By: Lee Patterson

Rookie head coach Mike Alba will take his Safford High School squad 2 hours south on Highway 191 Friday night to battle the Douglas Bulldogs. Alba is the 3^rd coach in 6 years at Safford. He will have to replace the entire offensive backfield after the graduation of all -conference players Brandon McEuen and Sammy Delgado.

Junior Cole Claridge is now in charge of the new look no huddle offense that led Safford to a 26-14 win over Morenci in the season opener. He threw for 3 touchdowns on the night to prove that he is ready to fill the role. With junior wide receiver Jalen Higgins’ sprinter speed on the outside, the duo is sure to find the endzone many times this season.

Douglas will be trying to keep the momentum they gained in a 26-15 win on the road in Vail against Empire. The Bulldogs used a stingy defense to hold the Ravens scoreless in the 2^nd half, while picking off Empire QB Ryan Poarch twice and forcing 2 fumbles.

This will be the first meeting between the two schools since 1981. Douglas won 13-6, they also lead the all time series 23-11.