Pojoaque Valley hasn't had much luck against St. Michael recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Elks/Elkettes will challenge the Horsemen at 1:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Pojoaque Valley took a loss when they played away from home last Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. Their defense stepped up to hand Santa Fe Indian a 52-0 shutout. The win continues a trend for the Elks/Elkettes in their matchups with the Braves: they've now won eight in a row.
A big part of Pojoaque Valley's victory came down to the chemistry between Jaden Leyba-Moya and his top target Jonah Villegas. Leyba-Moya gained 143 total yards and three touchdowns while Villegas rushed for 107 yards and three TDs. The dominant performance also gave Leyba-Moya a new career-high in receiving touchdowns (two).
Pojoaque Valley was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 269 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Pojoaque Valley didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The team can thank two different players for their defensive prowess: Leyba-Moya and Elijah Gonzales, who each picked up one interception apiece.
Meanwhile, St. Michael's really took it to West Las Vegas for the full four quarters, racking up a 42-0 win. Fans of the Horsemen have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 20+ points.
St. Michael's win came from a few key players Pojoaque Valley will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Isaiah Dominguez, who rushed for 108 yards and one touchdown on only seven carries, and also picked up 66 receiving yards and one score. Kamal Stith was another key player, throwing for 114 yards and three TDs.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to St. Michael's defense and their four sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Ryan Hunt and Don Gorman, who racked up all four sacks between them.
St. Michael's record is now 8-0. As for Pojoaque Valley, they now have a winning record of 4-3.
Saturday's matchup will pit two of the most dominant signal callers against one another: Joshua Gonzales and Stith. Gonzales just won't slow down this season and has averaged 158.7 passing yards per game. Stith has been a dominant force too and has thrown 24 touchdowns while averaging 173.4 passing yards per game.
Pojoaque Valley was dealt a bruising 55-0 defeat at the hands of St. Michael's in their previous meeting back in October of 2024. Thankfully for the Elks/Elkettes, Cole Sandoval (who rushed for 102 yards and a pair of scores on only six carries) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
