Snowflake and Blue Ridge are the final two 3A East Region teams left in the 3A State playoffs after the first round. The fifth seeded Yellowjackets took care of No. 12 AZ College Prep 35-13, and No. 4 Snowflake dispatched No. 13 River Valle with relative ease 42-7. The two rival schools will now square off with each other on Friday night at Snowflake High School, with the winner advancing to the semi-finals against what will most likely be the top-rated team Benjamin Franklin. Ben Franklin should have little problems taking care of No. 9 ALA Gilbert North in that quarterfinal game. In the bottom of the bracket, No. 3 Northwest Christian hosts No. 11 Yuma Catholic. Also No.2 ALA Queen Creek will host No. 10 Sabino. Queen Creek is considered by many to have the best team in 3A this year. Snowflake and Blue Ridge met earlier this year in Snowflake on Oct. 4. The Lobos prevailed in that meeting, 29-17. Blue Ridge led in that game for most of the first half before the Lobos scored late in the half taking a 16-15 lead to the break. The game was still a five-point game with the Lobos on top 22-17 up until the final few minutes of the fourth period. The Lobos finished the game with 376 yards of offense, with 298 of those yards coming on the ground. Brig Turley and Terren Green both eclipsed the century mark and combined for three touchdowns. Blue Ridge finished with 370 yards on offense but was more balanced with PJ London completing 12 of 23 passes for 191 yards. The last time these two teams met in the state playoffs was in 2012 when the Yellowjackets prevailed 44-0 in the semi-final round. Don’t look for this game to go that way. These two teams are fairly evenly matched, but with Snowflake playing at home and having already shown the ability to run the ball in their first meeting, that bodes well for another Lobo victory. Kickoff for the quarterfinal game will be at 7 p.m. in Snowflake.
