By Nathaniel A. Lopez
Holy moly, what a game!
Last Friday, the San Manuel football team hosted the Duncan Wildkats – a close game that ended up in overtime, with both teams in a 0-0 stalemate until the fifth quarter.
The Miners were down three starting lineman, but didn’t let that keep them from holding down Duncan’s defense. San Manuel was aware that they were up against an aggressive tackling team. Duncan was able to suppress the Miner’s offense for the first four quarters.
With zero points on the scoreboard for either team, San Manuel had to pick it up in overtime and pick it up they did thanks to quarterback Nico Velasquez who threw for 288 yards, and 4 touchdowns. The Miners turned up the heat and posted 38 points in the fifth quarter, resulting in their 38-8 victory over Duncan.
“A lot of the players stepped it up when it was time. I’m very proud of them,” commented head coach Ernie Ivy. “Our next game is with Superior. They are down this year, but we can’t take them lightly, playing them at home. They have a big front line and some athletic kids. We need to work on downfield blocking and tune up our running game.”
The Miners now hold a 2-0 record, and will work to continue their winning streak Friday, Sept. 10, at the Superior football field, with a kick-off time of 7 p.m.
