By Don Ketchum

Phoenix Valley Lutheran and Bagdad had a rough go of it in their Class 1A eight-man football season openers.

Valley Lutheran fell to state runner-up Heber Mogollon 66-12 and Bagdad dropped a 54-37 decision to defending champion Joseph City.

The question now is, can Valley Lutheran and Bagdad avoid repeats of those one-sided games and prevent a state title rematch?

We will find out on Saturday (Nov. 6) with a 1A semifinal double-header at Bradshaw Mountain High in Prescott Valley.

Valley Lutheran (6-3) faces Mogollon (9-0) in the opener at 4 p.m., followed by Bagdad (7-2) and Joseph City (9-1) at 7 p.m.

Valley Lutheran has a strong running game led by junior Dimitri O’Brien, who has rushed for a little more than 2,000 yards. Mogollon features senior quarterback J.T. Maner, who is a dual threat, having combined for nearly 2,000 yards total offense.

Bagdad is led by quarterback Zachary Loveall, who has thrown for nearly 1,300 yards and 24 touchdowns.

Joseph City also has a J.T., J.T. Heward, who is a tough running back, getting ground assistance from Remington Baldwin.

Joseph City defeated Fort Thomas in its playoff opener, then survived a tough battle last week against St. David, one of Joseph City coach John Bryant’s former teams.

The championship game will be played Saturday (Nov. 13) at Bradshaw Mountain, with a 7 p.m. kickoff.