Football Game Preview: Murrieta Valley Nighthawks vs. Rancho Cucamonga Cougars + How To Watch

Murrieta Valley and Rancho Cucamonga are an even 4-4 against one another since September of 2015, but not for long. The Nighthawks will head out on the road to take on the Cougars at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Murrieta Valley is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. Everything went their way against Corona del Mar as they made off with a 35-14 win. With the Nighthawks ahead 28-0 at the half, the contest was all but over already.

Ty Isaia

Passer Rating

10/03/25 @ Norco	161.9
10/30/25 vs Roosevelt	145
11/07/25 vs Corona del Mar	139.9
10/10/25 vs Chaparral	135.8
09/12/25 @ Murrieta Mesa	116.3
+ 6 more games

Murrieta Valley found their leader in sophomore Ty Isaia, who threw for 150 yards and four TDs on only 14 passes, and also rushed for 70 yards and one touchdown. Isaia's passing game has become a key predictor of the Nighthawks' success: the team is undefeated when his passer rating is 110 or higher, but only 2-3 otherwise. Murrieta Valley's leading receiver Kayden Borden was Isaia's top target yet again, picking up 108 receiving yards and three scores.

Murrieta Valley was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 308 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 190 rushing yards in three consecutive matchups.

One reason for the win was Murrieta Valley's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for five sacks. Ian Gurrola was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two himself.

Meanwhile, Rancho Cucamonga waltzed into their game on Friday with five straight wins... but they left with six. They took their contest with ease, bagging a 45-8 victory over the Tillers. The Cougars pushed the score to 31-8 by the end of the third, a deficit the Tillers had little chance of recovering from.

Rancho Cucamonga had a senior duo take command as Jacob Chambers threw for 194 yards and three touchdowns and James Strong III gained 144 total yards and two touchdowns. Another player making a difference was Tyree Wilson, who picked up 83 receiving yards and one TD.

Murrieta Valley's record now sits at 8-3. As for Rancho Cucamonga, their record is now 7-4.

Murrieta Valley skirted past Rancho Cucamonga 28-26 in their previous meeting back in August. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Nighthawks since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.