THATCHER, Ariz. — The 71st meeting of the Thatcher–Safford rivalry followed a familiar script Friday night — but it still carried the energy and pride that come with one of Arizona’s oldest small-school matchups.
Thatcher used a balanced attack and a pair of defensive scores to pull away for a 49–7 win, the Eagles’ 10th straight victory in the series.
Senior quarterback Chad Johnson led the Eagles with a standout performance on both sides of the ball. Johnson completed 8 of 10 passes for 158 yards with one interception and added 106 rushing yards and a touchdown. He also returned an interception 85 yards for a score late in the first half to help Thatcher take control.
Ryan Jones added a 2-yard touchdown run and finished with 31 rushing yards and 54 receiving, while Smith Mangum had 40 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Despite four turnovers, Thatcher (5–1) spread the ball around, with 13 different players recording offensive stats on the way to 447 total yards — 289 rushing and 158 passing.
Safford (2–5) had early success through the air as Dane Jacobson connected with Lamarr Ellis for a 79-yard touchdown in the second quarter to make it 14–7. Jacobson finished 5 of 17 for 127 yards, a touchdown and an interception before leaving with an injury. Ellis caught three passes for 110 yards, and Adrian Casillas carried 12 times for 68 yards. The Bulldogs finished with 229 total yards, including 103 on the ground.
Thatcher’s defense produced two interception returns for touchdowns, one each from Johnson and Dylan Riney, and held firm after halftime to seal the win.
Thatcher improves to 5–1 and will host San Tan Foothills next week. Safford, now 2–5, heads into its bye week before returning to region play against Pusch Ridge.
