Lawson Stadium has No. 2 at No. 24 on Friday

Pima visits No. 3 Santa Cruz as No. 5

By Raymundo Frasquillo

MORENCI – The No. 2 Thatcher Eagles (7-2 seeding, 16.5863 rating, 2-1 region) visit the No. 24 Morenci Wildcats (3-6, minus 0.47780) on Friday, Nov. 1.

In other region pairings this week, No. 4 Pusch Ridge (8-1, 3-0) hosts No. 20 Safford (4-5, 2.6789) and No. 21 Sabino (3-6, 0.7545) visits No. 5 Bullhead City Mohave (7-1, 15.0053) on Nov. 1.

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Elliott Lovett (9) comes down with a reception as Thatcher senior cornerback Crew Farris (24) goes for the tackle. The Pusch Ridge senior gained 29 yards on the reception and accounted for the game’s initial score on a first-quarter 72-yard pass play.

Last season, the Wildcats and Eagles both had records of 6-3 seeding and 3-0 region. Thatcher was ranked No. 4 (12.6312 rating) and Morenci No. 9 (10.5635). Morenci left John Mickelson Field with a 21-14 win.

During the previous 70 seasons (1953-2022), Thatcher compiled a 32-14 overall record along with 26-7 region and 2-2 section marks against Morenci since 1982. The first was a 21-8 win in Thatcher (Oct. 16, 1953) and the last was a 42-8 Lawson Stadium win (Oct. 11, 2019). The Eagles have averaged a 25-13 (1,132-578) score per game in 46 games during the 70 years and prevailed in seven previous pairings.

Before the 2023 loss, Thatcher had a 7-game win streak, including 28-6 in Thatcher (Nov. 9, 2013), 27-20 in Thatcher (Oct. 31, 2014), 29-0 in Morenci (Sept. 4, 2015), 35-14 in Thatcher (Sept. 16, 2016), 36-6 in Morenci (Sept. 15, 2017), 15-0 in Thatcher (Aug. 17, 2018), and during 2019 for an average score of 30-8 (212-54) per game or a 22-point margin.

Morenci’s previous win over Thatcher was 26-14 in Lawson Stadium (Nov. 1, 2013).

*Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Fireworks filled the sky over John Mickelson Field and the smell of gun powder lingered long after the final buzzer sounded.*

Coaches will say you play the best to be the best, learning and growing because of it. Through ten weeks of 2024 regulation play, Thatcher’s opponents, minus pairings with the Eagles, are a combined 46-28 (.622) overall while Morenci’s opponents, minus pairings with the Wildcats, are 44-28 (.611).

There are four common opponents both teams played in 2024, Eagar Round Valley, Safford, Tucson Sabino, and Tucson Pusch Ridge Christian.

Thatcher went 3-1 and averaged a 28-15 (111-61) score per game or a 13-point margin while Morenci went 1-3 and averaged a 5-19 (18-76) score per game or a 14-point deficit against the quartet.

Last week, Thatcher was ranked No. 1 (7-1 seeding, 18.1901 rating) while Morenci was No. 20 (3-5, 2.1501).

Kick-off in Lawson Stadium is 7 p.m.

No. 2 Thatcher Eagles (7-2, 16.5863)

*Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Wyatt Nicholas (21) runs behind blocker Will Chidester (6).*

Thatcher (7-2, 2-1) is averaging a 30-11 (236-87) score per game or a 19-point margin. The Eagles have seeding wins over Surprise Paradise Honors (32-0, Aug. 23), Queen Creek Crimson (15-0, Aug. 30), Chandler Valley Christian (31-13, Sept. 6), Round Valley (35-27, Sept. 13), Show Low (42-16, Oct. 4), Sabino (41-12, Oct. 11), and Safford (28-0, Oct. 18).

The losses are to Yuma Catholic (12-19, Sept. 20), and Pusch Ridge (7-22, Oct. 25).

No. 24 Morenci Wildcats (3-6, minus 0.4778)

Morenci (3-6, 0-3) is averaging an 18-23 (158-207) score per game or a 5-point deficit. The Wildcats have seeding wins over Round Valley (6-3, Aug. 30), Benson (35-25, Sept. 6), and Fountain Hills (49-29, Oct. 18) along with losses to ALA – Ironwood (34-35, Aug. 23), Pima (14-20 2 OT, Sept. 13), Blue Ridge (8-22, Sept. 20), Safford (12-13, Oct. 4), Pusch Ridge (0-29, Oct. 11), and Sabino (0-31, Oct. 25).

