SHS Lobos Look Good In 35-14 Win Over Cougars

By Greg Perkins
   The Lobos handed Show Low its second straight loss of the season last Friday night, using a big fourth quarter to defeat the Cougars by a final of 35-14. Both teams battled hard in the 3A East clash, which quite possibly determined second place in the region.
   In the first period Snowflake’s defensive backs did a good job of knocking away potential catches by the Cougar receivers. Show Low moved inside Snowflake’s 30 yard line on a few occasions, but each time they came away empty, thanks to some great defensive plays.
   With neither team able to find the end zone in the first period the Lobos finally broke the scoring drought with only 3:46 left in the half on a Shawn Walker to Brad Hutson 26-yard touchdown pass. Robbie Martindale’s point after gave the Lobos a 7-0 lead.
   After Martindale kicked the first of his six touchbacks on kickoffs, the Cougars were pinned deep in their own end and had to punt. That punt was blocked by Brandt Perkins just before the half, setting up the Lobos in great position to add to their lead. With only 27 seconds left on the clock, Walker did the damage on the ground this time, going in from two yards out. Martindale’s point after kick gave the Lobos a 14-0 halftime lead.
   Show Low came out fired up in the second half and midway through the period the Cougars capped a long drive with a one-yard run by Cody Hawkins. Trevar MacArthur booted the point after and the Lobos’ lead was cut in half.
   Early in the fourth period the Cougars tied the game after Rathan Ricedorff hooked up with his favorite receiver, Josh Weeks, on a 29-yard pass to the corner of the end zone.
   With the game in the balance the Lobos regained the lead with a 20-yard run by Martindale on a reverse. His extra point put Snowflake back on top by seven. Just three minutes later Ammon McKinlay scored on a 14-yard run, giving the Lobos an insurance score, then Trevor Reddick added the final points on a five-yard blast, giving Snowflake the big 35-14 win.
   Snowflake’s defense did the job the rest of the way, forcing Ricedorff into many hurried attempts and one key interception by Caden Larson.
   “We did a great job, especially on the defensive side of the ball. I thought our defensive backfield did a tremendous job of staying with their receivers, and our line put good pressure on their quarterback,” said Lobo Coach Adam Larsen.
   Show Low had more yards of total offense with 361 compared to 310 for the Lobos. Show Low rushed for 252 yards and passed for 109. The Lobos gained 100 on the ground and threw for 210.
   Walker completed 11 of 24 passes for 210 yards with one score. He also rushed 11 times, gaining 37 yards with a touchdown. McKinlay gained 38 yards on 10 runs, Reddick picked up five on one run and Martindale gained 20 yards on his reverse run. Martindale caught two passes for 89 yards, Hutson made five catches for 75 yards, Rockie Beatty made three grabs for 38 yards, including one on a key fourth down play late in the final period, and Reddick had one catch for seven yards.
   On defense the Lobos were led by Jordan Hunt with nine tackles. Perkins made seven stops and had the big punt block in the first half. Hutson had six stops. Reddick and Colton Reidhead made five tackles each.
Show Low       0     0   7   7    14
Snowflake        0 14   0 21   35
   This week the Lobos, who are now 6-1 and 2-1 in region play, will have to avoid a letdown when they travel to the dome in Eagar to take on a Round Valley team that is also 2-1 in region play. The Elks usually play very tough at home and the Lobos will need to stay focused to keep the young Round Valley team from protecting their turf. Both teams play a similar style of spread offense, and the Elks are a team that can score points in bunches. Snowflake has already defeated Show Low and Payson, so with only Alchesay remaining on the conference schedule after this week, a win in Round Valley would mean at least a second place region finish, as well as a probable home game in the first round of the playoffs