Another week, another easy win for top-ranked Snowflake. Hosting 12th-ranked Eastmark, the Lobos started slow, leading just 7-3 at the half, but they found their stride in the second half, scoring 28 unanswered points and securing their eighth win of the season.
Snowflake’s first and only score in the opening half came off a Zander Alcantar interception, giving the Lobo offense a short field to work with.
Brenner Green broke free for a 30-yard run to the Firebird six-yard line. On the next play, Jacob LaDuke ran in the final six yards, making it 7-0 after McCoy Norton’s point-after kick.
Both teams traded punts and possessions throughout the rest of the first quarter and most of the second until late in the half.
In the final minutes of the half, Eastmark moved inside Snowflake’s 10-yard line before the Lobo defense held them to a 25-yard field goal, making it 7-3 at the break.
Jacob LaDuke scored on a 14-yard run on Snowflake’s second possession of the third quarter, making it 14-3.
Green extended the lead on their next possession, scooting in from 35 yards away to make it 21-3 with Norton’s kick.
Norton booted an impressive 48-yard field goal early in the fourth, moving the lead to 24-3.
The Lobo defense put the final points on the board when Colter Willis intercepted a Firebird pass and returned it 55 yards for the pick-6, making the final score 31-3.
Snowflake didn’t have much success through the air as LaDuke completed just 3 passes for 28 yards. However, they did most of their damage on the ground. Green carried it 16 times for 146 yards and one score. LaDuke had 12 rushes for 55 total yards, finding the end zone twice. Otto Mills had 12 yards, and Maverick Greer had one 6-yard run.
Edge Bryant had one 21-yard reception. Eli Willis caught one for 4 yards, and Colter Willis had one 3-yard grab.
This week, the Lobos, now 8-0, will play their penultimate regular-season game on the road at Mesquite. The Wildcats are 4-4 and come in off a 45-44 win over Combs last week.
Once again, on paper, the Lobos are just the much better team and should easily move to 9-0 with only one game left in the regular season.
Looking ahead, that one game will be at Arcadia on Oct. 30. The Titans are 7-1, having won seven straight games. They also handed the Lobos their only regular-season loss last year, winning the 4A Desert Sky Region in the process.
