This week marks the midpoint of the regular season for the majority of high school teams in Arizona.
The first half of the campaign has Holbrook sitting with a 3-2 overall record after last week’s romp over Greyhills. Tonight (Oct. 2) the Birds make the long trip to Red Mesa, where they will match up with a Redskin squad with a 4-1 overall record. While that mark is good, their opponents have been anything but stellar. The teams Red Mesa have defeated have a combined record of 2-18 this season. Similarly, Holbrook’s three wins have come against foes with a combined 3-11 season mark. Something has to give in this game.
Holbrook should be the better team on the turf against the Redskins, although a lengthy bus ride may keep the game closer than it really should be. The Roadrunners are ranked 18th in the first power point rankings of the season which came out on Tuesday. If they have hopes of reaching the state playoffs, they certainly can’t afford an unexpected loss. Holbrook should enjoy the next couple of weeks with Alchesay on the docket next Friday.
Joseph City will have logged some serious miles in the past two weeks. Last Saturday the Wildcats made a successful trip to Fredonia and this Saturday they venture back up north for a game with first year program El Capitan in Colorado City. The Eagles have played just three games this year, losing all three outings. The Wildcats are 4-2 this season, having already matched last year’s win total. Despite the long trip, expect the Cats to move to 5-2 and leave the Eagles still searching for their first win.
Winslow is also 3-2 at the midpoint, but that fourth win might be difficult to acquire in the next couple of weeks. In fact the Bulldogs may have the toughest second half schedule of any area teams. They play at unbeaten Show Low tonight against a Cougar team that has outscored its opponents by an average of 32 points per game. Show Low finds itself ranked second in the newly minted power point rankings. Don’t expect Winslow to knock the Cougars off that spot, although they should be able to fare better than a 32-point deficit.
Snowflake landed seventh in the initial Division IV power point rankings despite being unbeaten. The six teams ahead of the Lobos also hold perfect marks. Tonight they travel to Page, where the toughest part of the day will be the four-plus-hour drive to get there. The Sand Devils have just one win on the season. Tonight won’t be the night they get their second. The Lobos are balanced on offense and very stingy on defense, having given up just a total of 18 points through five games. With Blue Ridge on the horizon for next week, Snowflake just hopes to get through Page essentially injury free. This game will not be close.
