Football Preview: Green Valley Gators vs. Palo Verde Panthers
The Green Valley Gators's road trip will continue as they head out to face the Palo Verde Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Green Valley will be strutting in after a win while Palo Verde will be coming in after a loss.
Two weeks ago, Green Valley needed a bit of extra time to put away Legacy. They had just enough and edged the Longhorns out 38-35. That looming 38-35 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Gators yet this season.
Green Valley found their leader in underclassman Michael Lewis, who threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 passes.
Special teams was a major factor in the game for Green Valley, racking up 12 points in total. All those points came courtesy of Dax Arnold: he added nine points with three field goals, and another three kicking extra points.
Green Valley's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Esteban Martinez and John Mancuso.
Meanwhile, Palo Verde scored the most points they've had all season on Friday, but it wasn't enough. They came up short against Shadow Ridge, falling 49-28. The Panthers were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 28-7.
Even though they lost, Palo Verde was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 211 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in September of 2023.
Green Valley pushed their record up to 3-1 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. As for Palo Verde, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-4.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's matchup: Green Valley has been excellent in the air this season, having averaged 280 passing yards per game. It's a different story for Palo Verde, though, as they've been averaging only 117.2. How will they fare against such a dominant passing game?
Green Valley and Palo Verde were neck-and-neck in their previous matchup back in September of 2021, but Green Valley came up empty-handed after a 21-20 loss. Can Green Valley 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
