by 
Superior Sun
After going winless last season and losing the first two games to start this season, the Jr. Panthers finally tasted victory last Tuesday, beating Hayden, 14 – 8.
“We kept shooting ourselves in the foot on offense, but our defense made up for it,” Jr. Panthers’ head coach Manuel Ortega said after the game.
The Jr. Panthers scored for the first time in the second quarter when Steven Ybarra hooked up with Sammy Lopez on a 50-yard touchdown pass and reception. Ybarra completed the 2-point PAT on a pass to Jesus Castellanos. Ybarra and Castellanos connected again in the third quarter when Ybarra’s pass was tipped and Castellanos, staying focused, hauled it in for the touchdown.
The Jr. Panthers defense was aggressive in the game, forcing two fumbles – one by Ybarra and the other by Benji Hernandez. Hayden scored a meaningless touchdown with twenty seconds left in the game to make the final score, 14 – 8.
Ortega credited the defense for its hard hitting after the game.
The Jr. Panthers played at Miami on Tuesday.
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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