Football Preview: Paloma Valley Wildcats vs. Vista del Lago Ravens
The Paloma Valley Wildcats will head out to challenge the Vista del Lago Ravens at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.
Paloma Valley will head out to face Vista del Lago after giving up their first home loss of the season on Friday. Paloma Valley lost 34-12 to Rancho Verde. The defeat continues a trend for the Wildcats in their matchups with the Mustangs: they've now lost five in a row.
Paloma Valley might have lost, but man, Arthur Clemons was a machine: he picked up 62 receiving yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 46 yards and a touchdown.
Paloma Valley wouldn't let Rancho Verde keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. Paloma Valley can thank Cyrus Medina and Elijah Noriega for forcing all of them. Medina is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made six or more in the last eight games he's played dating back to last season.
Despite a strong season so far, Vista del Lago has seen their luck take a bit of a downturn recently. They came up short against Orange Vista on Thursday, falling 43-21. While losing is never fun, the Ravens can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 237th, while the Coyotes are ranked 110th).
Despite the loss, Vista del Lago saw an underclassman step up: Josiah Dupree Boyd rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown on only nine carries, and also threw for 163 yards and two touchdowns. Dupree Boyd's longest rush was for an impressive 56 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total.
Vista del Lago didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Fabian Bolanos.
Paloma Valley's defeat ended a four-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 5-3. As for Vista del Lago, their loss dropped their record down to 6-2.
Paloma Valley skirted past Vista del Lago 35-32 in their previous matchup back in October of 2023. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Vista del Lago's Larry Joyce, who threw for 305 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 10.9 yards per attempt. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Paloma Valley to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
