V Section III recap Oct. 23, 2012
The biggest upset of the week belonged to San Manuel, who took down 131st ranked San Manuel, 14-6. Taylor Fitzgerald ran for 123 yards in the win.
Morenci extended the longest winning streak in V Section III this week by beating Willcox, 28-6. The victory was the ninth in a row for the Wildcats.
Thatcher's dynamic duo of Presley Motes and Sam Bagnall proved tough for Round Valley to stop, as they were the top passer and receiver in the league this week. Motes threw for 213 yards and Bagnall had 105 yards receiving. Jacob Drage helped Thatcher's passing attack out by catching six balls for 74 yards.
Drage made the biggest impact on defense this week as the Eagles defeated the Elks. The 6-foot-6 senior racked up two sacks.
Bryant James was the most productive running back in the league this week. In six carries, he ran for 166 yards as Tombstone topped Round Valley. Teammate Garrett Devere added to the ground attack by rushing for 108 yards.
Thatcher's offense has been unstoppable this season and the Eagles feature the season leaders in passing, rushing and receiving yards. Motes has thrown for 1559 yards and 17 touchdowns this season, while Drage has 47 catches for 906 yards. Garet Kartchner leads the league in rushing with 829 yards.
Dave Jefferies' team's Drage is a few successful plays short of surpassing 1,000 yards receiving this season. He needs only 94 receiving yards against Bisbee to hit that benchmark.
A big matchup in V Section III this week will be when Benson takes on the Yellow Jackets. As it stands, the Bobcats are in fifth, while Tombstone is in sixth.
Pusch Ridge Christian Academy made the biggest jump in the national rankings this week, rising to 11,063 from 11,522. The improvement was the result of 14-6 victory over the Miners last week.
Story is based on stats entered in MaxPreps by Tuesday 5am PST each week.
