Preview: Valencia Vikings vs. Canyon Cowboys
Valencia has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will take on The Canyon Cowboys at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Valencia has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 215 points over their last five matches.
Valencia can now show off six landslide victories after their most recent contest on Friday. They claimed a resounding 37-7 victory over Hart at home. Given Valencia's advantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 30th, while Hart is ranked 180th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Jackson Askins was on fire: he threw for 298 yards and three touchdowns while completing 72.2% of his passes, and also rushed for 89 yards and a touchdown on only ten carries. Brian Bonner was another key contributor, gaining 94 total yards and a touchdown.
The team's defense also helped out by holding Hart to a paltry 166 yards. A big part of that defensive dominance came down to Valencia's ability to keep the quarterback under pressure: the team laid him out three times before it was all said and done. In fact, those sacks all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Tony Testa.
Meanwhile, Canyon strolled past Saugus with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 28-13. The win was just what Canyon needed coming off of a 41-7 loss in their prior contest.
Among those leading the charge was Jeremiah Taylor, who picked up 120 receiving yards, and also punched in two touchdowns on the ground.
Valencia's win was their fifth straight at home, bumping their overall record up to 8-1. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 43.0 points per game. As for Canyon, their win bumped their record up to 6-3.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Valencia has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 152.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Canyon struggles in that department as they've been even better at 168.2 per game. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Valencia took their win against Canyon in their previous meeting back in October of 2022 by a conclusive 40-14. The rematch might be a little tougher for Valencia since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
