The final chapter of the regular season in the 3A East region will be written on Friday, Oct. 27. With all six teams facing each other, the three games are situated all along the competitive spectrum. At the bottom end you have Holbrook (2-7) playing at Payson (2-7) in a match up of two teams just waiting for the season to end. In the middle you have Winslow (6-3) hosting Show Low (6-3) in a game that may well determine the post-season for the Bulldogs. At the top of the pile you have Snowflake (6-3) hosting Blue Ridge (6-3) in a game that will determine who is the East Region champion.
First off the Holbrook-Payson match up is one in which both teams have struggled throughout the season. Payson has been more competitive this year despite the seven losses than has Holbrook. The Longhorns just two weeks ago upset Winslow by a touchdown. Compare that to Winslow’s dismantling of Holbrook last week and the edge has to go to the Longhorns. Payson played last week with a freshman quarterback. Holbrook also finished the game last week with a frosh leading the team. Even if these two teams start young players in that position Payson still has the edge. If Holbrook can get Frankie Ulibarri healthy enough to play his final game, the Roadrunners could have an advantage if Payson sticks with its freshman signal caller. With this game being played in Payson, look for the Longhorns to avoid the cellar in the East Region with a win over the Roadrunners.
Winslow hosting Show Low will be a critical game for Bulldog fans. If the Bulldogs lose this game they are most likely out of the playoff picture. They enter the game ranked 15th in power points, but at least two if not three teams will be bumped by lower seeded teams when the brackets are released. A Bulldog loss would put them in the perilous position of potentially getting bumped. If the Dawgs win this game they would most likely move up in the rankings high enough to where they wouldn’t be in danger of getting bumped out, but they would still have to play on the road in the first round of the playoffs. Show Low comes into this game ranked 10th on the heels of its huge win over Snowflake last week. Another win this week could move the Cougars closer to the top eight for that first round home game, but they would need a lot of help from other teams to climb that high. If the Cougars lose they could also potentially drop far enough to be affected by an outside team bumping them out of the playoff picture. Essentially, tonight’s game in Winslow is a playoff game for the Bulldogs. This game goes either way. Show Low’s Westin Keime torched Snowflake’s defense last week for 254 yards and four scores. The Bulldogs will need to find a way to stop him if they want their season to continue.
No. 12 Snowflake hosts No. 9 Blue Ridge for the East Region crown. A Snowflake win, coupled with a Show Low win, would leave the Lobos, Cougars and Yellowjackets all with the same 4-1 region record. The Lobos would hold all the necessary tiebreaker situations over both teams. If the Jackets win the game they will be the undisputed East Region champs with a perfect 5-0 mark. Snowflake was pounded by Show Low last week and may have been looking ahead to this match up instead. The Jackets have quietly defeated everyone on their East Region schedule after a slow beginning to the season, and they may be playing the best of any region team at the moment. With this game played in Snowflake the Lobos may be able to move their winning streak over Blue Ridge to four games. The last time the Jackets won this match up was in 2014, when they prevailed 38-35. Friday’s game may be just as close, but look for Snowflake to hold the upper hand in the end.
With the exception of Holbrook and Payson, the East Region teams will find out their playoff destiny when the brackets are released this weekend.
