Snowflake certainly didn’t get caught looking ahead to this week’s matchup with Show Low as they blasted 10th ranked Payson in Payson last Friday night by a final of 65-27.

The Lobos led 14-0 after the first period thanks to a short scoring run from Trevor McCray and a 65-yard touchdown run by Drew Schneider. Brenton Ballard’s point after kicks were both good as the Lobos held the early edge.

In the second Snowflake put the game away as the offense scored three times and the defense added two points. Early in the period Tyler Claridge connected with Travis Flake for an 80-yard catch and run for a score. Porter Black’s two-point conversion pushed the lead to 22-0. Payson got on the board midway through the quarter on a 65-yard touchdown pass. Just two minutes later, Claridge hooked up with Black on a 49-yard scoring pass, extending the lead to 28-7. The Lobos got the safety with about five minutes left in the half, making the score 30-7. Claridge then picked up his third touchdown pass of the period with a 36-yard connection to Flake. Ballard’s point after kick gave the Lobos a comfortable 37-7 halftime lead.

Snowflake’s defense held Payson on the first series of the second half, then Black returned the Longhorn punt 75 yards for a score with just one minute gone in the period. Zach Solomon scored five minutes later for Snowflake on a nine-yard run, pushing the lead to 51-7. Following a Payson 64-yard scoring run, Schneider scampered in from 48 yards out with a minute left in the third. Lane Penrod scored Snowflake’s final points on a two-yard run late in the fourth. Payson added two late scores, but the outcome had long been decided. With the win Snowflake improved to 7-1.

This week the Lobos will face a Show Low team they haven’t beaten in two years. The Cougars have struggled this season with a mark of 5-3, but they are coming off a big 49-28 win over Fountain Hills last Friday. Even with this game played in Show Low, this year the Lobos are just the better team and they should be able to avenge losses in the last two years to the Cougars. Look for the Lobos to improve to 8-1 and possibly move into the top two in the power rankings. Heading into this week they were ranked third. Show Low headed into this week ranked 16th, although the rankings were slated to update on Tuesday morning.