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The Jr. Panthers are the 2015 CJHL Champions
Superior Sun
The Superior Jr. High football team completed its season undefeated and as a champion after defeating Eloy 34 – 6 in the CJHL Championship Game on Oct. 20.
It certainly wasn’t easy, but the Jr. Panthers made it look that in the championship game.
“I was expecting a tougher game and for them to make some adjustments,” Jr. Panthers’ head coach Martin Navarrette told the Superior Sun. “I knew that is what we planned for. They were a bigger team than us, but we definitely were stronger, faster, and better conditioned and it paid off.”
The Jr. Panthers started slow, as was the case most of the season, but still led 12 – 0 after touchdowns by Adam Navarrette and Matthew Diaz-Gonzales.
Diaz-Gonzales’ score came after he first blocked an Eloy punt and then recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown.
Superior got it rolling in the second half, outscoring Eloy 22 – 6 to win going away.
Benji Hernandez ignited the Jr. Panthers’ after a 50-yard kickoff return setup Navarrette’s second touchdown of the game.
Sammy Lopez would later add a touchdown that essentially sealed the CJHL Championship for the Jr. Panthers.
The Jr. Panthers’ success this season can be contributed to the players’ commitment to be consistent in the classroom so all of them were available to practice and play in games. It was that continuity that led this season’s results.
“Respect is one of the main standards for any student-athlete that plays for me,” Navarrette said. “Their grades have to be good; if they’re grades aren’t good, they won’t play. That’s one thing we instill and we push. They boys did really well in those areas this year.”
Indeed they did.
And now they have League Championship as their reward.
Congratulations, Jr. Panthers.
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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