Payson hadn't done well against Show Low recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. The Payson Longhorns sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 24-21 win over the Show Low Cougars. That's more bragging rights for the Longhorns, who also won the pair's last head-to-head.
The critical scores for Payson came from Marco Gureque, Jonny McAnerny, and Bert Scheer.
Payson was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 205 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in September.
Payson didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Mason Hererra and Treigh Marinelli.
When it comes to explaining why Show Low lost, don't look at Jett Walker. Despite the final result, he picked up 122 receiving yards and a touchdown, and also rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown on only nine carries. Walker also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, making six total tackles and defending a pass. Perkins Kash was another key player, rushing for 58 yards and a touchdown on only seven carries.
Payson is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 8-2 record this season. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 32.0 points per game. As for Show Low, they moved to 4-6 with that loss, which also ended their three-game winning streak.
Payson is on the road again on Friday to play ALA - Ironwood at 7:00 p.m. Payson is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 30.4 points per game this season. Show Low does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
