by MaxPreps.  

Basha didn't have either of those powers on its regular-season schedule.

Early in the year, the Bears beat Phoenix Brophy Prep 37-12. Brophy would be the No. 1 seed in the 6A bracket if the playoffs began this week. But since then, Basha has played only one other team with a shot at making the Open. That was Gilbert Highland, winning 24-13, two weeks ago. 

Mesa Mountain View (7-1) will be its next big challenge on Friday, before heading into a bye week, then starting the Open playoff.

The Bears are ranked No. 3 in the AIA's Open ratings, behind Chandler and Hamilton, and No. 4 in the Arizona Republic's latest Super 10, behind Chandler, Hamilton and Saguaro.

"There still is something we want to prove," said Vessel, who moved in from Louisiana as a highly recruited 2023 cornerback during the summer. "We haven't won nothing yet. We're just winning regular-season games. We still want to get to the top."

Basha coach Chris McDonald hasn't flinched putting young kids under the Friday night lights. 

Last year's team was fueled by several freshmen, including the quarterback, to the 6A playoffs that ended in a quarterfinal overtime loss to Phoenix Sandra Day O'Connor.

McDonald this week is starting a freshman, Sam Garcia, on the offensive line, which is is anchored by 6-foot-6, 285-pound junior James Durand.

The secondary not only is the strength of Basha's team, but it might be the best secondary in the state.

"They have confidence," McDonald said. 

McDonald said he believes his team is playing with a chip on its shoulders.

"I don't think they're coming into this Friday's game, saying, 'We need to prove we're an Open team,' " McDonald said. "They're coming into this game, going, 'A, we want to win the section (6A Central Region), and B, we want to win for our seniors.' They understand, if that happens, regardless, we've got an opportunity to play in the Open.

"We're thinking about taking care of business Friday."