3A State Rankings

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Quarterback Jacob Newborn (4) spots an open receiver and attempts to connect with him. The Pusch Ridge senior accounted for over 300 yards on 20-28 attempts with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

One team moved up and one down via game results last week while others shuffled positions. Show Low ascended to No. 16 (4-5, 5.4633) from No. 19 (3-5, 3.1429) and Queen Creek Crimson descended from No. 16 (4-4, 5.0111) to No. 17 (4-5, 4.4200). The Top 16 will be involved in the post-season after the regular season conclusion on Nov. 1.

Class 3A rankings for the Top 16 of 37 teams as listed at noon on Oct. 29 had Queen Creek Benjamin Franklin (8-1, 17.9776) No. 1, Thatcher (7-2 seeding, 16.5863 rating) No. 2, Waddell American Leadership – West Foothills (8-0, 16.0803) No. 3, Tucson Pusch Ridge Christian (8-1, 15.5883) No. 4, Bullhead City Mohave (7-1, 15.0053) No. 5, Florence (7-1, 13.9523) No. 6, Queen Creek American Leadership – Ironwood (7-1, 13.8226) No. 7, and Mohave Valley River Valley (8-1, 12.5288) No. 8,

Payson (7-2, 10.3940) was No. 9, Lakeside Blue Ridge (7-2, 8.9958) No. 10, Eagar Round Valley (6-3, 8.3155) No. 11, Surprise Paradise Honors (5-4, 7.6084) No. 12, Wickenburg (6-3, 7.3095) No. 13, El Mirage Dysart (7-2, 7.2986) No. 14, Gilbert Christian (5-4, 5.7024) No. 15, and Show Low (4-5, 5.4633) No. 16 (4-4, 5.0111).

*Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Defensive linemen, seniors Syler Romero (70) and Brigham Rassmussen (76), and junior Landon Robbins (62) get sideline advice from an assistant coach.*

The initial Top 16 Class 3A rankings at noon on Oct. 1 listed Florence (6-0, 16.9480) No. 1, ALA – West Foothills (4-0, 16.0358) No. 2, Thatcher (4-1, 15.0047) No. 3, Blue Ridge (6-0, 14.9545) No. 4, River Valley (6-0, 14.3772) No. 5, Benjamin Franklin (5-1, 6.1594) No. 6, Mohave (6-0, 11.4313) No. 7, and Payson (5-1, 11.0976) No. 8.

ALA – Ironwood (4-1, 9.8302) was No. 9, Pusch Ridge (4-1, 9.2412) No. 10, Wickenburg (4-2, 8.8690) No. 11, Safford (3-3, 5.8785) No. 12, Round Valley (3-2, 5.1112) No. 13, Valley Christian (2-3, 4.9592) No. 14, Dysart (3-2, 4.4654) No. 15, and Gilbert Christian (4-2, 7.6450) No. 16.

Rankings for the other two South Region members were Safford (4-5, 2.6789) No. 20, Sabino (3-6, 0.7545) No. 21 and Morenci (3-6, minus 0.4778) No. 24. All five region members were involved in the 2023 state playoffs.

3A South Region

*Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Pusch Ridge sophomore outside linebacker Levi Adcock (42) zeros in on Kody Bingham (34) for a short gain.*

Region standings are Pusch Ridge Christian (8-1, 3-0), Thatcher (7-2 overall, 2-1 region), Safford (4-5, 2-1), Sabino (3-6, 1-3), and Morenci (3-6, 0-3).

No. 4 Pusch Ridge Lions (8-1, 15.5883)

Pusch Ridge (8-1, 3-0) is averaging a 39-7 (353-62) score per game or a 32-point margin. The Lions have seeding wins over Show Low (42-3, Aug. 30), Yuma (51-0, Sept. 13), Tucson Catalina Foothills (44-7, Sept. 20), San Tan Valley San Tan Foothills (45-0, Sept. 27), Sabino (42-14, Oct. 4), Morenci (29-0, Oct. 11), Coolidge (68-0, Oct. 18), and Thatcher (22-7, Oct. 25).

The loss is to Queen Creek Benjamin Franklin (7-31, Aug. 30).

