Football Preview: Valley Catholic Valiants vs. Banks Braves
Valley Catholic is 0-10 against Banks since October of 2014 but things could change on Friday. The Valley Catholic Valiants will host the Banks Braves at 7:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.
Having struggled with four defeats in a row, Valley Catholic finally turned things around against North Marion on Friday. They snuck past the Huskies with a 34-28 win.
Meanwhile, Banks put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They were the clear victor by a 43-18 margin over Yamhill-Carlton. Considering the Braves have won five matches by more than 19 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Banks' receiving core played a big role in the win, headlined by Jarrett Martin and Lane Gilbert. Martin gained 124 total yards and three touchdowns while Gilbert rushed for 137 yards and a touchdown on only 13 carries. Those 137 rushing yards gave Gilbert a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Max Walker, who picked up 47 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Banks wouldn't let Yamhill-Carlton keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Banks can thank Walker and Luke Bigsby for forcing both of them. Bigsby is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last five games he's played dating back to last season.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Banks was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 343 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Valley Catholic's victory bumped their record up to 2-5. As for Banks, they pushed their record up to 6-0 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home.
Valley Catholic was taken down by Banks 41-6 when the teams last played back in October of 2023. Thankfully for Valley Catholic, Kade Long (who threw for 181 yards and three touchdowns on only 12 passes, and also rushed for 65 yards and a touchdown) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
