Spotlighting St. Mary’s vs. Basha tonight

I will be in the shadows of the San Tan Mountains tonight for the 1-1 St. Mary’s Knights against the 2-0 Basha Bears tonight.

This game has the potential to be pretty one-sided as Basha has one of the top teams in the state and St. Mary’s has one of the smallest rosters in Division I with just 31 players.

But this game will not be over right at kick-off. For some reason, the Bears have gotten off to slow starts in games this season. The trailed in the first half most recently last week against Glendale Mountain Ridge last week in the first half before pulling away in the second half.

St. Mary’s has been the opposite this season as they have come out fast. Last week against Ironwood they led 14-0 after the first before Ironwood ran wild against the Knights for 530 yards rushing in route to the Knights’ first loss of the season.

For that reason, my eye will be on Basha’s talented running back Rajhan Meriwether. Going up against a St. Mary’s defense who gave up two 200 yard rushers last week could mean a big week for Meriwether. Ball security has been the big issue that Meriwether and he will hope to improve upon that this week as he already has three fumbles lost in two weeks. And of course I am excited to see U of A commit Nate Phillips live who looks to be well on his way to another all-state level year.

St. Mary’s loves to move the ball fast. If they come out fast and punch Basha in the mouth early, maybe big plays from the Knights playmaker Lukas Treffers or from their durable running back Lester Smith, Basha might get onto their heels and get out of their game.

Looking forward to some exciting high school football tonight out at Basha High School.