Football Preview: St. Pius X Sartans vs. Espanola Valley Sundevils
The St. Pius X Sartans will square off against the Espanola Valley Sundevils at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
St. Pius X is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They claimed a resounding 46-14 victory over Grants. The win was familiar territory for the Sartans who have now won seven matches in a row.
St. Pius X found their leader in sophomore Hershul Olloway Jr, who rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.5 yards per carry. Olloway Jr's rushing production has been exceptional as that marked his sixth straight game with at least 121 rushing yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Isaiah Carpenter, who threw for 261 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 11.9 yards per attempt.
St. Pius X wouldn't let Grants keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force four fumbles. It was truly a group effort as Ethan Machtinger, Chase Nelson, Ramon Torres, and Olloway Jr picked up one apiece.
Meanwhile, Espanola Valley never let their opponents score on Friday. They blew past Taos 28-0. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Sundevils have posted against the Tigers since October 2, 2015.
Espanola Valley was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 291 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in September.
St. Pius X pushed their record up to 9-2 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 40.0 points per game. As for Espanola Valley, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 9-3 record this season.
Saturday's game might be decided in the on the ground. St. Pius X has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 176 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Espanola Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 260.4. It's looking like Saturday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
St. Pius X suffered a grim 31-7 defeat to Espanola Valley in their previous meeting back in November of 2023. Can St. Pius X avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
