Football Preview: Verrado Vipers vs. Sunrise Mountain Mustangs
The Verrado Vipers are on the road again on Friday to play the Sunrise Mountain Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Last Friday, Verrado took their game on the road with ease, bagging a 55-7 win over Ironwood. That 48 point margin sets a new team best for the Vipers this season.
Verrado's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Chase Gieszler led the charge by throwing for 100 yards and two touchdowns while completing 71.4% of his passes, and also punching in a touchdown on the ground. Verrado also got a significant boost from Jack Isidore, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 126 yards.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Verrado was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 205 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 168 rushing yards in three consecutive contests.
Verrado's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Blake Bliss and Mateo Sowden. Sowden also set a new season high mark in total tackles with eight.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Sunrise Mountain). They blew past West Point 45-7 at home on Friday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Mustangs.
Nicholas Bombaci went supernova for Sunrise Mountain, rushing for 159 yards and three touchdowns on only 15 carries, while also picking up 31 receiving yards. The dominant performance gave Bombaci a new career-high in rushing yards. Another player making a difference was Logan Russell, who picked up 100 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Verrado's record now sits at 3-1. As for Sunrise Mountain, their record now sits at 2-3.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's match: Verrado has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 426.5 total yards per game. It's a different story for Sunrise Mountain, though, as they've been averaging only 215.8. Will Verrado be able to march up the field at their leisure again, or will Sunrise Mountain flip the script?
Verrado ended up a good deal behind Sunrise Mountain when the teams last played back in September of 2023, losing 39-20. Can Verrado 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
