Winslow Earns I-40 Bragging Rights With 38-16 Victory Over Holbrook

By Sam Conner
and Greg Perkins
   The Winslow Bulldogs defeated the Holbrook Roadrunners 38-16 in Holbrook last Friday night to take the undisputed lead in the 3A North Region. The Bulldogs are 5-1 for the season and a perfect 3-0 in the region. Holbrook took its first regional loss, falling to 3-3 for the season and 2-1 in the region.
   The first half was a very evenly played game and it wasn’t until nearly the end of the third quarter before there was more than a six-point lead.
   The teams played a scoreless first period. Each had gotten inside the other’s 20 yard line and been stopped on downs.
   Winslow put together a 99-yard drive to take a 6-0 lead halfway through the second period on a one-yard run by Chayse Russell. The conversion kick failed.
   The drive began after Holbrook downed a punt near the Winslow goal line early in the quarter, and took half of the quarter. Kraig Shirley had runs of 21 and 24 yards during the drive, and Russell had a 10-yard run before he scored.
   Winslow stopped the Roadrunners on downs at the 20 on the next possession and the Bulldogs went into their two minute offense. The drive got inside the Holbrook 20 before the half ended with Winslow still leading 6-0
   “We definitely had some missed opportunities, especially in the first half,” said Holbrook Coach Darrin Thomas. “We did a good job of getting the ball into scoring position, but we just couldn’t get into the end zone. They did a good job of covering our receivers, but we also had some balls that we probably should have caught.”
   There was a long halftime since it was Holbrook’s Homecoming Game, and a light failure early in the third quarter made for a lot of extra time for the teams.
   After the long delay the Bulldogs held and took the ball on downs.
   Winslow drove 58 yards to score on a seven-yard run by Russell, who then ran for a two point conversion and a 14-0 lead with just under three minutes left in the third quarter. Shirley again had several long runs on the drive. The drive took seven plays to cover the distance to the end zone.
   The Bulldogs got a huge break on Holbrook’s next possession when Tevin Renfro picked up a fumble and ran 39 yards for the score. Wendell Carter ran for the two-point conversion and a 22-0 lead nearing the end of the quarter.
   Holbrook got on the scoreboard in the first minute of the fourth quarter on a 17-yard pass from Jalen Jackson to Blake Maestas. The Roadrunners made the conversion kick, but took an off sides penalty against the Bulldogs and had Adrian Perkins run for the two-point conversion that cut Winslow’s lead to 22-8.
   The Bulldogs went on a time consuming, 94-yard drive that ended with Russell scoring on a five-yard run. Shirley ran for the two-point conversion and a commanding 30-8 lead with under five minutes left on the clock.
   Tyler Stingley returned the kickoff 82 yards to score and Ilacian Johnson ran for the two-point conversion that cut the lead to 30-16 with still just under five minutes to play.
   Russell ran 52 yards to score on Winslow’s next possession. It was his fourth touchdown of the game and his third of the second half. The two-point conversion run by Sebastian Benally made the final score 38-16.
   “We played well, but may have gotten a little tired late in the game,” said Coach Thomas. “They were able to get some long runs on us late.
   “Now we need to focus on our next couple of region games, make sure we win them, then look toward that final game with Chino Valley, which could potentially give us a home game in the playoffs.”
   The Winslow defense was superb and the Bulldogs
had a statistical advantage with 429 yards of total offense compared to just 169 for the Roadrunners. The Bulldogs had a lot of success on the ground with two runners over 100 yards rushing. Russell had a big night with 157 yards on 21 runs and four touchdowns. Shirley rushed 14 times for 122 yards. Wendell Carter had 10 carries for 89 yards. Winslow threw for just 58 yards on the night. The Bulldogs had three turnovers.
   Holbrook rushed for 121 yards, led by Johnson with 68 yards on nine runs. Perkins gained 52 on 13 carries. Stingley didn’t have a catch on the night, but gained 13 yards on one run. Marcus Castillo also ran once and picked up 11 yards. Maestas rushed seven times, gaining no yards. Jackson lost 23 yards on seven runs.
   Jackson completed seven of 16 pass attempts for 48 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. Johnson, Perkins, and Maestas each caught two balls, and Castillo had one catch. Holbrook had five turnovers on the night.
   The Bulldogs will host the Window Rock Scouts on
Friday, Oct. 9. Window Rock lost to Round Valley 61-16 last Friday to fall to 2-3 for the season and 1-1 in the region.
   Holbrook will be on the road against the Tuba City Warriors. The Warriors lost to Monument Valley 54-2 last week to fall to 0-5 for the season and 0-2 in the region.