Fall sports are about to kick off for area schools, including Joseph City High School, where the Wildcat football and volleyball teams may be on different competitive spectrums to start the new year.
Last season, the Lady Wildcats went 25-9-1 overall before falling in the second round of the 1A state playoffs. Gone from that team are eight seniors, including standouts Amber and Audrey Neill. This season, Head Coach Charlsye Miller has five seniors, three juniors and one freshman on the varsity roster after one week of practice.
The Lady Wildcats will open their season at Mogollon on Aug. 27, then will make the short trip to Holbrook to face the Roadrunners on Aug. 31.
Joseph City’s football team, under the direction of head coach Martin Roes, potentially has 24 players returning from last year’s roster. The team did have eight seniors but overall, they were a young squad who went 4-4 and improved late in the season, coming up just short of the 1A state playoffs.
The Wildcat football team opens the season on Friday night on the road at Desert Heights Prep. The Coyotes posted a 6-3 record, advancing to the first round of the playoffs, where they were soundly beaten by Mohave Accelerated.
Playing on the road right out of the gate could be a tough start for a Wildcat team looking to return to the postseason for the first time since the 2022 season. Next week, they will host a Valley Lutheran team that went 0-8 last year.
