Snowflake and ALA Gilbert North were two of the three teams that moved from 3A football up to 4A football last season. As 3A teams Snowflake won their second straight title, while the Eagles fell to state runner-up Yuma Catholic in the semi-final round.
This year playing at the 4A level both teams are still experiencing success. Snowflake entered this game ranked third in 4A with a 4-1 record. ALA Gilbert North was ranked fourth, with a 3-2 record. Both teams fully expect to be in the 4A state playoffs which begin in about a month.
ALA jumped out quick on Snowflake on Friday night. The Eagles took the opening kick-off and marched right down the field, capping the drive with a 19-yard touchdown pass to go up 7-0 with the PAT.
Snowflake’s first possession ended with a punt which set up the Eagles with great field position. They took advantage of that good position scoring in three plays on their second possession. The 40-yard scoring run pushed the lead to 14-0 with six minutes left in the opening quarter.
Snowflake again went three and out punting the ball back to the Eagles and their red-hot offense. Their five-yard scoring toss capped their third possession with a third touchdown going up 21-0 still in the first quarter.
Following a Lobo fumble, ALA again moved into scoring position and put three more points on the board with a 32-yard field goal three minutes into the second quarter extending their lead to 24-0.
Snowflake finally put together a scoring drive capped by a 15-yard run from Jett McCray making the score 24-7 with five minutes left in the half.
ALA wasn’t done scoring in the half. Their final possession of the half ended with a seven-yard touchdown pass. The PAT gave the Eagles a 31-7 halftime lead.
Snowflake was able to get two more scores in the second half. Easton Butler connected with Ezra Baum for one score. Butler also ran for a score pulling the Lobos within 10 points but that is as close as they would get with ALA winning the game 31-21.
Butler completed 14 of 24 passes for 100 total yards with one score and one interception. Baum’s only catch of the night went for 309 yards for the score. Davyn McCray caught three for 38, Tyler Clare had three for 17, Lance Christensen three for 20, Jett McCray two for eight, and JJ Lerma had two catches for eight yards.
The Lobos did gain 202 yards on the ground led by Butler who finished with 61 yards on 10 carries. JJ Lerma gained 54 on five runs. Jett McCray had 40 on nine runs, Karter Raban gained 30 on nine rushes and Bradden Lewis picked up 17 yards on three carries.
With the loss, the Lobos drop to 4-2 on the season. This week they travel to Apache Junction to take on the Prospectors. That team has an identical 4-2 record as does Snowflake. At this point in the season, these two teams do not have any common opponents so this is a real unknown to Lobo fans. Apache Junction was ranked sixth prior to their loss on Friday night to No. 12 Poston Butte.
