Tonight’s Games Should Give Fans An Idea Of How Teams Stack Up

By Greg Perkins
   The first week of the 2009 football season didn’t bring any real surprises for teams in the 3A North Region. Monument Valley was upset again in Red Mesa, much like the Mustangs’ trip there two years ago, and Hopi shut out Tuba City. Both of those outcomes could have been labeled mild upsets. Ganado fell hard at home to 2A Canyon State Academy, which could mean for a long season for Hornet fans. Winslow, Holbrook, Window Rock and Chinle were all winners, as expected.
    Tonight (Sept. 4) some region teams will be facing common opponents from week one, which could provide an early idea of how they may stack up against each other later in the conference season.
   Window Rock which won easily over Ft. Wingate last week should move to 2-0 as the Scouts travel to Many Farms to face a team that Chinle steamrolled last week.
   After that big win the Wildcats will have some confidence when they play at Hopi. The Bruins however, shut out Tuba City last week 15-0, and they could be a stern test for Chinle. The outcome of this game could be a preview of how the Warriors and the Wildcats will match up.
    Tuba City’s Warriors will be looking for their first win when they host Page, but based on last week’s performances by both teams, they will have to look at least to week three before getting a check in the win column. The Warriors really struggled last season and, based on the first week, they are in for another long one.
    Monument Valley once again fell victim on the road at Red Mesa, which is a difficult place to try to get a win. The Mustangs fought hard, but like two years ago, they came up two points short and will have to try to beat a team from the East region for their first win when they host Alchesay. The Falcons were blanked by Blue Ridge last week and after around a six-hour bus trip, they will have to play well to send the Mustangs to 0-2.
   Ganado will travel to Red Mesa and, based on the first week’s results, the Hornets could well start the season at 0-2. Red Mesa plays tough at home and the Hornets really struggled last week against a smaller school.
   Winslow defeated the Elks last week, finally getting the edge on Round Valley after numerous tries in recent years. The Bulldogs struggled offensively in the first period, but quarterback Craig Shirley and his teammates warmed up in the second half, picking up a two-touchdown win. This week the Bulldogs will host 4A Sinagua, which suffered an 18-6 loss to Florence last week. Florence is typically a decent team from the South region, so this could be a barometer as to how the Bulldogs compare at the state level. Look for the Bulldogs to hand the bigger school its second straight loss.
    Holbrook and Snowflake had similar outcomes in the first week of the season. Lopsided wins against far inferior opponents leave fans of both teams to question how good these two teams really are. Based on last week, the Roadrunners have a chance against what is traditionally one of the better teams in the tough East region. The Lobos have a new quarterback and a system in place that will challenge Holbrook’s defense. The Birds are riding high on confidence after week one, but this will be a much better gauge of how the Roadrunners stack up this year. If they play well early in the game they could stay with the Lobos, something they haven’t done in recent history. A poor start could lead to another long night against their rivals from the East.
    Joseph City gets to stay home again tonight to host a Valley Sanders team that is still licking its wounds from last week's blasting by Snowflake. The Pirates are the bigger school, but the Wildcats have much more football tradition and a much better program, which should be more than enough for them to improve to 2-0 on the season.