Football Recap: Strong Performance on D from Cole Deronda and Jake Messing Leads Valley Central over Pine Bush

Valley Central's game last Thursday was a loss, but they didn't let that memory haunt them on Friday. They walked away with a 14-6 victory over the Pine Bush Bushmen. The Vikings' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.

AJ Gonzalez had an outrageously good game as he rushed for 151 yards and one touchdown while picking up 8.9 yards per carry. He was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 61 yards.

Valley Central didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Cole DeRonda and Jake Messing. DeRonda is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made six or more in each of the last three games he's played. Valley Central got some further help from Logan McKenna: he made 13 total tackles (2.0 for loss).

Despite the loss, Pine Bush still got an impressive performance from Ruben Simpson Jr, who rushed for 161 yards and one TD while picking up 7.7 yards per carry, and also picked up 57 receiving yards. Noah Schorling also helped out with an impressive 82 receiving yards.

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Previous Games

10/03/25 - Home	14-6 W
09/27/24 - Away	14-34 L
10/13/23 - Home	23-35 L
09/09/22 - Away	14-29 L
09/27/19 - Away	19-42 L
+ 4 more games

Valley Central's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-4. As for Pine Bush, they now have a losing record of 2-3.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming matchups. Valley Central will square off against Newburgh Free Academy at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Pine Bush, they will challenge Middletown at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The Bushmen will be up against the Middie Bears' rather soft defense (which has allowed 43 points per contest), so fans could be in store for a big offensive performance.