Bagdad has enjoyed the comforts of home their last three games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will square off against the Hayden Lobos at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Bagdad is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Arizona's top teams: Mogollon, who was ranked third in their home state at the time (Bagdad was ranked second). Everything went Bagdad's way against Mogollon on Friday as Bagdad made off with a 48-26 victory. The score was all tied up 12-12 at the break, but the Sultans were the (much) better team in the second half.
Bagdad found their leader in sophomore Dj Gramanz, who rushed for 173 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 10.2 yards per carry. The dominant performance gave Gramanz a new career-high in rushing yards. Thomas Rodriguez handled things on the ground, rushing for 108 yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Gramanz was just one part of a punishing run game: Bagdad was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 380 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Bagdad didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off four passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Jace Myers, Levi Alfred, Rowdy Hooper, and Destry Owings picked up one apiece. Another thorn in Mogollon's side was Carson Wood, who made eight total tackles (4.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, it can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Hayden had no problem doing just that on Friday. They breezed by the Tigers to the tune of 53-6. The win was just business as usual for the Lobos, who after 11 games remain undefeated this season.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Hayden to victory, but perhaps none more so than Kino Lorona, who picked up 130 receiving yards and a touchdown, and also rushed for 64 yards and two touchdowns. Lorona showed off some serious burst, cutting upfield on a catch for 61 yards. J.R Fong also helped out as he racked up 103 receiving yards.
Hayden wouldn't let St. David keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. It was truly a group effort as Matthew Armenta, Tyler Garner, and Lorona picked up one apiece. Lorona is also on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in the last seven games he's played.
Bagdad pushed their record up to 10-1 with the victory, which was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 33.1 points. As for Hayden, their record now sits at 11-0.
Saturday's game will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Rodriguez and Lorona. Rodriguez just won't slow down this season and has averaged 31.7 receiving yards per game. Lorona has been a dominant force too and has caught 5 touchdowns while averaging 37.8 receiving yards per game.
Bagdad came up short against Hayden when the teams last played back in September, falling 30-20. Can Bagdad avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
