Football Preview: Yucaipa Thunderbirds vs. Redlands East Valley Wildcats
Yucaipa has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will head out to challenge the Redlands East Valley Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Neither Yucaipa nor Redlands East Valley posted many points in their last games, so it might be the defenses that decide this one.
Yucaipa is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against Beaumont on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Yucaipa took a blow against Beaumont, falling 44-7. The Thunderbirds were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 23-0.
Meanwhile, Thursday just wasn't the day for Redlands East Valley's offense. They had to suffer through a 47-0 loss at the hands of Cajon. The defeat continues a trend for the Wildcats in their matchups with the Cowboys: they've now lost eight in a row.
Yucaipa has traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-3 record this season. As for Redlands East Valley, their loss dropped their record down to 1-6.
Thursday's matchup will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Logan Barbour and Nathen Lopez. Barbour has put up some stellar numbers this year, and currently owns excellent season averages 130.1 rushing yards per game this season. For his part, Lopez has averaged 122.7 rushing yards per game this season.
Everything came up roses for Yucaipa against Redlands East Valley when the teams last played back in October of 2023, as the team secured a 48-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Yucaipa since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
