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San Manuel Miners
The San Manuel football team turned the ball over too many times, squandering prime scoring opportunities, in its 47 – 28 defeat at Globe last Friday night.
“I thought (we) played hard, but it’s hard to overcome turnovers especially in the red zone,” San Manuel head coach Damon Lovato said afterwards. “We had a good week of practice, and the boys executed the game plan. We had over 400 yards of offense, so we were moving the ball well.”
The Miners totaled enough yards, just not enough points.
The loss essentially eliminates No. 26-ranked San Manuel from the playoffs. With two games remaining in the season, Lovato expects his team to maintain focus and finish strong.
“It’s about pride both in yourself and the school,” he said. “We want to take care of Senior Night here (on Oct. 26), so that’s not hard to motivate the guys for.”
The Miners visit Miami this Friday, when the Vandals will celebrate Homecoming.
“It’s not hard to get the guys up for that game and play the spoiler,” Lovato said.
The final two games are also an opportunity for players to make their mark as coaches begin to look forward to next season.
“Coach Ivy, the rest of the staff, and I are working on schemes we will use going into next year on both sides of the ball,” Lovato said. “I will continue working on the spread offense that we moved to a few weeks back and he will keep adding wrinkles to our defense heading into the offseason.”
Up next: San Manuel visits Miami on Friday, Oct. 19. 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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