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Superior Panthers
The No. 3-ranked Superior football team finally started its season last Friday night at Valley Lutheran and did so in dominating fashion, scoring 54 first-half points and its way to a 54 – 0 shutout victory.
“It was good to come out and knock a little dust off the pads,” Superior head coach Ryan Palmer said following the win. “Overall, it was a good team effort; a good team win and we started the season off on the right track.”
The Panthers’ offensive performance was no surprise, but the defense was equally dominant, limiting the Flames to negative 34 yards of total offense in the game. Valley Lutheran did not gain a first down until the fourth quarter.
Palmer took issue with those who believe the Panthers’ are lacking on the defensive side of the ball.
“I think that’s false,” he said of his defense’s reputation. “I think if you look back to last year, we only play our starters for a half if we are (holding a big lead). I’m going to let all the kids get some reps. Even the second group stepped up and played assignment football (against Valley Lutheran).”
Senior quarterback Nicolaus Cruz showed why he’s a Player of the Candidate after completing 8-of-10 passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter alone. He also rushed for 94 yards and two more touchdowns before his night ended at halftime.
Senior two-way standout Edgar Galindo added 177 rushing yards and two touchdowns in also only one half of playing time.
Senior Austin Navarrette and junior Marcos Bueno each hauled in touchdown receptions.
Jalon Murray, a senior, and Bueno each had 3.5 sacks to lead the defense. Freshman Gabriel Otero had a team-high six tackles in the win.
With the Panthers expected to dominate most opponents, finding correctable errors could be difficult, but coaches are always looking for those areas and moments where they can help their teams improve.
“The big thing is ball security,” answered Palmer when asked to name an area where his team needs to improve. “We had a couple of receivers drop some passes and we put a ball on the ground. I’d like to see us make sure we’re securing the ball and playing disciplined football.”
The Panthers’ play their home opener this Friday in what could be their toughest regular season game against No. 2 St. David.
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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