GameDay: Injury bug throws big curveball at Pride

Mountain Pointe's football team travels to Chandler Hamilton tonight without three starters who have spent more time in the training room than the practice field.

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Senior quarterback Austin Lahr has had his left shoulder in a sling since being injured in the Pride's loss to Scottsdale Horizon at home last week.

Running back De'Andre Currie is on crutches and wearing a heavy walking cast on his left ankle while senior linebacker Ryan Noble is also in crutches and wear a brace on a hamstring pull.

All three were injured late in the first half against Horizon.

 "It happened we had some bad luck last week when those guys got hurt and that changed the complexion of the game," Mountain Pointe coach Phil Abbadessa said.

"That was some tough luck for our ball club, but this is an opportunity for some other kids to get some playing time against one of the best teams in the state of Arizona."

Senior wide receiver Will Claye will also miss the Hamilton game. He was ejected after a personal foul penalty late in the Horizon game and has to serve a one-game suspension.

Junior Austin Blom, who went into the game without the benefit of taking a snap in a varsity game this season, has had a week instead of the 15 minutes of the halftime to prepare for this week.

Blom completed one of six passes against Horizon but said this week the timing has gotten better in practice.

"I hadn't played quarterback in a while and the timing was off last week," Blom said. "But we'll be ready to go this week."

Currie had been the Pride's most proficient running back this season. The 5-foot-6 junior has carried the ball 59 times for 448 yards and four touchdowns, including the only score against Horizon.

Lahr had completed 24 of 46 passes for 268 yards and a touchdown while Noble has been in on 14 tackles this season and has recovered a fumble.

The Pride (1-3) won their season opener against Cesar Chavez in Laveen then lost the next three games by two touchdowns or less.

Hamilton has been a football powerhouse for a decade and goes into the game with a 4-1 record with victories over Washington in Miami, Fla., a shutout of Phoenix Brophy (10-0) and a win against Mesa Red Mountain (30-14) last week.

The Huskies have two quarterbacks (Travis Dean and Zakary Hambsh) who have thrown for almost 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns this season.

Hamilton junior running back Zachery Bauman is also approaching the 1,000-yard mark (974 yards) and has scored six touchdowns.

"We're playing an outstanding Hamilton football team and the kids know that," Abbadessa said. "We have to go in there and play hard."

The Pride don't know if they will have Lahr, Currie and Noble ready for next week's game at home against Yuma Cibola (2-2) next week.

"We'll just have to see what happens with the medical evaluations," Abbadessa said.