Superior’s Ryland Duarte (#21) tries to make yardage while San Manuel’s Tanner Decker (#7) and Isaac Zazueta (#5) try to stop him. Photo by Debbie Torres
Friday night’s action brought Homecoming for one Copper Corridor school and a huge match-up between the number 1 and number 2 teams in the state.
Superior Panthers vs. San Manuel Miners
The Miners traveled to Superior to take on the Panthers last Friday during Superior’s Homecoming. The Panthers came out ready to take on San Manuel, not letting their offense break through into the end zone.
The Miners struggled to hold down the Panthers, who were able to score a few touchdowns in the first half. At halftime the score sat at Panthers 28, Miners 0. In the second half the Miners began to find their stride, and were able to get onto the board.
The Panthers continued to score in the second half. The final score of the game sat at 40-18, giving the Superior Panthers the win over the San Manuel Miners and a Homecoming victory.
This week the Panthers will travel to take on Ray for the annual Copper Helmet game. The Miners will host Duncan. Both games have a 7 p.m. kickoff time.
Hayden Lobos
The Lobos football team traveled to St. David to take on the Tigers last Friday. The Lobos struck first with a touchdown in the first quarter, making it 6-0. During the second quarter the Lobos scored 14 points, but so did the Tigers. At halftime the score sat at 20-14. The third quarter saw the Lobos strike with a fury scoring 24 points, while keeping the Tigers out of the end zone. In the last quarter the Lobos scored 7 points, making it a Lobo victory, with a final score of 51-14.
Andy Morales with azpreps365.com had some amazing stats for the Lobos.
“The Lobos are now 41-1 dating back to a semifinal finish in 2022 and 31-0 over the last two years, including back-to-back state championships in 2023 and 2024. A victory this year will put the Lobos in rare territory with three 1A championships in a row, something only Joseph City (2009-2011) and Mogollon (2020-22) have been able to accomplish.
“Hayden (7-0) beat Mogollon 60-32 in the 2023 state championship game to take the torch as the best 8-man program in Arizona and the Lobos have taken care of Mogollon five times in a row in that time including a 74-48 win this year.”
The Lobos will have a rare week off after Cicero Prep declined to play Hayden on Oct. 10. This was the Lobos’ scheduled Homecoming. The school made the choice to move Homecoming to Oct. 17 during the Hayden-Ray game. The annual bonfire will be held on Oct. 16 with the parade at 4 p.m. on Oct. 17 and a tailgate party behind the home bleachers after the parade until 6:30 p.m. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
Ray Bearcats
The Bearcats football team traveled to take on Duncan last Friday, Oct. 3. The Bearcats came out ready to play, only letting Duncan see the end zone once before halftime. At halftime the score sat at 26-6.
The ‘Cats continued to play a strong offense and a tough defense, only letting Duncan see the end zone one more time, with a touchdown and 2-point conversion. The final score of the game sat at 40-14, making it a Bearcat victory.
The Bearcats will host Superior on Oct. 10 with a 7 p.m. kickoff scheduled.