by 
Superior Sun
The Superior Jr. High football team finished its regular season without a loss, going a perfect 6 – 0 to lock up the No. 1-seed in the upcoming playoffs that begin on Oct. 13.
“We had some pretty good players who were seventh-graders last year that came up, so we had some decent talent there,” head coach Martin Navarrette told the Superior Sun. “(We) also had a younger group come up – seventh-graders – that had some experience from playing in the league in Apache Junction. The combination of the talent that was there and the new players coming in; they blended pretty well.”
The Jr. Panthers are led on offense by quarterback Sammy Lopez, one of the team’s captains. Navarrette said he likes the way Lopez runs the offense and is the one who makes the Jr. Panthers go.
Navarrette also likes first-year running back Gabe Ortero, who plays running back and fullback. A couple of eighth graders lead a strong offensive line, including Benji Hernandez, who Navarrette said is one of several in the group who can really “move some bodies around.”
The saying goes, ‘Defense wins championships’ and the Jr. Panthers may have the league’s best. The defense is an aggressive, blitzing style which includes “a stunt on every play,” according to Navarrette.
The Jr. Panthers’ head coach believes the experience and familiarity between he and players has helped the team achieve the level of success it has this year.
The Jr. Panthers will host the No. 4-seed on Oct. 13 and can advance to the championship game on Oct. 20 with a win.
What will it take for the Jr. Panthers to bring home the championship?
“As long as we can outlast our opponent, our players remain aggressive, and they play smart, I think we’ll be fine,” Navarrette responded.
In other words, keep doing what they’ve been doing.
Good luck, Jr. Panthers!
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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