Three weeks remain in the regular season and three of the four local teams still have sights set on post season play. Joseph City enters Friday night’s rivalry contest with Mogollon ranked ninth in the 1A. In that division the top 12 teams reach the post season. This week is the final week of the regular season at the 1A level. At this point it appears that both the Mustangs, currently ranked fourth, and the Wildcats will both be involved in post season play.

Joseph City comes into this game after lighting up the scoreboard last week with 72 points en route to their fifth win of the season against just two losses. Mogollon has a record of 6-1, but has posted larger margins of wins against common opponents with the Wildcats.

Last year belonged to the Mustangs who won 63 to 22. However, two years ago Joseph City defeated Mogollon twice in a two week span. The first win came in the regular season and the second was by a larger margin in the first round of the 1A playoffs.

With this game being played in Heber, the edge would have to go to the Mustangs. Joseph City certainly has an explosive offense but the Mustangs have been piling up points as well.

Holbrook has the tough task of hosting Snowflake on Friday. The Lobos (6-1) have climbed the ranks to the second overall position, thanks to their current five game winnings streak, while the Roadrunners (1-5) are just hoping to field enough healthy players to have a game. Those players who have stuck it out with the Birds deserve a lot of credit, but they won’t find anything easy on Friday at Roadrunner Stadium. The Lobos are clearly the class of the East Region this season and their game in Holbrook will be little more than a speed bump on their way to the playoffs. It will be senior night in Holbrook but Snowflake will roll.

Winslow started the season in zero week and thus will have a bye week this Friday. They are currently ranked 18th in the rankings and will need to climb into the top 16 to reach the post season. With two games left on their schedule, Payson and Snowflake, they will need to earn a split at the minimum to extend their season.