by 
Hayden Lobos
It’s been said that it’s not how you start, but how you finish.
It was, however, about the start for the Hayden football team last Friday. The Lobos finished well against Mogollon after falling behind 24 – 0, but they couldn’t complete the comeback in a 48 – 36 loss.
“I was happy with how we played,” Hayden head coach John Estrada said. “We made some mistakes early in the game that hurt us and the outcome of the game, but overall we played tough and very well.”
Despite the loss, Estrada said the Lobos learned how to play through adversity, a challenge any team that hopes to reach the postseason must concur.
“Our kids never gave up,” he said. “Take away our mistakes we made early in the game and the outcome would have been in our favor.
“We need to learn from this and move on. More importantly we need to believe in what we are doing as a team, our offensive plays, and especially our defensive play. We need to do our job.”
Up next: The Lobos finally play a home game, hosting Baboquivari in their opener.
“We’re excited to play at home and in front of our fans, even though we’ve had a good fanbase at our away games,” Estrada said, adding the team has appreciated the support on the road. “Friday, we need to do our jobs, execute, and be physical.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Andrew Luberda began writing for Copper Area News Publishers (CANP) in February 2013 after working 15 years in Healthcare Financial Management. Andy covers sports for 11 high schools. His stories are published in Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner and Superior Sun, in addition to the San Tan Valley Daily PRSS and CopperArea websites. Additionally, he has written human interest stories and business profiles. In May 2012, he earned an AAS in Sports Management at Central Arizona College before graduating with a BS in Communication from Arizona State University in 2014. He and his wife, Kelli, have three sons – AJ, Kyle, and Kade.
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