Football Game Preview: ThunderRidge Grizzlies vs. Valor Christian Eagles + Official Tickets

ThunderRidge hasn't had much luck against Valor Christian recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Grizzlies will venture away from home to challenge the Eagles at 7:00 p.m.

ThunderRidge's offense might be in the hot seat on Friday considering what happened against Mountain Vista on Friday. They had to suffer through a 40-0 loss at the hands of the Golden Eagles. Having soared to a lofty 41 points in the game before, the Grizzlies' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Valor Christian). They simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Castle View 56-0. The Eagles haven't had any issues with the Sabercats recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive win against them.

ThunderRidge better keep an eye on Chase Hanosh. He was instrumental in Valor Christian's win, rushing for 126 yards and a pair of TDs on only 11 carries. Hanosh got the majority of those rushing yards when he took off on a run that went for an incredible 65 yards. Another player making a difference was Cash Spence, who picked up 180 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Valor Christian didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Castle View to a completion percentage of just 46.2%. That dominant aerial defense primarily came from three players: Cole Beyer, Grant Cook, and Jerome Parks, who each logged one passes deflected. Valor Christian has been improving in that area: they had allowed a completion percentage of 0.63 earlier this season, but they've only allowed one of 0.63 in their last three games.

Special teams played a big role in the game for Valor Christian, adding 14 points to the final score. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Wilson Ptacek, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.

ThunderRidge now has a losing record of 3-4. As for Valor Christian, their record is now 5-2.

ThunderRidge took a serious blow against Valor Christian in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, falling 47-0. Can the Grizzlies avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.