The Winslow Bulldogs suffered their first loss of the season last Friday night to the Snowflake Lobos, but are still in good shape for a playoff berth if they can get back on the winning track starting with Friday’s (Oct. 6) game against the Blue Ridge Yellowjackets in Lakeside.
The Yellowjackets have not been the formidable team they were for years, but have an interesting 3-3 record. They opened with a 40-7 loss to Page, a team the Bulldogs beat the next week. They defeated the Window Rock Scouts 66-0 and got a big 22-12 win over St. Johns. Then came a 35-0 loss to Northwest Christian and a 41-16 loss to Florence. At Holbrook last Friday the Yellowjackets won 48-0.
The Bulldogs were very much in the game against Snowflake, but a disastrous fourth quarter made the final score look like a rout. The Lobos scored 28 points in that fateful period to just six for the Bulldogs. Two of Snowflake’s touchdowns were scored by a Lobo picking up a Winslow fumble and running it to the end zone, and one more was set up by a turnover.
Winslow had most of its offensive success on the passing of Junior Villanueva to Yoaan Djassa, Brennan Sawyer and Jalen Lyons. Snowflake had a powerful running attack that was the key to victory. The Bulldogs are hoping for the return of an extremely talented linebacker to greatly improve the defense against Blue Ridge.
The Bulldogs remain in good shape in the region with a 5-1 record. Snowflake is just 4-2 with losses to Kirtland Central from New Mexico and Thatcher. Show Low is also 4-2 after a 41-22 win over Payson, which is just 1-5. Tuba City is 5-2. Monument Valley is 4-2 after a 28-14 win over Page, which is also 4-2. Chinle and Holbrook are both 2-4. Coconino and Payson are 1-5.
There are some talented teams in the Phoenix and Tucson areas, as well as Florence. It would appear, though, that if the Bulldogs win the games they should be favored in and get by Show Low, they should have a favorable seeding for the state playoffs.
