Football Preview: Valencia Jaguars vs. St. Pius X Sartans
The Valencia Jaguars will challenge the St. Pius X Sartans at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Valencia is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 28.9 points per game this season.
Last Friday, Valencia had just enough and edged Manzano out 22-19. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Jaguars.
Valencia was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 286 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 186 rushing yards in five consecutive games.
Valencia wouldn't let Manzano keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Valencia can thank Dalton Muzzy and Christian Gonzalez for forcing both of them. Muzzy is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last seven games he's played dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, St. Pius X had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 18 points) and they went ahead and made it four on Friday. They blew past the Lobos 41-6 on the road. That 35 point margin sets a new team best for the Sartans this season.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead St. Pius X to victory, but perhaps none more so than Isaiah Carpenter, who threw for 360 yards and four touchdowns. Hershul Olloway Jr helped Carpenter out on the ground, rushing for 128 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.1 yards per carry.
Valencia's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-2. As for St. Pius X, their win bumped their record up to an identical 6-2.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Valencia has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 215.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like St. Pius X struggles in that department as they've been averaging 160.6. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Valencia couldn't quite finish off St. Pius X in their previous matchup back in October of 2023 and fell 20-18. Can Valencia avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
