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San Manuel Miners
At quick glance, the results after San Manuel’s first two football games don’t indicate many positives, but that depends on whose viewpoint it is.
In two losses, the Miners have been outscored, 104 – 6.
In Yuma Catholic and Benson, the Miners scheduled games against a 3A state title contender and a perennial 2A playoff contender, respectively. Neither is the type of opponent that most teams can expect success. In fact, it may be the opposite, but there’s a method to San Manuel head coach Damon Lovato’s scheduling philosophy.
“I would challenge any team in the state to schedule (tougher teams),” Lovato told the Miner. “We played two of (the best) in their respective conferences.
“When we schedule our two toughest games, I can keep things in perspective. I think we’ve learned from both experiences. If we plan to compete for (the playoffs), the trip to Yuma (is beneficial). It also helps our strength of schedule, which has hurt us previously. Even with losses, (the strength of schedule) help us in the long run.”
Junior Santiago Salazar and senior Cisco Curry are confident the Miners will have the success the team expects this season. Two early losses have not diminished their optimism.
“In our first game, we were really shaky on offense, but I think we improved against Benson, especially our run game,” Salazar said. “Julian Rodriguez improved (the most). He ran hard, tried his best and gave it his all.”
Salazar acknowledged the defense still has work to do to play at the level it needs to, including the defensive line.
Curry also expects the experience so far to pay dividends later. The bond the players share will see them through.
“We’ve all grown up so close to each other and developed that bond on the field,” Curry said. “If we can continue to build that on the field, I think we can be great. We’re going to have a good season.”
The Miners hope to change the viewpoint of others at Tombstone this Friday.
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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