Football Preview: Vandegrift Vipers vs. Steele Knights
The Vandegrift Vipers will take on the Steele Knights at 3:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Vandegrift sitting on ten straight wins and Steele on eight.
Vandegrift is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They never let Sotomayor onto the board and left with a 51-0 victory. That looming 51-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Vipers yet this season.
Vandegrift was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 259 rushing yards. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their rushing yard total in three consecutive games.
Vandegrift wouldn't let Sotomayor keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Vandegrift can thank Hollister Stephens and Ian Witt for forcing both of them. Stephens has been hot recently, having also posted six or more total tackles the last three times he's played. Adam Scott was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making six total tackles (4.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Steele took their matchup on Thursday with ease, bagging a 63-12 win over Pharr-San Juan-Alamo. The result was nothing new for the Knights, who have now won ten matches by 23 points or more so far this season.
A big part of Steele's victory came down to the chemistry between Royal Capell and his top target Jalen Cooper. Capell picked up 73 receiving yards and a touchdown while Cooper picked up 111 receiving yards and a touchdown. Capell got the majority of those receiving yards when he pulled down a pass and took off for a gain of 68 yards.
One reason for the win was Steele's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for seven sacks. LE'MONTAE SMITH was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two himself.
Vandegrift's record is now 11-1. As for Steele, their record now sits at an identical 11-1.
The upcoming contest will be a clash of competing strengths. Vandegrift has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 154.6 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Steele has preferred to attack from the air: they average 273 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Everything came up roses for Vandegrift against Steele in their previous meeting back in November of 2021, as the team secured a 38-0 win. Does Vandegrift have another victory up their sleeve, or will Steele turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
