Five first-half touchdowns were more than enough to propel third-seeded Snowflake to their 11th consecutive win and the second round of the 4A playoffs on Friday night.
The Lobos welcomed 14th-seeded Canyon del Oro to the opening round of the state playoffs on Friday night. The Dorados were 6-4 coming into the game but playing in cooler weather and facing a dominant and unbeaten team was more than they could handle.
Snowflake scored twice in the first quarter then found the endzone three times in the second building a 38-0 halftime lead. They tacked on two more scores in the third then picked up their final score in the fourth wrapping up a 59-6 final outcome.
As they have for much of the season, the Lobos did most of their damage behind their stellar offensive line with a strong rushing attack. They gained 230 yards on the ground and scored six touchdowns.
Kanton Turley tallied 68 yards on seven carries, finding the endzone twice. Jacob LaDuke ran it five times, gaining 51 yards and scoring twice. Brenner Green carried eight times for 47 yards and also scored twice. Karter Raban picked up 41 yards on eight rushes. Judd Flake gained 12 yards on one carry. Brent White had one 10-yard run.
LaDuke was very efficient, completing six of his seven passes for 109 yards with a 38-yard touchdown pass to Christian Smith. Smith had two total receptions for 54 yards. Merrick Ulberg caught four for 55 yards.
Sam Brown made all seven of his point-after kicks, and booted a 51-yard field goal. Jaxon Merril made his only point after kick.
Connor Reed led a stout defense with nine tackles. Ryker Brimhall had seven and Jett Smith finished with six tackles.
With the win, Snowflake moves on to host sixth-seeded Prescott this Friday night. The Badgers rolled over Vista Grande 42-20 in their opening round. Prescott is 10-1 and on a nine-game winning streak. Their only loss this season was to fifth-seeded Thunderbird in week two.
The only common opponent between the two is Bradshaw Mountain. Prescott defeated the Bears 27-17, and Snowflake took care of them 47-27. The game will be in Snowflake which will help, although the Bears will be more used to the cold that Corona del Sol was.
If Snowflake can advance past round two, they will face the winner between No. 2 Az College Prep and No. 7 Arcadia. If Az College Prep wins that game, the Lobos will travel to face the Knights. If Arcadia pulls off the upset, Snowflake will host the Titans. Second round games kickoff at 7 p.m. on Friday night.
