Pusch Ridge head coach Kent Middleton earns an outright region championship. His defense has only given up 28 points in the last 8 games of the season while averaging 43 points on offense. @PRCAFootball pic.twitter.com/zdWjhl6dIg
— Andy Morales (@AndyMorales8) November 2, 2024
Pusch Ridge likely enters the 2A state playoffs with somewhat of a chip on its shoulder, seeded no higher than No. 4 despite finishing 9-1 overall and 4-0 in the 3A South.
Thatcher (8-2, 3-1 3A South) is the No. 3 seed despite losing at home to Pusch Ridge 22-7 two weeks ago.
Pusch Ridge will open the 3A state playoffs at home Friday at 7 p.m. against a familiar face — former Willcox coach Eric Hjalmarson — who is now the head coach of No. 13 Blue Ridge (7-3).
Hjalmarson coached four seasons at Willcox (and before that at Safford) before leaving after last season to coach at Blue Ridge, his alma mater. He played with Scooter Sprotte at Blue Ridge and joined Sprotte at Arizona after first playing at Eastern Arizona College.
Pusch Ridge is coached by Kent Middleton, who is 43-12 in his fifth season with the Lions after serving for nearly 30 years as an assistant coach at various schools.
The Lions’ lone loss this season was at No. 1 Franklin, a 31-7 defeat on Sept. 6.
Pusch Ridge is in Franklin’s side of the bracket. The teams would meet in the semifinals if they both advance that far.
Thatcher is in the opposite bracket and will open Friday at 7 p.m. with a home game against No. 14 Gilbert Christian (6-4).
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