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Superior’s Nicolaus Cruz (#12) just touches out of bounds at the 30 yard line with Hayden’s Brandon Cruz (#7) hot on his tail.
The No. 2-ranked Superior football team overcame its first real adversity this season to defeat a game Hayden team last Friday night, 42 – 12.
Don’t let the score fool you, the No. 8-ranked Lobos gave the Panthers all they could handle for more than quarter and even held a 6 – 0 lead at the end of the first quarter. It was the first time all season that Superior trailed in a game.
“Hayden had a good game plan against us,” Superior head coach Ryan Palmer said after the game. “They did a good job of coming at us and they were able to go down the field on a long scoring drive.”
The Panthers finally starting rolling with about nine minutes remaining in the second quarter and went on to outscore the Lobos 42 – 6 from that point on.
Senior quarterback Nicolaus Cruz threw for 330 yards and six touchdowns in the win. He also rushed for a team-high 65 yards. Senior receiver Austin Navarrette hauled in three of Cruz’ scoring passes. Marcos Bueno (two) and Jesus Catellanos (one) caught the other three.
The Panthers’ 42 points scored were a season low.
“Give Hayden credit because they came to play,” Palmer said. “I didn’t like how we came out and fell behind, but I was proud of the way our kids fought back and regained control of the game.
Experiencing that type of adversity will bode well for the Panthers in the playoffs. This game also should benefit Hayden, which proved it can compete with the best teams in the state.
Superior closes out it regular season this Friday on Senior Night versus Ray.
Hayden will host San Manuel in its regular season finale.
Kickoff for both games is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Superior Cheer Squad include Claudia delgado-Freshman, Amber Alonzo-Junior, Stephanie Martinez-Junior, Sivanna Lopez-Junior, Ashley Lira-Junior, Yasmin Rangel-Senior and Elyssa Pino-Senior Captain.
Andrew Luberda began writing for Copper Area News Publishers (CANP) in February 2013 after working 15 years in Healthcare Financial Management. Andy covers sports for 11 high schools. His stories are published in Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner and Superior Sun, in addition to the San Tan Valley Daily PRSS and CopperArea websites. Additionally, he has written human interest stories and business profiles. In May 2012, he earned an AAS in Sports Management at Central Arizona College before graduating with a BS in Communication from Arizona State University in 2014. He and his wife, Kelli, have three sons – AJ, Kyle, and Kade.
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