Jacob LaDuke returned to Snowflake’s lineup on Friday night and guided his team to a workmanlike 24-10 road win at 32nd-ranked Marcos De Niza. The game was the Lobos’ third consecutive road game which is tough for any team, let alone high school kids. However, the top-ranked team in 4A was able to push their overall record to 7-0.
LaDuke completed just five of his 13 pass attempts for 94 yards, without a touchdown or an interception. The Padres defense limited the Lobo offense, giving up just 251 yards of total offense. Typically, Snowflake has done most of their damage with a strong rushing attack, but this week’s win saw them finish with only 157 total rushing yards, well off their season average.
Karter Raban was the leading rusher, picking up 55 yards on eight attempts with one touchdown. LaDuke found the endzone twice. He carried 14 times gaining 51 yards in the process. Kanton Turley finished with 34 yards on nine rushes. Christian Smith rushed one time for 12 yards. Merrick Ulberg had one five-yard carry.
Smith had two catches for 42 yards. Graham Silverhorn caught two for 40 yards, and Merrick Ulberg had one 12-yard reception.
With their offense somewhat limited, the Lobo defense did their job holding the Padres to just two scores. They had interceptions by Gionn Jones and Jett Smith.
This week the Lobos turn their attention to Eastmark and their first home game in the month of October. The Firebirds were ranked 20th in 4A prior to Friday’s 34-2 win over Desert Sunrise which snapped a three-game losing streak for them.
Lobo fans can expect the Snowflake offense to shine and their defense to play solid once again. Following this contest, the Lobos will have two more regular-season games left. On Nov. 1, they host Apache Junction, then on the 8th they will travel to Sierra Linde. Based on the rankings of both those schools, fans can expect the Lobos to be the top-ranked team in 4A once the playoffs begin on Nov. 15.
