Hayden and Mogollon are an even 3-3 against one another since October of 2017, but not for long. The Hayden Lobos will be staying on the road on Saturday to face off against the Mogollon Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. on November 11th. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Hayden had no problem doing just that on Friday. They blew past El Capitan/Centennial Academy 28-8. Hayden might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won ten contests by 20 points or more this season.
Hayden got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Paul Gaither out in front who threw for 163 yards and two touchdowns, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. Another player making a difference was Kino Lorona, who gained 174 total yards and a touchdown.
Another reason for the win was Hayden's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. Mark Acevedo was especially locked on to El Capitan/Centennial Academy's QB and sacked him twice.
Meanwhile, Mogollon faced Bagdad in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Mogollon narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past Bagdad 36-34. The victory was nothing new for Mogollon as they're now sitting on six straight.
Hayden's win bumped their record up to 11-0. As for Mogollon, their win bumped their record up to 9-2.
Hayden took their win against Mogollon when the teams last played back in September by a conclusive 34-8. Will Hayden repeat their success, or does Mogollon have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
