3A Chamionship Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Take a look at the 3A Championship matchup between Eastmark vs Thatcher: </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Eastmark </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Eastmark glided through the 3A playoffs by taking down Monument Valley, Sabino, and Pusch Ridge to continue to make a statement why they belong in the 3A championship, as they scored over 40 points in each game. They almost went perfect with their 9-1 regular season record and those 3 playoff wins thus far, however, they are going to get another shot at the team who prevented them from having an undefeated season. Week 2, Thatcher beat Eastmark 31-30, and immediately after that game you got the feeling that it wasn't the only time they would meet here in 2022. Eastmark is a clear powerhouse, as they bounced back the next week and took down #1 seeded 4A ALA-Gilbert North and have rolled everybody since. Since that week 3 win over ALA-GN, Eastmark has scored over 40 points in every game and has proven to be able to score on command. For Eastmark, there's no better way to go out and win the title against a team that remains unbeaten and gave them their only L. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Players to know: </em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='165929' first='Mack' last='Molander'], QB, 2023</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='110143' first='Austin' last='Johnston'], WR/DB, 2023</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Diego Rodriguez</strong>, RB, 2023</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='214116' first='Kaden' last='Armstrong'], LB, 2023</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jeriah Krize</strong>, LB, 2023</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Daylan Tichenor,</strong> DB, 2024<img class="wp-image-424878" style="width: 350px;" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/08/PRZStockGraphic-800x525-1.jpg" alt=""></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Thatcher </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thatcher enters the 3A title with an undefeated season at hand and a chance to beat the #2 team in the state twice. as stated above, Thatcher handed Eastmark their only loss during that week 2 matchup and has only gotten stronger since. Despite that undefeatd record, Thatcher did have a handful of close matchups with a 28-14 win over Pusch Ridge in week 5 and a 21-7 seifinals win over Show Low. The good thing about this matchup is that these two really are the two best teams in 3A. A lot of excuses tend to come around toward the end of the season and the playoffs, but these guys have played each other, played similar compeitition, and earned their shot and their ranking. Thatcher is a real hard nosed football team with a ton of grit and makes you respect those players and the coaching staff tremendously. After their first matchup and the way both of these teams have played all year, this game is nearly impossible to predict, but the one thing you can expect is for both teams to play with a ton of energy and this game to turn into a heavyweight fight. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Players to know: </em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brandon Napier, QB, 2023</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ayden Bingham, RB, 2023</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cody Jones, ATH, 2023</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jacob Rasumussen, DL/OL, 2023</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->