by 
Copper Basin News
A poor start and some questionable officiating cost the Jr. Lobos a chance at earning the final berth in the Central Junior High football playoffs. The San Manuel Jr. Miners defeated the Jr. Lobos last Tuesday, 20 – 0.
“I’m disappointed in the officiating and our team’s performance,” Jr. Lobos’ head coach Mike Smith said after the game. “We started out sluggish and never regained our fire from pre-game warmups.”
It wasn’t all bad for the Jr. Lobos. Running back Joel Rodriguez ran and caught the ball well out of the backfield. Quarterback Gilbert Carmelo, a seventh-grader, was able to make something out of nothing, scrambling for big runs after some busted plays.
The Jr. Lobos had two touchdowns called back in the game, both on questionable calls, according to Smith.
Joel Rodriguez had his 45-yard scoring run called back just before halftime on an illegal block. With his team trailing 20 – 0, Jr. Lobos eighth-grader receiver Omar Lopez returned the second half kickoff only to have it nullified by another illegal block penalty.
The Jr. Lobos appeared to lose some composer after the second touchdown was called back and were unable to avoid the shutout.
The Jr. Lobos closed out their season on October 7 at home versus the Ray Jr. Bearcats.
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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