Football Preview: Canyon Eagles vs. Randall Raiders
The Canyon Eagles will square off against the Randall Raiders at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Canyon is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 26.6 points per game this season.
Things were looking good for Canyon after they put the first points on the board last Friday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They took a 30-21 hit to the loss column at the hands of Hereford. The Eagles gained 95 more yards on the day, but it was the Whitefaces that made the best use of them.
Despite the defeat, Canyon got top-tier performance from Ryan Rivera, who rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns. That's the most rushing yards Rivera has posted since back in November of 2023.
Even if they lost, Canyon's defense still kept up the pressure with seven sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Brayden Swanson and Brayden Drager, who racked up five sacks between them. Swanson also made five total tackles, which is notable because Canyon is 3-1 when he posts at least four total tackles, but 2-3 otherwise.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Randall, who bounced back after a loss on the road two weeks ago. They took their game on Friday with ease, bagging a 37-0 victory over Pampa. Considering the Raiders have won five matches by more than 23 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Randall's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kaison Benton, who threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns while completing 77.8% of his passes, and also rushed for 72 yards on only nine carries. Kaiden Miller was Benton's top target, picking up 88 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Randall pushed their record up to 8-1 with the victory, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 41.8 points per game. As for Canyon, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-4 record this season.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Canyon has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 239 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Randall struggles in that department as they've been averaging 218.6. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Canyon against Randall in their previous meeting back in October of 2023, as the team secured a 48-7 win. In that match, Canyon amassed a halftime lead of 35-0, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
