Early Friday afternoon, the Miami Vandals varsity football team and their coaches boarded a bus from Miami Jr./Sr. High School to Phoenix, where they would meet the Arizona Lutheran Academy Coyotes in the first round of the AIA Conference 2A tournament. As the bus pulled out, well-wishers with “GO VANDALS” signs saw the team off.

Seeded 10th in the tournament, Miami faced the 7th-seeded Coyotes; both teams entered the game with 7-3 records. Friday night, the Vandals would fall to Arizona Lutheran Academy 80-20.

Vandals senior quarterback Abram Castaneda threw for three touchdowns in the game, all to senior receiver Deray Mathis, who caught seven passes for 176 yards. Castaneda, who according to the site MaxPreps.com averaged 80 rushing yards per game, was held to just five.

Miami finished the season at 7-4, including their successful defense of the Copper Kettle against Globe and a five-game win streak to end the regular season. They finished second in Section 2A Black at 5-1.

However, the Vandals met a Coyotes team that piled up 699 total yards including 633 rushing yards. Coyotes senior Elijah Harris rushed for 241 of those yards, along with four touchdown runs.

“The season didn’t end the way we had hoped,” said Miami head coach Brandon Powell. “We ran into a very tough ALA team. But we played a great season with a very tough schedule. I’m very proud of our players.”