Joseph City had a solid season, advancing to the second round of the 1A State playoffs, where they lost to Hayden on Friday night.
As the seventh seed in the 12-team bracket, the Wildcats beat 10th-seeded Salome 32-26 in the first round, but their matchup with second-seeded and unbeaten Hayden on Friday night in round two proved too big a hill to conquer. Hayden continued their unbeaten trek to the 1A finals with a 47-0 win over a young, but much improved Joseph City team.
Hayden will now face 6th-seeded Superior this week, then will meet either No. 4 St. David or No. 1 Williams in the title game on Nov. 14.
Joseph City ends their season with an overall record of 7-4, posting their best mark since the 2016 season. With potentially all but eight players returning, things are looking up in Wildcat country for next year.
