With Friday’s lopsided 62-0 road win at Hopi, the Holbrook Roadrunners put a wrap on an unbeaten regular season. Based on football archives, Holbrook’s 10-0 season is the third time since 1944 that the Roadrunners have gone through a regular season unbeaten. The first was in 1973 when they were 9-0-1. The tie was a 14-14 game with Winslow and the team was coached by Thurman Simmons. Six years later Pete Blake coached the Roadrunners to a 10-0 season. In both cases, both teams lost their first-round playoff game bringing their unbeaten streak and seasons to sudden ends.
The last time Holbrook won a football playoff game came in 1993 when Brian Miller’s team defeated Window Rock in the first round of the 3A playoffs before losing in the second round to Bradshaw Mountain. Holbrook has been in the playoffs seven times since 1993 but has failed to win a postseason game including last year’s 42-32 loss to Willcox.
This year Holbrook gets to host a playoff game for the first time in many years. The final 2A rankings have the Birds as the No. 5 overall seed and they will host 12th-seeded Veritas Prep on Friday night. Holbrook is the only unbeaten team in the 2A ranks, but their lack of a strong schedule has kept them from being ranked higher in the power point standings.
Veritas Prep is 5-5 on the season. They have not played a common opponent with Holbrook. They have won their past three games by a combined score of 119-6 with those wins coming over Coronado, Valley Lutheran and Madison Highland.
Holbrook has only played two of the 16 teams in the 2A state bracket. Veritas Prep has faced five of the top 16 in the standings. With the weather forecasted to be cold and wet, the Falcons coming up from the Valley will be at a disadvantage. Holbrook is expected to win this game, but it won’t be easy. This is a better team than the Roadrunners have seen for most of the season.
As the fifth overall seed, if Holbrook wins and No. 4 Willcox takes care of No. 13 St. Johns, the Roadrunners would travel to Willcox to take on the Cowboy team that ended their season last year. A Holbrook win coupled with a St. Johns upset win would mean Holbrook would get to host St. Johns in the second round.
Pima, Morenci, and Scottsdale Christian are the top three seeds in the 2A bracket.
In the Hopi game played last Friday night Marcus Oberriter completed six of seven passes for 199 yards and four touchdowns. Daniel Montijo, Izzy Ramos, Simeon Shaw and Tristian Cowboy each had a touchdown catch.
Montijo carried the ball six times gaining 207 yards with a score. Oberriter had one 70-yard scoring run.
