Snowflake used a dominant first half to defeat visiting Mesquite 41-13 on Friday night. That win sets up a huge game this coming Friday for the region title as well as the top seed in the upcoming 4A state playoffs.
It didn’t take long for the top-ranked Lobos to prove worthy of their lofty ranking. After their defense forced Mesquite to a three-and-out to start the game, it only took the Lobo offense three plays to score when Brenner Green broke free for a 58-yard scoring run. McCoy Norton’s PAT gave Snowflake the early 7-0 lead.
Mesquites’ second possession also was a three-and-out, and Snowflake marched down the field in five minutes with a second Green rushing touchdown capping the drive. Norton’s kick pushed the lead to 14-0.
The Wildcats did put together a drive early in the second quarter, which stalled on downs inside Snowflake’s 30-yard line. From that point, the Lobos offense went to work again. This time, Green hooked up with Jacob LaDuke on a 14-yard scoring catch, extending the lead to 21-0 midway through the second quarter.
With two minutes left in the half, LaDuke took off on a 34-yard scamper to the endzone. Norton’s PAT made the lead 28-0 at the half.
Snowflake’s first possession of the second half ended quickly with Mesquite picking off a Lobo pass. That led to a 25-yard touchdown pass, and Mesquite was on the board, making the score 28-7.
LaDuke capped a long scoring drive with a five-yard run by Lane Lecheminant for his first touchdown of the season. The PAT extended the margin to 35-7.
In the fourth quarter, the teams traded turnovers, one of which set up a 30-yard run by LaDuke for Snowflake’s final points of the night. Mesquite scored again with five minutes left in the game, but the final outcome was never in doubt with the Lobos securing their ninth win in a row.
Snowflake piled up yards on the ground, finishing with 293 rushing yards. Green led with 167 yards on 12 carries with two touchdowns. LaDuke ran it nine times for 95 yards, also scoring twice. Nate Hall gained 17 yards, Lane Lecheminant, Krew Burden, and Zander Alcantar had five yards each.
Through the air, LaDuke completed 8 of 14 passes for 152 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Maverick Greer was 3 for 3 for 18 yards.
Christian Smith was the leading receiver with 62 yards on 4 catches. Nash Reidhead has 1 for 41 yards. Mason Raban 1 for 21, Green 1 for 14, Edge Bryant 1 for 14, Eli Willis 1 for 2, and Ryder Williams had 2 for 16 yards.
Snowflake did have three turnovers in the game, which they will need to clean up this week when they host the second-ranked Arcadia.
The Titans are also unbeaten on the season. The game will be for the top spot in the 4A playoffs as well as for the Desert Sky Region title.
Arcadia and Snowflake have identical records all the way through. They are both 4-0 in the region, unbeaten in conference play, and 9-0 on the season. Their similar region results against common opponents are close as well. Arcadia outscored its region foes 173-46, while Snowflake won its four region games 139-33. Their two common non-region opponents were ALA West Foothills, which they both beat by twenty points, and Bradshaw Mountain, which Arcadia beat 37-8 in week one, while the Lobos defeated them 16-13 in the third week of the season.
On paper, Arcadia may have a slight advantage in this game; however, the game will be played in Snowflake, which should be enough to offset any advantage by the Titans. Friday night’s game could easily be the game of the season on the mountain. The winner will be the top seed in the 4A playoffs, while the loser will still be the No. 2 seed since both teams are far and away the most dominant in 4A this year. This may well be the first of two meetings for these two teams and possibly a championship preview.
