Pusch Ridge Christian Academy was the 22-7 winner over Thatcher when they last played one another back in October of 2024, but their luck changed this time around. The Lions lost to the Eagles on the road by a 28-14 margin on Friday. The game marked the Lions' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
Although Pusch Ridge Christian Academy took the loss, they still got scores from Race Pinneo and Dominic Painter.
Most of the squad's points came courtesy of special teams, who contributed eight in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Painter, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.
Thatcher's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Chad Johnson, who rushed for 50 yards and one TD, and also threw for 79 yards and one touchdown. Johnson also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, making five total tackles and defending two passes. Another rusher making a difference was Jackson Bryce, who rushed for 56 yards and a pair of scores.
Having lost for the first time this season, Pusch Ridge Christian Academy fell to 5-1. As for Thatcher, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 4-1.
We've got plenty of inter-region action coming up soon. Pusch Ridge Christian Academy is set to challenge their familiar foe Sabino at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Meanwhile, Thatcher will take on rival Safford at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
