The battle of I-40 once again went to the Winslow Bulldogs, who defeated Holbrook last Friday night at Emil Nasser Stadium, 40-26. Winslow held a 32-6 lead through three quarters, but the Roadrunners rallied for 20 points in the fourth to make the score more respectable.
The Bulldogs’ defense got the job done in the first quarter, limiting the Roadrunners to just one first down. While the defense did its part, the offense had two big scoring plays. Ricardo Villanueva hooked up with Mikel Bonner for a 69-yard catch and run, capping a three-play, 84-yard drive on the Bulldogs’ first possession to make the score 6-0.
After their defense held Holbrook on a fourth down attemp, the Bulldogs struck again on the next play when Villanueva found Yoann Djassa for an 88-yard catch and run, making the score 12-0 with three minutes left in the opening frame.
Holbrook’s offense started to gain momentum late in the first period and cut the Bulldog lead in half with 5:56 left in the first half. Ryan Short hooked up with Miah Perry from 35 yards out, capping an eight-play, 48-yard drive and making the score 12-6.
The teams traded possessions, then with 59 seconds left in the half Winslow’s Damon Avelar scooted into the end zone from five yards out. The two-point conversion gave the Dawgs a 20-6 lead.
Winslow’s ensuing kick off was mishandled by the Roadrunners and resulted in the Bulldogs recovering the ball at Holbrook’s 38 yard line. With 14 seconds left in the half they capitalized on the mistake with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Villanueva to Bonner, making the score 26-6 at the half.
Much of the third quarter was filled with good defense and offensive miscues by both teams. The Bulldogs gave the Roadrunners a chance with a fumble at their own 28-yard line on the first play of the half that was recovered by Ambrose Jackson. The Roadrunners failed to convert on fourth down, though.
Winslow had a touchdown pass called back due to a penalty with around four minutes left in the third.
After their defense forced a Holbrook punt, the Bulldogs got the ball in good field position at their own 45. A 37-yard pass from Villanueva to Nick Reyes set Winslow up at the Roadrunners’ 12-yard line. On the next play Villanueva scored on a 12-yard run, pushing the margin to 32-6 on the final play of the third quarter.
The fourth period belonged to the Roadrunners. Cade Maestas found Zakhari Waits for a 27-yard touchdown pass with 9:39 left to make the score 32-12.
Winslow’s only score in the period came at the 4:57 mark on a five-yard run by Bonner. Villanueva then found Bonner for the two-point conversion, giving the Bulldogs a 40-12 lead.
Holbrook tried to make things interesting late in the game. With 3:41 left, Maestas scored on a 58-yard run, then ran in the conversion points, making the score 40-20. The Roadrunners recovered an onside kick at Winslow’s 49-yard line. Moments later, Maestas found Perry for a 27-yard touchdown. Maestas again converted the two-point play and suddenly the score was 40-26.
The Roadrunners’ final onside kick attempt failed and the Bulldogs held on for their sixth win of the season against just three losses. Holbrook fell to 2-6 with the loss.
Winslow finished with 515 yards of offense. Villanueva had a big night, completing 13 of 17 passes for 336 yards and three touchdowns. Djassa led the receivers with 124 yards and a score on three catches. Bonner also had three grabs totaling 93 yards with two scores. Reyes had two catches for 50 yards. Jalen Lyons also had two receptions for 48 yards. Avelar picked up 21 yards on three catches.
On the ground, Avelar led the way with 80 yards and a score on 15 attempts. Reyes carried 10 times for 48 yards with a score. Bonner had seven rushes for 42 yards. Villanueva carried five times, picking up nine yards with a score.
Ahli Foster led the defense with 11 tackles. Zach Hartnett and Damon Avelar both had nine stops.
Winslow entered this game ranked 13th in power points and needed the win to remain in the top 16. With their final game of the season at unbeaten Show Low this week, the Bulldogs will have to wait until the brackets are released on Sunday morning to see if their season continues into the post-season.
Holbrook will host Payson on Friday night, Oct. 28, in their final game of the season. The Roadrunners are well outside the top 16, so even with an upset win over the Longhorns, they would not advance to the state tournament.
