By Jon Johnson
THATCHER – If you blinked during Friday night’s clash under the lights at John Mickelson Field on Friday, you might’ve missed an explosion that saw the Thatcher Eagles dismantle their arch-rivals, the Safford Bulldogs, 49-7.
This wasn’t just any matchup; it’s the blood feud between these neighboring towns, and the Eagles didn’t just win – they owned the night, turning a classic rivalry into a clinic on dominance despite having five turnovers on the night.
Despite the lopsided victory, Thatcher head coach Daniel Jones said there were parts of the game they would need to address.
“We didn’t play crisp,” he said. “We’re going to talk about that tomorrow, but we did ok.”
Thatcher came out firing, but Smith Mangum’s first carry of the game turned into a nightmare as he got flipped mid-stride and coughed up the pigskin at the Eagles’ 40. Lamarr Ellis scooped it for Safford, and for a heartbeat, you could sense the momentum teetering. But nah – Ryan Jones, that human wrecking ball for Thatcher, stuffed Adrien Casillas for a loss, and the Bulldogs sputtered out like a wet fuse, unable to capitalize on the turnover.
Re-enter the Eagles’ offense, where quarterback Chad Johnson (8-10 for 158 yards and 1 INT) was slinging it like a man possessed. Jones got stuffed cold by Safford’s front, so Johnson went vertical – boom, a 41-yard dart to Jones down to the Safford 34. But fate loves a twist: Mangum fumbled the handoff, and the Bulldogs pounced to stall the drive.
After getting two turnovers in a row, Safford got the ball rolling with Parker Whisman jetting on a reverse for a first down into Eagles territory, followed by Dane Jacobson’s laser to Ellis for another chain-mover. Jacobson then channeled his inner scrambler, knifing left for a first down into the red zone on 3rd and 8.
But that’s where Thatcher’s defense grew fangs. On 4th and 14 from the 17, Safford rolled the dice with a halfback toss – Casillas aired it perfectly to Ellis in the corner, but the ball slipped through his hands, turning it over on downs.
And just like that, the pendulum swung hard. Johnson kept it on a read-option, juked a Bulldog, shed another, and nearly went the distance before Pryce Harsh shoved him out at the 4. Bryce then bulldozed in from the 1-yard line to crack the scoreboard, and Luke Marble snagged the fumble on the 2-point scramble and dove in to put the Eagles up 8-0 with 4:08 left in the first.
“Good group of kids,” coach Daniel Jones said. “They work real hard. We kind of started and stumbled. We challenge these kids. We want to make it clear that the best place to play football in the Gila Valley is Thatcher High School. So, we wanted to make that pretty clear.”
Thatcher then received a gift when Safford gambled big on 4th and 3 from their 27. Braden Bryce and Vincent Bejarano swarmed Andrew Baker for the stop. The Eagles capitalized on their gift-wrapped field position, and Jones cashed it with a 2-yard plunge. The kick was wide, but it was 14-0 Thatcher at the quarter’s horn.
The Bulldogs struck back in an instant at the start of the second quarter as Jacobson rifled a shot to Ellis over the middle, and he did the rest, going 80 yards for the TD. Safford strikes back, 14-7, and suddenly it’s a dogfight.
Safford then looked to tie after Whisman picked off Johnson and returned it into Eagles’ territory. Jacobson scrambled for a first down to the 32, but a holding call erased it, then a mishandled snap fumbled right into Thatcher’s lap at the Safford 33 to turn the ball over.
Again, the Eagles capitalized on the turnover as Josiah Matagaono burrowed 3 yards for six, and it was 21-7 Eagles, with more than 6 minutes left until half. Matagaono then made a play on defense, sacking Jacobson to force a punt. Josh Jones pushed the ball to midfield, then Johnson lobbed a beauty to Dylan Riney, who raced the sideline to the 10. Smith Mangum finished the drive as he wouldn’t be denied the end zone and stretched the ball over the plane to give the Eagles a commanding 28-7 lead.
Then, just before halftime, Chad Johnson is there to gather the overthrown pass at the 15 for the INT, and Johnson took it back 85 yards to the house on the pick 6 to put Thatcher up 35-7 at the break.
“I know from experience running down, if someone is going straight at you and you’re going to cut, they can’t cut back,” Johnson said. “So, I saw the QB running at me, so I tried to cut back, and it all worked. I was able to push Teagan in front of me to keep it going.”
Thatcher’s fire spilled to special teams, and the second-half kickoff stranded the Bulldogs inside their own 10. Jacobson weaved for a first, but Travis Larson crushed him on the next snap, forcing a punt. Thatcher fumbled the return, and Safford got another chance.
That’s when Riney stepped in front of Jacobson’s strike and returned it 57 yards to paydirt for Thatcher’s second pick-6 of the night to go up 42-7 with 5:51 in the third.
Jacobson left the game due to injury after a sack with about 5:06 left, and Safford punted.
Thatcher looked to be cruising in for another score as the third quarter ended and the fourth began, but Safford dug deep and put on a goal-line stand that stopped the Eagles twice with just a yard to score to get the turnover.
Now with the ball but playing out of their own end zone, Casillas exploded for 45 yards to give the Bulldogs plenty of breathing room. But a Thatcher sack sunk the drive and led to another punt.
Johnson then finished off the scoring with a 10-yard sprint to the corner of the end zone to make it 49-7 Eagles.
Johnson dazzled: 8-of-10, 158 yards passing, one pick; 106 rushing yards and a score, plus that 85-yard pick-six. He was awarded the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl MVP of the Game and was presented with a medallion.
“It’s (the trophy) staying in Thatcher for another year,” Johnson said. “Let’s go, baby.”
Thatcher (3-0 region, 5-1 overall) sits atop the 3A East. They hit the road Friday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m. against the winless San Tan Foothills Sabercats (0-6 overall, 0-3 region).
Safford (2-5 overall, 1-2 region) will lick their wounds with a bye before hosting Pusch Ridge (6-1 overall, 3-1 region) on Oct. 17 at 7 p.m.
In other local prep football action
The Pima Roughriders (2-1 region, 3-4 overall) defeated the Globe Tigers 42-0. The Roughriders will next host the Morenci Wildcats on Friday, Oct. 10, starting at 7 p.m.
The Morenci Wildcats (2-0 region, 5-2 overall) defeated the Miami Vandals 52-0. The Wildcats will next travel to face Pima on Friday, Oct. 10, starting at 7 p.m.
The Fort Thomas Apaches (1-2 region, 1-6 overall) fell to the Valley Union Blue Devils 0-66. The Apaches finish their season hosting the St. David Tigers on Friday, Oct. 10, starting at 7 p.m.
The Duncan Wildkats (2-2 region, 3-4 overall) fell to the Ray Bearcats 14-40. The Wildkats will next travel to face the San Manuel Miners on Friday, Oct. 10, starting at 7 p.m.
