By Jon Johnson
THATCHER – After dispatching Safford 28-0 for the eighth year in a row and reclaiming the Open Loop Energy trophy for the rivalry game, Thatcher now looks to capture the 3A South Region Championship on Friday with a win against Tucson Pusch Ridge at EAC’s John Mickelson Field.
Thatcher (7-0 conference, 7-1 overall) sits atop the 3A South with Pusch Ridge (6-1 conference, 7-1 overall) right on their heels and coming off a consecutive shutouts of 29-0 over Morenci on Oct. 11 and 68-0 over Coolidge on Oct. 18.
Thatcher is led on the offensive side by junior quarterback Chad Johnson – who has thrown for 661 yards and 6 TDs through 7 games this season – and senior running back Kody Bingham, who has 663 yards and 10 TDs through 7 games.
Defensively, running backs are funneled to the linebackers, who lead the team in tackles per game with Ryan Jones (11.2 per game), Tristun Brown (11.1 per game), and Brett Jones (9.8 per game). Defensive ends Travis Larson and Will Chidester lead the team with two sacks each.
Pusch Ridge is led by senior quarterback Jacob Newborn, who has thrown for more than 1,000 yards and ran for more than 500 yards this season.
The Eagles defeated the Lions during their last encounter last year, 16-10. The winner of this year’s match will take the 3A South Region crown and be in the driver’s seat for playoff seeding.
