The Fighting Artichokes football team continues their rise, and Saturday’s win in Thatcher may have been the best win yet.

The Artichokes defeated the Eastern Arizona Gila Monsters 37-7 in a very impressive road victory where the Artichokes showed their true colors in the second half of the ballgame. SCC and EAC were neck-and-neck at the end of the first half, but the Chokes shot themselves in the foot with mental errors on defense and sloppy plays on offense, particularly with the quarterback not hitting his receivers. The Artichokes led only by a 10-7 score at halftime.

But the team really blossomed in the second half. The defense was crisp and effective in stripping the ball four times in the second half. Quarterback Michael Sanders calmed down and collected himself well enough to throw for three touchdowns to three different receivers, one being tailback Za’Quan Summers. The other tailback, Armond Weh-Weh, reached the end zone for two touchdowns despite just 45 yards on the ground.

Freshman wide receiver DeAundrey Williams said that the team started off slow but won with a strong second half. The Artichokes knew they could defeat the Gila Monsters, but just endured a rough start to the game. By the end, the Artichokes had pitched a second-half shutout and took advantage of the turnovers the defense produced by scoring 27 further points on offense.

The victory was SCC’s fourth in a row, and their win-loss record now stands at 4-1. The next game for the Artichokes will be at Pima CC against the Pima Aztecs on Oct. 4. After that, the Artichokes return home to take on the Phoenix College Bears in the Oct. 11 homecoming game.