Football Preview: Pima Roughriders vs. Bisbee Pumas
Pima is on a five-game streak of home wins, while Bisbee is on a five-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Pima Roughriders will host the Bisbee Pumas at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Last Friday, Pima didn't have too much trouble with St. Johns as they won 44-27.
Jeremiah Martinez was his usual excellent self, rushing for 192 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 8.7 yards per carry. Those 192 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. Another back making a difference was Aiden Alder, who rushed for 92 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries.
Pima didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off four passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Brock Haws, Jaxon Mcbiles, Keegan Corona, and Preston Russell picked up one apiece. Haws has been hot , having also posted five or more total tackles the last five times he's played.
Meanwhile, Bisbee was able to grind out a solid win over Camp Verde on Friday, taking the game 33-20.
Bisbee's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Sebastian Lopez, who rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns on only ten carries, and also threw for 157 yards and a touchdown on only 14 passes. Lopez got the majority of those rushing yards when he took off on a run that went for an incredible 60 yards. Bryceton Meyer was another key player, rushing for 137 yards and a touchdown on only 14 carries.
Bisbee wouldn't let Camp Verde keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force four fumbles. Meyer led the group effort, picking up two of those forced fumbles all by himself. Another thorn in Camp Verde's side was Xavier Montiel, who made six total tackles (1.0 for loss) and snagged an interception which he returned one-yard for a touchdown.
Bisbee was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 268 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 161 rushing yards in four consecutive games.
Bisbee's victory bumped their record up to 10-1. As for Pima, their win bumped their record up to an identical 10-1.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Pima has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 228.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Bisbee struggles in that department as they've been averaging 222.9. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Pima against Bisbee when the teams last played back in October of 2021, as the team secured a 42-13 victory. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Bisbee's Diego Chavez, who rushed for 134 yards and a touchdown while picking up 7.1 yards per carry. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Pima to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
