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Senior running back Brandon Cruz ran for a touchdown and caught another to help No. 9 Hayden pull off the mild 36 – 14 upset at No. 8 Mayer last Saturday night in the first-round of the 1A State Playoffs.
With the win, the Lobos advance to the quarterfinals, where they will meet top-seeded Bagdad on Saturday night.
“Our team played well,” Hayden head coach John Estrada said after the victory against Mayer. “We hit, executed and played tough.”
“Our line controlled the line of scrimmage and our backs ran hard,” he added. “The line gave (quarterback Mario) Mariscal time to throw the ball.”
Mariscal, a junior, threw for 160 yards three touchdown passes in the win, connecting with Ryan Donovan and Joel Rodriguez, in addition to the one to Cruz.
Cruz (127 yards) and Donovan (86) combined to rush for 213 yards against the Wildcats.
Omar Lopez scored on defense for the Lobos, recording a pick-six after returning an interception 40 yards for a touchdown.
The Lobos have won seven of their last eight games with the only loss against No. 2-ranked Superior. No. 1 Bagdad presents similar challenges as the Panthers, but that experience should bode well for the Lobos.
“It’ll be a challenge,” Estrada said of this week’s quarterfinal game. “We must have no mistakes, and we have to hit, execute and have fun.”
“We need to play our best game of the season and leave it all on the field.”
Saturday’s kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Bagdad.
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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