The time has arrived for local high school football to return to the gridiron. Holbrook, Winslow and Joseph City will all be in action on Friday, while the Snowflake Lobos will kick things off on Aug. 29.
Holbrook will travel to Winslow for the yearly I-40 battle. Last year, this matchup came in week three of the season, resulting in a 29-6 Bulldog win. The loss was part of Holbrook’s 0-3 start to the season. They bounced back, running off seven straight 2A North region wins before ending their season in the first round of the 2A playoffs with a loss to San Tan Charter.
This year’s overall schedule will be a little more competitive for Head Coach Paul Agramont and his team. With a slight realignment in the 2A north region, Holbrook will now have six freedom games on their docket. Those opponents are Winslow, St. Johns, Monument Valley, Window Rock, Scottsdale Prep and Camp Verde, all in the first six weeks of the season.
The Roadrunners only have three north region contests this year, with Pinon, Red Mesa and Many Farms on their schedule. There will be a region crossover title game in the final week of the regular season in which Holbrook will face the winner of the other half of the 2A North for the region title, before heading into the state tournament. In 2A football this year, the state tournament has expanded to 24 teams.
Joseph City is coming off a tough campaign last year. They went 2-6 last season, with a very young team. At least 15 players on their roster were freshmen or sophomores, with only five seniors. They open on Friday night with a very tough Salome team, which went 4-4 last year. One of those four wins was a 62-0 win over the Wildcats. With this game at home, maybe the Wildcats and head coach Martin Roes can start the season on a positive note.
Winslow’s battle with Holbrook marks the start of their season as well. Winslow is again in the 3A north, where they finished 3-5 last season with an overall record of 4-6. Following their game with Holbrook, they will host Odyssey Institute in week two.
Snowflake joins the rest of 4A on Aug. 29, with their season-opening contest. Snowflake will travel to take on the Panthers in Coconino for their first outing. This is the first meeting between the schools in at least a dozen years.
The Lobos had another great run last year, going 10-0 in region play, then advancing to the semi-final round of the 4A State tournament, where their season came to a close with a 12-1 overall record.
Snowflake typically reloads and figures once again to be part of the picture in the 4A state playoffs.
