Sun and clouds mixed. High 68F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph..

A clear sky. Low 44F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.

EAGAR — The Window Rock Fighting Scouts made the trip to Springerville to be hosted by Round Valley in the Dome Oct 7th for the Elks Homecoming game.

In a recent White House proclamation, President Biden called for Congress to pass the “Freedom to Vote Act,” which imposes national Election Day voter registration requirements, automatic voter registration and mail-in voting requirements on states.

EAGAR — The Window Rock Fighting Scouts made the trip to Springerville to be hosted by Round Valley in the Dome Oct 7th for the Elks Homecoming game.

The Elks were able to get scoring early and the flow of the game would allow the coaches to continue working on player placement and getting younger players additional playing time.

Robert Haws, a line coach for the Elks, was pleased with the intensity and focus the team brought to the field on homecoming evening. He felt the Elks were able to “start fast” and be aggressive which provided the Elks opportunities to score early.

Both teams made use of the spread offense with 3 receivers and mostly 1 running back. The Elks used the quarterback position more for throwing, running, and handing off while the Fighting Scouts quarterback Taylor Begay mostly threw or handed off the ball and only ran on limited occasions.

Coach Haws talked about how the team was still looking at changes and trying to get players in the best spot to help the team be successful. Some of the changes for the Elks showed up on the defensive side of the ball. Several players have been moved or rotated to different positions including senior Treyson Merrill. Merrill not only changed numbers from 10 to 54 to accommodate a position changes on the offensive line, he also moved from the defensive line to linebacker. Regardless of the change Merrill still brought his hard hitting style and defensive play making ability.

On offense quarterback Ryker Marble had a successful night both running and throwing the ball. Marble scored the Elks first TD on a run of 23 yards early in the first quarter.

On the Scouts second drive Merrill picked up a fumble on the Elks 47 and ran it back to the Scouts 28. A penalty on the play would negate the run, but gave RV possession of the ball. Marble would strike quickly throwing the ball to Jordan Elmer on a 52 yard pass putting the Elks on the Scout 3 yard line. Clark would run the ball in for a touchdown on the next play. Round Valley would hold the Scouts on the next drive and take over on down around the Scout 45 yard line. Marble would throw to Body Ziegler for a 5 yard td putting the Elks up 21-0 in the 1st quarter.

The Scouts would come back with a 44 yard pass from Begay to #7 Tristan Thomas giving Window Rock the ball on the Elk 29 yard line. The Elks would force a turnover on downs and retain the ball on their 25 yard line. Marble would make throws of 42, 28 and a final toss of 8 yards to Elmer for a TD. After a few possession changes RV would score on another 8 yard run by Marble to give the Elks a halftime lead of 35-0.

The teams would come out in the second half with both teams putting scores on the board. RV had the chance to get additional younger players into the game. Looking forward to this week Coach Haws hoped that the team continued to work hard and “get better” as they prepared to take on the Winslow Bulldogs in Winslow on Thursday Oct 13th.

It is not often the last few seasons that a Mogollon Mustangs football team has entered a game as an underdog. This last Friday was one of those few times they were not favored as the #5 ranked Mustangs journeyed to #1 ranked Williams.

Behind a strong running attack featuring Blayk Kelton and Payton Reidhead and an opportunistic defense with interceptions by Kelton (2) and Reidhead plus three recovered fumbles, the Mustangs prevailed 36-24.

The first quarter belonged to Kelton and the Mustang offensive line as they gave the Mustangs a 14-8 lead. Kelton scored on runs of 25 and one yards. Those two touchdowns were sandwiched around a Viking score. Reidhead caught a Kyson Owens pass for the two point conversion after the first Kelton TD.

The second quarter was scoreless as both teams battled a wet and slippery field resulting in fumbles and falls by the running backs.

Mogollon came out in the third quarter and took a 20-8 lead on a Reidhead 16 yard run. Within a minute, the Vikings roared back to cut the score to 20-16. After the Mustangs had to punt on their next drive, Williams was knocking on the door to give the Vikings a lead when Kelton stepped in front of a Viking receiver and returned an interception 56 yards. The turnover gave the Mustangs an opportunity to expand their lead, and Reidhead ran in for a 14 yard touchdown and Mogollon’s lead was 28-16 at the end of the third quarter.

The rushing game of Mogollon continued to control the clock and the game and Kelton scored his third touchdown with just over seven minutes left in the game. Kelton added the two point conversion and the Mustangs had a 36-16 lead.

Williams charged back once again and scored less than two minutes later to cut the lead to 36-24 but the Mustang defense took over and kept the Vikings out of the end zone the remainder of the game. The turnover rate of six gained by the Mustangs to only two lost was a big reason for the win over the former #1 team in the 1A ranks in Arizona.

Mogollon takes on rival Joseph City which is coming off a strong 48-12 win over Fredonia this past week. The Wildcats come in with a 5-3 record overall and a 2-2 record in the 1A North Region. They would like nothing better than to beat the Mustangs on the Mogollon field during Homecoming week.

The Mustangs record of 6-2 overall and 4-0 in the 1A North puts them in the driver’s seat for a first round bye in the 1A Arizona Football Championship drive. They must first not let down and allow Joseph City to upset them. They more than likely secure a first round bye with a win heading into the playoffs starting on October 21.

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