Football Preview: Yuma Catholic Shamrocks vs. Thunderbird Titans
The Yuma Catholic Shamrocks will face off against the Thunderbird Titans at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Yuma Catholic took a loss when they played away from home last Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They took their match at home with ease, bagging a 45-13 victory over St. Mary's. Given the Shamrocks' advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona football rankings (they are ranked 31st, while the Knights are ranked 103rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Sir Stokes continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, picking up 269 receiving yards and three touchdowns. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 108.4 receiving yards per game. Benton Beck was another key player, gaining 122 total yards and a touchdown.
Yuma Catholic's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB five times. Rocky Stallworth was especially locked on to St. Mary's QB and sacked him twice. Stallworth is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made seven or more in the last 20 games he's played dating back to last season. Hayden Beck was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making nine total tackles.
Meanwhile, Thunderbird put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They breezed by Lake Havasu on the road to the tune of 46-0. That 46 point margin sets a new team best for the Titans this season.
Elijah Little was his usual excellent self, rushing for 122 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 7.6 yards per carry. Another player making a difference was Daryl Little II, who picked up 97 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Thunderbird was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 203 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 164 rushing yards in 11 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Yuma Catholic's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-1. As for Thunderbird, their victory bumped their record up to 6-0.
Yuma Catholic strolled past Thunderbird in their previous meeting back in October of 2023 by a score of 24-7. The rematch might be a little tougher for Yuma Catholic since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