No. 20 Safford Bulldogs (4-5, 2.6787)

Safford (4-5, 2-1) is averaging a 13-21 (121-192) score per game or an 8-point deficit. The Bulldogs have seeding wins over Pima (14-7, Aug. 29), Tucson Rincon/University (42-6, Sept. 13), Sabino (27-14, Sept. 20), and Morenci (13-12, Oct. 4). The losses are to Payson (6-20, Aug. 23), Florence (13-34, Sept. 6), Blue Ridge (0-35, Sept. 27), Round Valley (6-36, Oct. 11), and Thatcher (0-28, Oct. 18).

No. 21 Sabino Sabercats (3-6, 0.7545)

*Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Pusch Ridge junior Aaron Kenworthy (62) drags down sophomore Tristun Brown*

Sabino (3-6, 1-3) is averaging a 15-22 (138-198) score per game or a 7-point deficit. The Sabercats have seeding wins over Coolidge (40-0, Aug. 23), Crimson (13-0, Sept. 6), and Morenci (31-0, Oct. 25) as well as losses to Tucson Sahuaro (14-15, Aug. 30), Tucson Mica Mountain (0-35, Sept. 13), Safford (14-27, Sept. 20), Pusch Ridge (14-42, Oct. 4), Thatcher (12-41, Oct. 11), and ALA – West Foothills (0-38, Oct. 18).

2A State Rankings

Two teams were moved up into the Top 16 and two moved down below. Saint Johns ascended to No. 15 (5-4, 1.0856) from No. 17 (4-4, 0.5240) and Parker ascended to No. 16 (5-4, 0.8357) from No. 18 (4-4, 0.5118) while Pinon descended from No. 15 (7-1, 1.4629) to No. 19 and Benson descended from No. 16 (5-3, 1.2150) to No. 18 (5-4, minus 0.4067). The Top 16 will be involved in the post-season after the regular season conclusion on Nov. 1.

The Top 16 of 51 Class 2A rankings as of noon on Oct. 29 had Gilbert San Tan Charter (9-0 seeding, 16.0367 rating) No. 1, Tonopah Valley (10-0, 14.3539) No. 2, Eloy Santa Cruz (8-1, 11.4268) No. 3, Phoenix Christian (8-1, 11.3308) No. 4, Pima (8-1, 10.0176) No. 5, Bisbee (8-1, 9.9128) No. 6, Phoenix Arizona Lutheran (6-3, 8.7808) No. 7, and Scottsdale Prep (8-1, 8.0744) No. 8.

*Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Junior quarterback Chad Johnson (17) passes to senior wide receiver Crew Farris (24).*

Willcox (6-3, 6.1570) was No. 9, Camp Verde (6-3, 5.0023) No. 10, Miami (6-3, 4.9249) No. 11, Phoenix Veritas Prep (6-3, 4.5209) No. 12, Laveen Heritage (5-3, 3.4889) No. 13, Scottsdale Christian (5-4, 3.3181) No. 14, Saint Johns (5-4, 1.0856) No. 15, and Parker (5-4, 0.8357) No. 16.

The initial Top 16 Class 2A rankings at noon on Oct. 1 listed San Tan Charter (5-0 seeding, 15.0485 rating) No. 1, Santa Cruz (6-0, 13.2769) No. 2, Tonopah Valley (6-0, 11.2784) No. 3, Phoenix Christian (5-1, 11.1312) No. 4, Tanque Verde (4-1, 7.8429) No. 5, Pima (4-1, 7.4639) No. 6, Arizona Lutheran (4-2, 7.2779 rating) No. 7, and Scottsdale Prep (5-1, 6.4927) No. 8.

Bisbee (4-1, 5.9268) was No. 9, Veritas Prep (4-2, 5.5467) No. 10, Heritage (4-1, 4.3630) No. 11, Pinon (5-1, 3.0226) No. 12, Camp Verde (3-2, 1.9757) No. 13, Whiteriver Alchesay (4-1, 1.4408) No. 14, Glendale Prep (3-2, 1.4366) No. 15, and Scottsdale Christian (2-3, 0.6108) No. 16.

2A Black Region

*Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Will Chidester (6) looks for some running rum against Pusch Ridge. The Thatcher senior was crowned homecoming king at halftime.*

Region standing are Pima (8-1 overall, 6-0 region), Miami (7-3, 5-1), Saint Johns (5-4, 3-2), Globe (4-5, 2-3), Whiteriver Alchesay (5-4, 2-3), San Carlos (2-7, 1-4), and Florence American Leadership – Anthem South (2-8, 0-6).

