No Mingus Union High School football season may have ever come down more to one game than Friday, Oct. 30.
That is when the 8-1 Marauders will show if they have what it takes to: Win at Prescott High School; finish undefeated in sectional play; capture their first sectional title since 2012; and finish with their best record since the Arizona Interscholastic Association went to divisional play.
“Honestly, the way those power points go, like I told the kids — we know that we win, we make it in,” said head coach Bob Young after rolling, 41-7, over Flagstaff High School on Senior Night. “We lose, we’re on the bubble.
“It’s a playoff game for Prescott; it’s a playoff game for us, too.”
With his first win over the Badgers since knocking them out of the 2012 postseason, Young would finish with his best MUHS record in six years, when his state semifinalists rolled undefeated through Division II of the 4A Conference on the way to a 12-1 record.
“I’ve seen the film on Prescott already. I know what they can do,” Young said. “It’s more about what we do than anything.”
The 11th-ranked Marauders set up the Division III, Section VIII showdown by outscoring their last three opponents, 109-7, and using virtually every skill player in a 21-0 first half Friday, Oct. 23, at MUHS.
“Flagstaff beat Prescott, so that got everyone’s attention,” Young said after the Eagles handed the Badgers their second loss, 36-6, Oct. 16. “We had a really good week of practice.”
Returning at quarterback was senior Jordan Upham, whose three-yard run opened the scoring with 4:45 to play in the first quarter.
For the full story and standings, please see the Wednesday, Oct. 28, issue of the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
