Coconino To Host 4A First Round Football Playoff Game, Prescott On The Road For Round One

It’s been 14 years since the Coconino Panthers have played in the state playoffs in football and this year they are in and get to host a first round game. The Panthers are the number-eight seed and will take on the ninth-seeded Gila Ridge Hawks at Cromer Stadium on Friday night. Kickoff will be at 7 p.m. It will be the first playoff game ever played at the stadium. The Panthers finished the regular season with a 9-1 record after a 13-7 win over the Flagstaff Eagles. The winner of Friday’s game will either travel to Tucson to take on the top-seeded Sahuaro Cougars, or host 16th-seeded Glendale. The Prescott Badgers are also going to the playoffs. They are the number-13 seed and will travel to fourth-seeded Desert Edge in a rematch of the season’s opening game where the Scorpions won. Prescott finished the year with a 7-3 mark with losses to Desert Edge, Coconino and Canyon del Oro. The winner will play either fifth-seeded Walden Grove or 12th-seeded Casa Grande in round two.