Season Opener Setback
The Glendale Dynamiters opened their season on the road against the Santa Fe Sentinels, falling 38‑8 in a game that exposed both the team’s inexperience and the opposition’s firepower.
Junior running back Arman Papazyan carried the ball 30 times for 223 yards and the Dynamiters’ only touchdown, showcasing the burst that had previously topped 1,000 rushing yards in a single season.
Santa Fe’s aerial attack proved decisive, as junior wide receiver Jeremiah Norman hauled in three scoring passes from senior quarterback Aiden Garate, helping the Sentinels pull away early.
Coach Manuel Lemus made a pivotal tactical shift, moving junior safety Margo Stoychev from the weak side to outside linebacker, a change that yielded seven tackles and a safety with just 36.7 seconds left on the clock.
The Dynamiters’ roster is notably young, with only nine seniors among 38 players, a factor Lemus says contributes to early hesitation but also fuels the squad’s determination to improve.
Looking ahead, Glendale hopes to translate its defensive tweaks into a stronger second‑half performance when they meet San Gabriel in their next contest.