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Superior’s Michael Salazar (3) heads down the field towards another goal.
James Carnes | CBN
Superior Sun
After residing in Kearny for the past two seasons, the Copper Helmet made its return to Superior last Friday night after the sixth-ranked Panthers cruised to a 54 – 8 victory at Ray, spoiling the Bearcats’ homecoming in the process.
“Winning the Copper Helmet was one of the goals on our checklist for the season,” Superior senior captain Elias Olmos told the Superior Sun.
Already leading 20 – 8 at halftime, the Panthers erupted for 28 points in the third quarter and scored a total of 34 unanswered points in the second half.
Quarterback Nicolaus Cruz threw for 161 yards and three touchdowns while junior running back Edgar Galindo rushed for a team-high 88 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Michael Salazar finished with 133 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns – two receiving and one rushing – in the win.
The Panthers notched their fifth-straight lopsided win, but perhaps even more impressive is the consistency they’ve shown each week against inferior opponents, something that is not always easy to do.
“We’ve just been trying to out-work our opponents all week in practice,” Olmos said. “We have to understand that we’re going to have to play at a high level against those big teams so we’re getting in the habit of doing it now and getting ready for those types of game later in the season.”
The Panthers forced four turnovers on defense – three interceptions and one fumble. Cruz, Olmos, and Galindo each had an interception with Galindo returning his for a touchdown. Galindo also had the fumble recovery.
Next up for Superior is Chandler Prep this Friday.
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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