Just three weeks remain in the regular season and area teams in action this week are still jockeying for position in their respective state tournament brackets.
The Wildcats of Joseph City have just one week left in the season as the state playoffs for Division VI begin next week. Joseph City is one of four unbeaten teams in the division and is currently ranked fourth in the power point standings despite being the two-time defending champion and the odds on favorite to three-peat. The Cats join Pima, St. David and Joy Christian with a 6-0 record. They have had a week off to prepare for the Orme Warriors, who will come to town tonight (Oct. 14) after dropping two straight. Two years ago these two teams met in the state playoffs, where Joseph City dominated Orme 64-20. Tonight’s score may not be that close.
Snowflake’s Lobos travel to the dome in Eagar tonight, where they have really struggled in recent years. While these two teams have split their past four meetings, the Elks hold a decided edge in the dome, where the Lobos haven’t won in nearly a decade. With Snowflake headed toward an apparent deep playoff run and the Elks still looking to get familiar with a new coach and a new philosophy, this could be the year the Lobos break through and hand Round Valley a home field loss. The Elks have won three straight, but none of those three opponents are impressive teams. Snowflake has just one loss to the most impressive team in the division, Blue Ridge, and tonight the Lobos will continue to flex their muscle, leaving the dome with a win, although it may be a close game.
Winslow roared through the first five weeks of the season beating up on lesser teams. Then came Snowflake and Show Low, two of the old East Region teams that have taken some of the luster off a great start by new coach BJ Little and his Bulldogs. Tonight they travel to Flagstaff to face a Coconino Panther team that is 4-3 on the season, having won the past two. These two teams did play last season with a veteran Bulldog team handling Coconino 45-16. This will be a tougher game for the younger Bulldogs to win. The two teams have played similar opponents this season with similar results. Winslow comes in extremely banged up, having faced very physical teams in the past couple of outings. The Bulldogs spent the first month of the season in the top spot in power points, but with the last two losses they have fallen to sixth. With Blue Ridge still on the horizon, the Bulldogs may need this win to assure themselves a first round playoff game. This game could be close, but give a slight edge to BJ Little’s experience. Look for a Winslow win.
The Holbrook Roadrunners are just 1-6 on the season, but have gone through the toughest part of their schedule. With fall break going on at Holbrook High School, the Roadrunners will have had extra time to prepare for their homecoming opponent when Chinle visits on Friday, Oct. 21.
