Football Preview: Payson Longhorns vs. Coconino Panthers
The Payson Longhorns will play host again on Friday to welcome the Coconino Panthers, where kickoff is scheduled at 7:00 p.m. Payson will be strutting in after a win while Coconino will be coming in after a loss.
Last Friday, everything went Payson's way against Page as Payson made off with a 49-24 victory.
A big part of the win came down to the chemistry between Nolan Keeney and his top target Keaton Potter. Keeney threw for 183 yards and three touchdowns while completing 73.3% of his passes while Potter gained 118 total yards and three touchdowns. The dominant performance gave him a new career- in total yards.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Payson was moving up and down the field and finished the game with 406 total yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Page only gained 268.
Payson's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged three passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Mason Hererra and Marco Gureque.
Coconino kicked off their season on the road last Friday and hit a couple of potholes. They took a 12-7 hit to the loss column at the hands of Vista Grande.
Even if they lost, Coconino's defense still kept up the pressure with three sacks. Leading the way was Gavin Moran and his two. He didn't just play on offense: he also picked up two sacks and made 11 total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Payson's victory bumped their record up to 3-0. As for Coconino, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-1.
Payson took a serious blow against Coconino in their previous meeting back in September of 2023, falling 42-3. Thankfully for Payson, Bridger French (who rushed for 132 yards and four touchdowns on only 12 carries) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
