Football Preview: Verrado Vipers vs. Fairfax Stampede
The Verrado Vipers will look to take advantage of their home-field for the first time this season as they take on the Fairfax Stampede at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.
Verrado is headed into their home opener looking to turn things around after opening their season on the road. They were dealt a 41-14 defeat at the hands of Desert Mountain on Friday. The Vipers' loss continues a trend for the squad, making it six in a row dating back to last season.
The losing side was boosted by Chase Gieszler, who threw for 371 yards and two touchdowns while completing 78.6% of his passes, and also rushed for 52 yards. Jordan Hiller was Gieszler's top target, picking up 175 receiving yards.
Meanwhile, Fairfax couldn't capitalize on their home-field advantage in their season opener. They were outmatched by Buena at home and fell 68-19. The Stampede's defeat continues a trend for the team, making it 11 in a row dating back to last season.
Fairfax's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Michael Branch, who picked up 102 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and Jesus Gurule, who threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns. Branch got the majority of those yards when he pulled down a pass and and took off for a gain of54 yards. A healthy portion of that aerial production (104 yards to be exact) also went to Vincent Quadrozzi.
Everything came up roses for Verrado against Fairfax in their previous matchup back in September of 2023 as the squad secured a 50-13 victory. Will Verrado repeat their success, or does Fairfax have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