This week, No. 5 Pima (8-1, 10.0176) visits No. 3 Santa Cruz (8-1, 11.4268), No. 11 Miami (6-3, 4.9249) hosts No. 43 ALA-Anthem South (2-7, minus 16.4497), No. 15 Saint Johns (5-4, 1.0856) hosts No. 28 Alchesay (5-4, minus 4.8932), and No. 31 Globe (4-5, minus 6.6845) visits No. 38 San Carlos (2-7, minus 13.2969).

No. 5 Pima Roughriders (8-1, 10.0176)

Pima (8-1 seeding, 6-0 region) is averaging a 43-7 (383-66) score per game or a 36-point margin. The Roughriders have seeding wins over Globe (41-0, Aug. 23), Morenci (20-14 in 2 OT, Sept. 13), Saint Johns (7-2, Sept. 20), Miami (54-12, Sept. 27), ALA – Anthem South (58-7, Oct. 4), Scottsdale Christian (20-17, Oct. 11), Alchesay (48-0, Oct. 18), and San Carlos (63-0, Oct. 25).

*Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Quarterback Chad Johnson (17) takes fourth quarter snap from center.*

The loss is to Safford (7-14, Aug. 29).

No. 11 Miami Vandals (7-3, 4.9249)

Miami (7-3, 5-1) is averaging a 30-18 (299-184) score per game or a 12-point margin. The Vandals have seeding wins over Chandler Prep (32-14, Sept. 13), Globe (30-19, Sept. 20), Alchesay (44-8, Oct. 4), Saint Johns (20-13, Oct. 11), San Carlos (45-8, Oct. 18), Glendale Prep (50-27), and ALA – Anthem South (48-0, Oct. 31).

The losses are to Scottsdale Prep (6-13, Aug. 23), Phoenix Veritas Prep (12-28, Aug. 30), and Pima (12-54, Sept. 27).

No. 38 San Carlos Braves (2-7, minus 13.2969)

*Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Thatcher head coach Daniel Jones talks to the Eagles during the post-game end zone meeting.*

San Carlos (2-7, 1-4) is averaging a 13-38 (115-344) score per game or a 25-point deficit. The Braves have seeding wins over ALA – Anthem South (24-12, Aug. 23) and Phoenix Valley Lutheran (30-10, Sept. 27).

The losses are to Whittman Mountainside (14-25, Aug. 30), Tombstone (6-58, Sept. 6), Pinon (6-30, Sept. 13), Alchesay (20-52, Sept. 20), Saint Johns (7-49, Oct. 4), Miami (8-45, Oct. 18), and Pima (0-63, Oct. 25).

2A San Pedro Region

Region standings are Bisbee (8-1 seeding, 6-0 region), Willcox (6-3, 5-1), Benson (5-4, 4-2), Tombstone (5-4, 3-3), Tanque Verde (5-4, 3-3), Palo Verde Magnet (4-5, 2-4), Catalina (1-8, 1-5), and Santa Rita (0-9, 0-6).

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: The homecoming bonfire was lit shortly after the home volleyball match with Pusch Ridge on Oct. 22. Viewing the flames from an elevated distance were, from left, sophomores Liv Ferron and Evalyn Bull, junior Calla Rhoton, sophomore Londen Rhoton, and junior Noah Rassmussen.

This week, No. 6 Bisbee (8-1 seeding, 9.9128 rating) visits No. 50 Santa Rita (0-9, minus 23.6976), No. 9 Willcox (6-3, 6.1570) hosts No. 45 Catalina (1-8, minus 19.2141), No. 17 Tanque Verde (5-4, minus 0.3961) hosts No. 18 Benson (5-4, minus 0.4067), and No. 21 Tombstone (5-4, minus 1.5911) visits No. 33 Palo Verde (4-5, minus 8.6480).

No. 9 Willcox Cowboys (6-3, 6.1570)

Willcox (6-3, 5-1) is averaging a 36-4 (325-213) score per game or a 32-point margin. The Cowboys have seeding wins over Phoenix Arizona Lutheran (18-16, Aug. 23), Santa Rita (65-12, Sept. 20), Tombstone (45-8, Sept. 27), Tanque Verde (41-20, Oct. 11), Palo Verde (50-8, Oct. 18), and Benson (39-21, Oct. 25).

The losses are to Tonopah Valley (20-65, Aug. 30), Show Low (7-21, Sept. 6), and Bisbee (40-42, Oct. 4).