/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
The 1A State Playoffs begin on Friday and Joseph City will be in action against an all too familiar foe. The 10th seeded Wildcats will have a short distance to travel when they meet up with seventh seeded Mogollon in Heber for a 6 p.m. kick-off.
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
Joseph City finished the season with a 4-4 record, while the Mustangs went 6-3.Mogollon has piled up the points in their last three games average 72 points per game over that span. Joseph City felt the wrath of that offense last week when they fell to the Mustangs at home by a final of 70-8. In a cruel twist of fate, the power point structure has matched the same two schools up once again this week. Barring a huge upset by the Wildcats, their season will more than likely come to a close this week. If they can find a way to upset the Mustangs they would face second seeded Bagdad next week.
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
In 3A action, two weeks remain in the regular season. Despite two games left on the docket Winslow and Payson will essentially be in a playoff battle when they meet on Friday night in Winslow. The Bulldogs come into this game ranked 15th while the Longhorns enter ranked 16th.Both teams have stellar records thus far with each team sitting with 7-1 marks. Payson has won five straight while the Bulldogs have put together seven consecutive wins since dropping the season opener to Blue Ridge.
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
The winner of this game may secure themselves a spot in the 16 team state bracket, while the loser will most likely drop out of the top 16 and with just one week left they may have a difficult time climbing back into the playoff picture. Payson had a huge overtime win over Snowflake two weeks ago. Last week they got past Show Low by two scores. Winslow had last week off and will have fresher legs. With the game being played in Winslow the Dawgs should have an advantage.
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
Payson has played a tougher schedule thus far and might be a slightly better team. Last year this game was a one score decision with Winslow winning 22-17.This year’s game could once again be a one score affair.
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
Snowflake is ranked sixth and will travel to Show Low to take on the 23rd ranked Cougars who have fallen out of playoff contention after losing their starting quarterback early in the season. This rivalry match up has been highly competitive over the years, but this season Snowflake has the much better team. The Lobos are 6-2 and the Cougars sit at 3-5. Show Low has struggled to score averaging just over 11 points per game in the last four outings. Snowflake has a strong balanced offensive attack and can put points up quickly. The rivalry nature of this game may keep the score close, but Snowflake is the better team and should improve to 7-2 with a win.
/wp:paragraph
wp:paragraph
Holbrook will host fifth ranked Blue Ridge. The Roadrunners will be hoping to score some points on their home field, while the Yellowjackets will be coming in after a bye week. Holbrook’s young team has hung in there and the group continues to play hard despite being out gunned on the field and the scoreboard in recent weeks. Blue Ridge is 6-2 and looking forward to a deep playoff run, while Holbrook remains winless and will be playing their penultimate game of the season. This game won’t change that trend, but Holbrook could possibly score with their young offense.
/wp:paragraph
