Football Recap: Thatcher Starts Season with Win Against ALA - Ironwood

Thatcher took care of business in their home opener on Friday. They came out on top against the ALA - Ironwood Warriors by a score of 41-29. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Eagles' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona football rankings (they are ranked 35th, while the Warriors are ranked 118th).

Chad Johnson

Passing Yards (Career)

08/22/25 vs ALA - Ironwood	211
11/01/24 @ Morenci	172
09/20/24 vs Yuma Catholic	145
10/10/24 vs Sabino	134
10/04/24 @ Show Low	133

Chad Johnson went supernova, throwing for 211 yards and three touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes, and also rushing for 53 yards and a pair of scores. Those 211 passing yards gave him a new career-high. 83 of Johnson's passing yards were hauled in by Jackson Bryce, who also brought in two receiving touchdowns.

Thatcher didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited ALA - Ironwood to a completion percentage of just 40%. The team can thank Hudson Conrad for the heroic effort on defense: he. Given Johnson's standout performance, it's clear ALA - Ironwood's secondary just wasn't on the same level.

Thatcher didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Ryan Jones.

Despite the loss, ALA - Ironwood still got an impressive performance from Shawn Hinchcliff, who rushed for 112 yards and a pair of TDs. The team also got some help courtesy of Rylon Bradford, who picked up 94 receiving yards and one score.

Looking ahead, Thatcher will venture away from home to take on Apache Junction at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. As for ALA - Ironwood, they will be defending their home field for the first time this season when they go up against Pusch Ridge Christian Academy at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.