Football Game Preview: Oakley Hornets vs. Garden Valley Wolverines

Oakley has gone a perfect 3-0 against Garden Valley recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Hornets will be playing at home against the Wolverines at 6:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Oakley is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Idaho's top teams: Glenns Ferry, who was ranked 17th at the time (Oakley was ranked 18th). The Hornets walked away with a 52-44 win over the Pilots on Friday. The Hornets' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.

A big part of Oakley's victory came down to the chemistry between Jackson Rice and his top target Bridger Conant. Rice gained 249 total yards while Conant rushed for 186 yards and one score on only 14 carries. Kohl Beck was another key player, picking up 91 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Oakley was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 286 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Garden Valley, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They took their matchup on Friday with ease, bagging a 74-6 win over Cascade. The Wolverines haven't had any issues with the Ramblers recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive victory against them.

Garden Valley didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Madix Miller and Kegan Welsh. Welsh got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.

Oakley's win bumped their record up to 2-6. As for Garden Valley, their victory was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 5-3.

Everything came up roses for Oakley against Garden Valley when the teams last played back in September of 2020, as the team secured a 72-31 win. In that game, the Hornets amassed a halftime lead of 32-12, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Thursday.